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39-654: In the late 1700s, French botanist, André Michaux , brought the Camellia sinensis plant to the United States and gave it to Henry Middleton . They planted the tea at Middleton’s plantation. The tea seemed to thrive in areas like Charleston and Georgetown . It took many attempts by multiple companies and individuals to successfully establish a tea company without an early failure. These failures included plantations in Georgetown , Greenville , and Summerville ,

78-618: A land area of 108.502 km (41.893 sq mi). The 2000 census reported a population of 2,611 persons. Wadmalaw Island was landed upon by Captain Robert Sandford and the crew of the Berkeley Bay in mid-June 1666 after an excursion up the Bohicket Creek. It is believed that Sandford landed where Rockville, South Carolina now sits. On June 23, 1666, Captain and crew carried out the ritual of turf and twig , claiming

117-515: A research station for about twenty-five years. The Charleston Tea Garden, as it is known today, was established in 1987 when Mack Fleming and William (Bill) Barclay Hall bought the land and the research station from the Lipton Company. Mack Fleming—a horticultural professor at Trident Technical College —had been running the garden for the Lipton Company and Bill Hall was a third generation tea tester from England . Along with establishing

156-544: A valuable little book of his travels. He is now publishing his account of our trees, which will be extremely interesting. It demonstrates that we (not the whole continent, but the United States alone) have three times the number of useful trees that Europe can boast..." Burr's cited quote would apply equally to both Michaux', father and son, and perhaps more to the son, who had been in America a total of some 6 years, and had recently (1804) written about his travels in America, and

195-512: Is open to visitors every day of the week. Admission is free and they offer tours, tea tastings, and other amenities. The factory tour takes visitors inside the factory and covers history, harvesting, and production. The Trolley Tour covers the grounds and the growing of the Camellia sinensis plant to produce the tea. The garden also offers a tour guided by Bill Hall, called the Bill Hall Exclusive, which covers every aspect of

234-504: Is otherwise used as a neutral term worldwide. The garden uses the Camellia sinensis plant to produce the black tea. It is a bush that the workers have to keep manicured and in straight rows in order to harvest properly. These bushes grow from clones, not seeds to ensure that every plant grown at the garden is exactly the same to keep the flavor of the tea consistent from season to season. Mack Fleming, while working for Lipton , invented

273-690: The American Philosophical Society asked Thomas Jefferson to draft a "subscription list" to raise funds to Explore the interior of North America, from the Mississippi River along the Missouri , and westward to the Pacific Ocean . Jefferson personally drew it up and secured 30 signatures, himself included, of influential, wealthy supporters, pledging various amounts to finance it: Jefferson personally drafted

312-522: The Green Giant —a cross between a cotton picker and tobacco harvester —which is still used today to harvest the tea leaves. This machine cuts off the top layer of leaves from the bushes, collects them, and then they are taken to the factory for the rest of the production process. The main point of production is to dry the leaves. The leaves go through a series of drying processes where first they are laid out for twelve to eighteen hours to wither, then

351-784: The Hudson Palisades near Hackensack, New Jersey . The garden, overseen by Pierre-Paul Saunier from the Jardin des Plantes , Paris, who had emigrated with Michaux, failed because of the harsh winters. In 1787, Michaux established and maintained for a decade a botanical garden of 111 acres near what is now Aviation Avenue in North Charleston, South Carolina , from which he made many expeditions to various parts of North America. Michaux described and named many North American species during this time. Between 1785 and 1791 he shipped ninety cases of plants and many seeds to France. At

390-432: The oxidation process for a little under an hour, and finally they are baked to remove the rest of the moisture. The excess sticks and fibers are removed and the tea is packaged. The tea is harvested from May to October. The garden packages American Classic Tea and Charleston Tea Garden tea. It sells nine different flavors in tea bags or the loose tea form and 5 flavors in ready to drink bottle teas. These flavors include

429-472: The 19th century. His son, François André Michaux , also became an authoritative botanist. Michaux was born in Satory, part of Versailles , Yvelines , where his father managed farmland on the king's estate. Michaux was trained in the agricultural sciences in anticipation of his one-day assuming his father's duties, and received a basic classical 18th century education, including Latin and some Greek, until he

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468-577: The Atlantic Ocean. Wadmalaw Island is located generally to the southwest of Johns Island and more than halfway encircled by it. To the north it is bordered by Church Creek; to the northeast and east by Bohicket Creek; to the south by the North Edisto River ; and to the west by the Bohicket Creek. The island's only connection to the mainland is via a bridge over Church Creek. The island is about 10 miles long by 6 miles wide. It has

507-546: The Charleston Tea Garden marking the start of the tea harvesting season. The name, First Flush, means the new leaves that are beginning to grow on the tea plant bushes that are ready to be harvested for production. The garden served the visitors the first tea produced in the new season for free by allowing them the chance to taste it in hopes of pulling in new customers. The garden also brought in local food vendors to set up booths and local musicians to entertain

