The geological history of Kalmia Gardens is a fascinating one of ancient deposits of sands and clays which now comprise the bedrock under our feet; the advancing and retreating of the Atlantic Ocean to its front door; and the powerful carving of a bluff over the millennia by Black Creek.
The Davis to Hart Deed
& Plantation Life
At the time of human settlement in the area, this land was very much like it is today. When the land was being divided for the pioneers seeking out new land, this area was under the auspices of Cheraw County. King George III granted Benjamin Davis 200 acres in 1772, which included the acreage where we are now. The land was subdivided, changing hands many times with many owners. In 1817, a young Society Hill native, Thomas Edwards Hart, obtained the property.
King George III
Thomas Hart built his house near the bluff
overlooking the flood plain of Black Creek around 1820
with timber cut on the property. He brought his wife,
Hannah Lide Hart, to the new home. The dwelling is typical
of farmhouses of the era; one room deep with a central
hall upstairs and down. This design allowed
effective heating and cooling. Each of the four original
rooms contains paneled wainscoting and mantels carved by
the young Hart.
The Hart family grew to eight children and the plantation grew to 1,223 acres of cotton, tobacco
and other crops, as well as wild lands. Thomas Hart was
the first postmaster of the area, a merchant, justice of
Laurel Land, 1930
the peace and a captain of a local militia company. The town became known as "Hartville" or "Hartsville" as early
as 1837. The area was soon to grow even faster with
the arrival of more settlers, including Major James
Lide Coker, who was instrumental in transforming the
young community into a city
Captain Hart suffered a great financial loss in
the panic of the late 1830's. He died in 1842 at the early
age of 46, which many believed was hastened by his
financial reverses. He was buried in Lowther's Hill
Cemetery near Cashaway Ferry. John W. Lide, Captain
Hart's brother-in-law, held the holdings in trust for
Hannah Hart, who continued to live in her accustomed
manner there until 1859.
& Laurel Land
| Around the turn of the century, the property changed hands many times, with many different residents in the house. By the 1920s and early 1930s, it had become a neglected dump site. Meanwhile, Major Coker's son, Dr. William Chambers Coker, head of the Botany Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, had written many books, including The Plant Life of Hartsville, S.C. He described in great detail the area around the Thomas Hart House, known then as "Laurel Land," because of the abundance of mountain laurel that grew down the bluff along Black Creek. Dr. Coker obtained the property and presented it to his sister-in-law, the wife of David Robert Coker, another of Major Coker's sons and the founder of the Coker Pedigreed Seed Company. | Mrs. Coker was an avid gardener
and humanitarian and proceeded to turn the neglected
site into a scenic attraction. Mrs. Coker was the former May Roper of Washington, D.C. A gracious lady, she quickly became a well-loved member of the community and was called "Miss May" by generations of Hartsvillians. She was known for her love of gardening in town at her residence on Home Avenue and for her new project at Laurel Land. It promptly became known as "Miss May's Folly," for no one could see how this lovely lady could carve a public garden from such neglected wilderness on a high, steep bluff three miles from town! But despite their skepticism and the hard times of the Great Depression, she did it. |
Laurel Land, 1955
Coker Campus, 1912
Miss May
& Coker College
| Miss May added a sitting room, dining room, bedroom and kitchen to the house to make it
comfortable for her family, but did not alter the integrity of
the structure. A small outbuilding was built nearby. But
her greatest task was to carve trails down into the heart
of Laurel land. With help from several hard-working
men and a mule, she created her garden. Exotic plants
such as azaleas, camellias, wisteria, tea-olives and others
were added along the trails. Old railroad ties were used
to break the steepness of many trails. A pond was dug,
fed by an artesian well. The result was named "Kalmia"
for the plentiful laurel Kalmia latifolia that drapes the
bluff in a white veil in May. Since 1935, Kalmia Gardens has been open to the public free of charge from dawn until dusk, every day of the year. The wrought iron gates were crafted around 1935 by Mrs. Frank Tyldesley of Wales to highlight Miss May's favorite flower, the camellia, and they have beckoned to visitors ever since. |
A new gate was
dedicated to Miss May by her family in 1992, and serves
as the main entrance to her great labor of love. In 1965, Miss May gave Kalmia Gardens to Coker College as a memorial to her late husband. In 1996 a successful Capital Campaign resulted in the renovation of the Hart House and the establishment of a semi-formal Garden and a Sensory Garden. Miss May left a legacy of beauty and discovery for gardeners, nature lovers and scientists alike. Kalmia Gardens of Coker College is now an outdoor classroom and public garden, hosting many field trips from area schools as well as public programs, tours, symposia, plant sales, festivals and garden parties. This land continues to hold its centuries-old fascination for the next generation, who will surely keep it as a respite from the busy world that hurriedly passes by its gates. |
Kalmia Gardens main gate