This, the Way to the Stars PRESERVING THE GREAT HALL CEILING
The overmantel of the Upper Great Hall includes a 20th century painting featuring a banner that bears the Drayton family motto: “Hac Iter Ad Astra”, Latin for “This, the way to the stars”. For more than two and a half centuries, Drayton Hall has endured; surviving wars, natural disasters, and the steady passage of time that claimed so many of Charleston’s historic houses. Why it remains when others were lost is, in many ways, a mystery. What is certain is that its remarkable state of preservation offers an irreplaceable window into the past. The Drayton family served as stewards of this extraordinary place for seven generations before entrusting its care to the public. That legacy of stewardship guides our work to this day. Rather than restore the house to a single moment in time, our philosophy is to preserve the house as it was received from the Drayton family. This approach offers an unusually authentic experience and allows us to learn from its layers of history.
Today, that commitment calls us to act.
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