546-725: The East and of America. In 1800, on his visit to the United States, Pierre Samuel Du Pont de Nemours , concerned about the abandoned botanical gardens, wrote to the Institut de France , who sent over Michaux's son François André Michaux to sell the properties. He sold the garden near Charleston, but the concern expressed by Du Pont and his son Eleuthère Irénée du Pont preserved the New Jersey garden in Saunier's care and continued to support it. Saunier continued to send seeds to France for

585-550: The French consul on a botanical mission to Persia . His journey began unfavourably, as he was robbed of all his equipment except his books; but he gained influential support in Persia after curing the shah of a dangerous illness. After two years he returned to France with a fine herbarium, and also introduced numerous Eastern plants into the botanical gardens of France. André Michaux was appointed by Louis XVI as Royal botanist under

624-632: The General Director of the Bâtiments du Roi and sent to the United States in 1785 with an annual salary of 2000 livres , to make the first organized investigation of plants that could be of value in French building and carpentry, medicine and agriculture. He traveled with his son François André Michaux (1770–1855) through Canada and the United States. In 1786, Michaux attempted to establish a horticultural garden of thirty acres in Bergen's Wood on

663-561: The Governor of Kentucky. On his return to France in 1796 he was shipwrecked, however most of his specimens survived. His two American gardens declined. Saunier, his salary unpaid, cultivated potatoes and hay and paid taxes on the New Jersey property, which is now still remembered as "The Frenchman's Garden", part of Machpelah Cemetery in North Bergen . In 1800, Michaux sailed with Nicolas Baudin 's expedition to Australia, but left

702-556: The United States knew about their locally grown tea and they hoped consumers would jump on the bandwagon of buying local products. It helped when the White House discovered the locally grown tea and since 1987, the American Classic Tea brand of the Charleston Tea Garden has been the official tea of the White House. The Charleston Tea Garden is located on Wadmalaw Island , outside of Charleston, South Carolina and

741-479: The crowds. There was always an area for kids as well, including a playground or jump castle. The festival began in 2006 and ended after the ninth annual First Flush Festival. 32°37′11″N 80°11′08″W  /  32.61972°N 80.1856°W  / 32.61972; -80.1856 Andr%C3%A9 Michaux André Michaux ( Pronounced → ahn- dray mee- show ; sometimes anglicised as Andrew Michaud ; 8 March 1746 – 11 October 1802)

780-429: The factory. Another improvement made after Bigelow bought the farm was to upgrade the old irrigation system and install a newer, more-efficient system to help cover all of the 127 acres of tea plants. One of Bigelow’s main goals is to increase production through expansion and efficiency while retaining the charming atmosphere that so many people love to visit. The First Flush Tea Festival was an annual festival hosted by

819-539: The garden and keeps it running and growing the tea to sell across the United States . The Charleston Tea Garden was opened to locals and tourists to visit and tour the grounds and the factory. The Garden changed its name from Charleston Tea Plantation in June 2020 owing to negative historical connotations of " plantation " in the United States and to clarify its lack of connection to antebellum slavery; "tea plantation"

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858-674: The garden in more detail. Group tours and school field trips frequent the garden and private events are often held on the grounds. There are multiple spaces for weddings, receptions, and corporate events offered by the garden. Since Bigelow bought the Charleston Tea Garden, they have been working on updating the machinery, the process, and expanding the grounds as well as production. They planned to have an increase Camellia sinensis plants to help increase production. Drawing on his many years in South America Bill Hall brought in more modern tea manufacturing equipment to update

897-664: The garden, they created the American Classic Tea brand. This tea is still grown at the garden as of 2012 and the brand continued even though the Fleming-Hall partnership did not last past 2003. They had some differences in opinion on how to run the garden and ran into trouble when profit margins began to drop. The garden was put up for auction at this point, where the R.C. Bigelow Company in Connecticut bought it for $ 1.28 million. Bill Hall joined Bigelow at

936-475: The instructions ( aka prospectus) for Michaux to lead the project. At the time Michaux's exploration was proposed, Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) – an 18-year-old protégé of Jefferson – asked to be included, but was turned down by Jefferson. According to presidential historian Michael Edward Purdy (1954–2023), the "subscription list" stands as the only document of any kind signed by the first four presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison. Before Michaux

975-520: The land for England and the Lords Proprietors. In 1670, 148 colonists arrived and settled on the west bank of the Ashley (Kiawah) River. They survived the first four years of poor crop production through the generosity of natives who shared beans and corn. They later moved to what is now Charleston. In 1890, planters organized the first sailing regatta at Rockville, less than a mile from

1014-467: The longest of which lasted less than twenty years. The Thomas J Lipton Company, fearing an inability to import tea due to unrest in tea producing countries and the inability to import Chinese tea, decided to create a research and development center on Wadmalaw Island. In 1960, they bought the former Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville and in 1963 they moved out to Wadmalaw Island and operated

