A Peek Behind the Wrought Iron Gates

Autumn blooms at the Preservation Society of Charleston

By Leah Rhyne

Autumn hits different in the South. Unlike our Northern counterparts, the mornings aren’t super crisp, and our Jack-o-Lanterns only last a night or two. Here in the Holy City, though, thanks to the hard work of the Preservation Society of Charleston, autumn means it’s a special time of year: Fall Tours—four weeks of highly-anticipated access to some of the most beautiful homes and garden our city has to offer.

A Century of Preservation, Education and Outreach

“There are a lot of history-focused groups here in Charleston,” says Virginia Swift, the Manager of Programs at the Preservation Society of Charleston. “What makes us special is that we’re the oldest grassroots preservation society in the country. The preservation movement began here in Charleston, thanks to our founders.”

Since the early 1920s, the Preservation Society has been dedicated to keeping the magic of Charleston alive and, through architecture and even landscape architecture, keeping it historically accurate. They believe in the importance of scale, character, compatibility and craftmanship in every addition or update to every historic home. Swift knows this means they sometimes get a bad reputation. “People believe we like saying no,” she says. “But we actually prefer to say yes. We love to showcase the good projects going on around town, the beautiful homes with preservation being done right as well as compatible new construction, both on and off the peninsula.”

The Fall Tours give them a chance to do exactly that.

48 Years of Homes and Hospitality

The Fall Tours launched in 1976 as a fundraiser, allowing tourists and locals to pay a nominal fee for a peek inside houses in Charleston’s most affluent neighborhoods. Society women showcased their elegant homes and candlelight tours through downtown neighborhoods were an absolute delight. It’s elegance and ambiance combined with education about Charleston’s history and architecture.

Now in their 48th year, the Fall Tours have admittedly gone through some changes. A common refrain from local author, historian and Preservation Society board member Harlan Greene is, “This is not your grandmother’s Preservation Society.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Preservation Society offered over thirty House and Garden tours on Saturday afternoons, but COVID changed things. Homeowners were understandably reluctant to open their homes to the public, and then, even as the world opened back up, Swift knew it was time to pivot. She listened to feedback from visitors and homeowners, and the preservation society team adjusted.

“We decided to focus on quality over quantity,” she says. “We’ve carefully curated the content of our tours, honing in on the sweet spot to pair interesting educational content with a great experience.”

The resulting schedule combines new tour content, classic tours and enhanced formats over 24 days from October 9 – November 2, including Walking Tours with certified tour guides; Insiders’ History and Architecture Tours, which are in-depth studies of private homes, gardens, or preservation projects with the local experts—architects or designers—who are working on them; and the classic House and Garden Tours that have delighted guests for decades with their open house styles and well-versed docents.

The revamped event has had a new and surprising trend in attendance. Where Fall Tour guests used to skew heavily toward tourists, in the past several years, Swift has seen more and more locals coming out to enjoy the homes and gardens. But no matter who’s in the crowd, Swift advises that each Saturday House and Garden Tour date sells out of its 200 tickets.

“This year, we’re excited to offer tours outside of the downtown area,” adds Swift. “We have House and Garden Tours on Sullivan’s Island and in the Crescent neighborhood in West Ashley.” There, the Preservation Society team and homeowners will be able to showcase a different kind of history and architecture. Guests may see elegant beach cottages with rich tropical foliage or restored suburban Colonials with gardens inspired by Bridgerton-era country estates. There are also Walking Tours through Mount Pleasant’s Old Village and Shem Creek areas.

Most exciting may be the addition of free, self-guided tours available at any time throughout the month through a smart phone app called Bloomberg Connects.

“We have so much research available (about preservation efforts and Charleston’s history) across our website,” says Swift. “But through the app we can offer curated, themed tours, like the Charleston Justice Journey that creates a suggested route and tells you more about what you’ll see. The app is free and the tours are free, plus the app connects you to other cultural organizations in the city.”

In a single afternoon, guests can enjoy a walking tour downtown, and then follow another tour through the International African American Museum or Middleton Place (museum admissions must be purchased separately). Tours take an hour and although they’re free, a suggested $10 donation is always appreciated.

A Volunteer’s Dream Come True

An event like the Fall Tours couldn’t be run with staff alone. Swift’s team relies on a network of dedicated volunteers to act as docents, guides and even behind-the-scenes administrators. “They’re the frontlines that make our Saturday tours happen,” she says. “Tour Chairs are my right-hand-men and women. They’re running around, checking on everything, directing outside and inside the houses. Our volunteers learn the history of each house and love to share it with guests.”

One such Tour Chair is Lindsey Vaughn. She moved to Charleston for college in 2005 and a friend who was majoring in preservation told her about the Fall Tours. After that first year, Lindsey was hooked for life.

“It became a part of my fall each year,” says Vaughn. She became a volunteer so she could take more tours on a recent graduate’s sparse budget.

Now, all these years later, she says, “It’s still a big part of my life. I’m honored to be a senior volunteer and to see familiar faces every year. And I really love the homeowners. You have to realize not every homeowner downtown opens their house to charity. The people who open their homes to the public for the Fall Tours are the crème de la crème for me. The Preservation Society is the reason these historic homes exist in the first place, so they’re giving back to the nonprofit that helped them.”

From staff like Swift to the homeowners and volunteers, the Preservation Society of Charleston wants nothing more than to share the city they love with guests near and far. And with a solid century of history backing them, we know they’ll protect and showcase the Holy City for years to come.

For more information on Fall Tours programs and to purchase tickets, visit www.preservationsociety.org and click on the programs + events tab.