When John Fenwick died in 1747, the house and much of his property passed to his son, Edward Fenwick, Sr. Edward probably began managing the plantation in the early 1740s before he inherited the property. John Fenwick also provided for his daughters by bequeathing them two enslaved women and one young girl. His will states:
To my daughter Sarah two negro women called Hannah and Rachel and one girl called Daphney all in possession of said Edward in Carolina.
In 1753, Edward Fenwick, Sr. married his second wife, Mary Drayton. Mary was the daughter of prominent Charlestonians Thomas and Ann Drayton, who owned Magnolia Plantation on the Ashley River. Edward Fenwick, Sr. experimented with new businesses. He imported horses from England and started the Johns Island Stud Farm. He also started growing indigo to produce its coveted and valuable blue dye. Many enslaved people already had experience with this complicated process. When Edward Sr. died in 1774, 79 enslaved people were listed in the inventory of his property. We do not know whether these people continued to live at Fenwick Hall or were sold to other planters and separated from their families.
English Carolinians brought the popular sport of horse breeding and horse racing to the colony. Farms and racetracks began to dot the countryside. Soon Charleston’s social season centered around racing. Events were held at several places including the York Course located in modern-day North Charleston and the Market Course located just north of modern Huger Street in Charleston. Edward Sr. and later his son, Edward Jr., became big names in South Carolina’s horse racing culture.
Edward Fenwick Sr. was a founding member of the South Carolina Jockey Club. He imported over 15 horses from England and started Johns Island Stud Farm, a horse breeding and racing club. He constructed a coach house, a brick stable, and a three-mile race tract for his horses.
In the 1775 inventory of enslaved people from Fenwick Hall, two men, Sharper and Toney, are described as jockeys. Their knowledge and experience helped the success of the Johns Island Stud Farm.
The indigo plant makes blue dye when processed and was a main export for the South Carolina colony from the late 1740s to the Revolutionary War.
A plat from 1785 shows a likely indigo operation at Fenwick Hall, including a canal, a pond, dye vats, and houses for the enslaved workers. Indigo was widely produced in West Africa therefore it is likely many enslaved people had experience with the production of indigo dye. Indigo is still important to many of the descendants of enslaved Africans.
