Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

A Natural Showcase

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026

1. A Natural Showcase Marker

Inscription.

A Natural Showcase. . , Generations of visitors to the Hampton-Preston gardens recalled the site's greenhouse, where the property owners oversaw the propagation and display of native and exotic plants. During the mid-19th century, the estate received national attention for its beauty and horticultural accomplishments.,

"The green house for beauty and variety rivals that of the government one in Washington. In it the orange and the lemon are covered with ripe fruit, and at the same time a delicate white blossom." , - E.F. Bullard, Waterford, New York Sentinel, April 15, 1853, "After passing through many fine walks and neatly arranged flowergarden we came to an extensive range of glass…to see the exotic treasures of the charming greenhouses." , - W.R. Bergholz, "Visits to Columbia Gardens" The Farmer and PLanter July 1861
br> "that green-house recherché - a botanist may , Make that green-house a study-place every day - , Where the gorgeous plants of the tropics are shown, , And species the rarest from every zone. , Geraniums in thousands, and cactuses, more , Than might be presumed the whole world had in store; , Banana, and plantain, and coffee, and tea, , And India-rubber, seem thriving to be, , As growing beneath their more vertical sun, , (Art making them here ever summer and noon.)" , - Exerpted from "Green Spots. - No. 3. Hampton Garden," The Courant: A Southern Literary Journal, Columbia, S.C. Thursday, July 28, 1959

, [Captions:] , Detail from Bird's Eye View of the City of Columbia, SC, 1872 , Draftsman Camille N. Drie rendered a unique view of South Carolina's capital city seven years after the Civil War. The former Hampton-Preston estate's greenhouse stands out among the map's features., Detail from Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1888 , During the 19th and early-20th centuries, state institutions, such as the Lunatic Asylum and the University of South Carolina, also featured greenhouses, or "hot houses," as they were also called, for growing native and exotic plants during the cooler months. Oqui Adair, a Chinese immigrant who operated the Asylum's greenhouses during the mid-1860s through the 1870s, oftne advertised his plant sales in local newspapers. In the 1890s, the Asylum employed Benjamin Harrison Campbell, a formerly enslaved gardener celebrated for his cultural success.

Generations of visitors to the Hampton-Preston gardens recalled the site's greenhouse, where the property owners oversaw the propagation and display of native and exotic plants. During the mid-19th century, the estate received national attention for its beauty and horticultural accomplishments.

"The green house for beauty and variety rivals that of the government one in Washington. In it the orange and the lemon are covered with ripe fruit, and at the same time a delicate white blossom."
- E.F. Bullard, Waterford, New York Sentinel, April 15, 1853

"After passing through many fine walks and neatly arranged flowergarden we came to an extensive range of glass…to see the exotic treasures of the charming greenhouses."
- W.R. Bergholz, "Visits to Columbia Gardens" The Farmer and PLanter July 1861
br> "that green-house recherché - a botanist may
Make that green-house a study-place every day -
Where the gorgeous plants of the tropics are shown,
And species the rarest from every zone.
Geraniums in thousands, and cactuses, more
Than might be presumed the whole world had in store;
Banana, and plantain, and coffee,
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and tea,
And India-rubber, seem thriving to be,
As growing beneath their more vertical sun,
(Art making them here ever summer and noon.)"
- Exerpted from "Green Spots. - No. 3. Hampton Garden," The Courant: A Southern Literary Journal, Columbia, S.C. Thursday, July 28, 1959

[Captions:]
Detail from Bird's Eye View of the City of Columbia, SC, 1872
Draftsman Camille N. Drie rendered a unique view of South Carolina's capital city seven years after the Civil War. The former Hampton-Preston estate's greenhouse stands out among the map's features.

Detail from Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1888
During the 19th and early-20th centuries, state institutions, such as the Lunatic Asylum and the University of South Carolina, also featured greenhouses, or "hot houses," as they were also called, for growing native and exotic plants during the cooler months. Oqui Adair, a Chinese immigrant who operated the Asylum's greenhouses during the mid-1860s through the 1870s, oftne advertised his plant sales in local newspapers. In the 1890s, the Asylum employed Benjamin Harrison Campbell, a formerly enslaved gardener celebrated for his cultural success.

Erected by Historic

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026

2. A Natural Showcase Marker

Columbia Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Asian Americans • Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is April 15, 1853.

Location. 34° 0.659′ N, 81° 1.8′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. It can be reached from Pickens Street north of Blanding Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1613 Blanding St, Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

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of this marker: Hampton-Preston Sustainers Garden (here, next to this marker); Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center (a few steps from this marker); Cutting Pathways and Sowing Seeds (a few steps from this marker); Botanical Luxury (a few steps from this marker); Preparing "Truly Educated, Christian, Womanly Women" (a few steps from this marker); Formal Education for a New Class (a few steps from this marker); The People Behind the Plants (a few steps from this marker); Rooms for a Day, Week or Month (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 30 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on January 24, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on January 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.