1053-554: The plates and Louis Sellier (1757–c.1835) engraved 3. Auguste was the father of engravers Victoire Plée and François P. Plée (1800–1864). Louis was the son of engraver François Noël Sellier (1737–1782). ( LCCN ; no98129859 ) Wadmalaw Island Wadmalaw Island is an island located in Charleston County, South Carolina , United States . It is one of the Sea Islands , a chain of tidal and barrier islands on

1092-405: The regular American Classic Tea, Charleston Breakfast, Governor Grey, Plantation Peach, Rockville Raspberry, Carolina Mint, Cinnamon Spice, Island Green Tea, Island Green Tea with Mint. Wal-Mart formerly sold the tea under its American Choice label, which has helped the local farm get word out to more consumers. As a small farm, they needed a way to spread their name and make sure the people in

1131-453: The rest of his life, and is credited with introducing into gardens the chinquapin ( Castanea pumila ) and the smoking bean tree ( Catalpa bignonioides ). Aaron Burr recorded meeting Michaux in Paris on September 17, 1810, but this was apparently Francois Andre Michaux, the son. According to Burr he went "to Michaux's, the botanist, who was many years in the United States, and has written

1170-563: The same time he introduced many species to America from various parts of the world, including Camellia , tea-olive , and crepe myrtle . After the collapse of the French monarchy, André Michaux, who was a royal botanist, lost his source of income. He solicited support for an American funded Exploration under the auspices of the American Philosophical Society . In 1793, a decade before the Lewis and Clark Expedition , with no federal funding available, David Rittenhouse (1732–1796), President of

1209-526: The ship in Mauritius . During the expedition, Michaux was accompanied by an African slave he owned named Merlot. Michaux then went to Madagascar to investigate the flora of that island. Michaux died at Tamatave in Madagascar of a tropical fever at around 9 a.m. on 11 October 1802. His work as a botanist was chiefly done in the field, and he added largely to what was previously known of the botany of

Charleston Tea Garden - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-480: The tea garden. The 120th Rockville Regatta was held in August, 2010. In more recent times, The Lipton Tea Company operated an experimental tea farm on Wadmalaw Island from 1960 until 1987, when it was sold to Mack Fleming and Bill Hall. These gentlemen converted the experimental farm into a working tea Garden. The Charleston Tea Garden utilized a converted cotton picker and tobacco harvester to mechanically harvest

1287-560: The tea. The Charleston Tea Garden sold tea mail order known as American Classic Tea and also produced Sam's Choice Instant Tea, sold through Sam's Clubs. American Classic Tea has been the official tea of the White House since 1987. In 2003, Bigelow Tea Company purchased the Charleston Tea Garden and temporarily closed the garden in order to renovate it. The garden reopened in January 2006. Tours are now offered of this last remaining working Tea Farm in America. Wadmalaw now produces Firefly ,

1326-508: The younger Michaux should have been credited. In 2004, American botanist James Lauritz Reveal (1941–2015) asserted: Flora Boreali-Americana has 36 engraved plates (numbered 1–36). Thirty-two are from drawings by Pierre Joseph Redouté ( wikidata Q551638 ) ( Austrian Netherlands → present-day Belgium ; 1759–1840) and 4 are from drawings by his younger brother, Henry Joseph Redouté (fr) ( Austrian Netherlands → present-day Belgium ; 1766–1852). Auguste Plée (1787–1825) engraved 33 of

1365-547: Was a French botanist and explorer. He is most noted for his study of North American flora . In addition Michaux collected specimens in England, Spain, France, and even Persia. His work was part of a larger European effort to gather knowledge about the natural world. Michaux's contributions include Histoire des chênes de l'Amérique (1801; "The Oaks of North America") and Flora Boreali-Americana (1803; "The Flora of North America") which continued to be botanical references well into

1404-473: Was fourteen. In 1769, he married Cecil Claye, the daughter of a prosperous farmer; she died a year later giving birth to their son, François André. Michaux then took up the study of botany and became a student of Bernard de Jussieu . In 1779 he spent time studying botany in England, and in 1780 he explored Auvergne , the Pyrenees and northern Spain. In 1782 he was sent by the French government as secretary to

1443-628: Was scheduled to begin, however, he volunteered to assist the French Minister to America, Edmond-Charles Genet . Genet was promoting American support for France's wars with Britain and Spain, aggravating relations between all four nations. George Rogers Clark offered to organize and lead a militia force to capture Louisiana from the Spanish. Michaux's mission was to evaluate Clark's plan and coordinate between Clark's actions and Genet's. Michaux went to Kentucky, but, without adequate funds, Clark

1482-469: Was subsequently working on his later opus on American trees. Michaux wrote two valuable works on North American plants: Flora Boreali-Americana was first published on March 19, 1803 – five months, one week, and one day after the death of André Michaux. Given that it was published posthumously, scholars had expressed doubt over whether Michaux was the only author – some suspected that French botanist Louis Claude Marie Richard (1754–1821) and

1521-422: Was unable to raise the militia and the plan eventually folded. Ultimately, the expedition never took place. It is not true, as sometimes reported, that Thomas Jefferson ordered Michaux to leave the United States after he learned of his involvement with Genet. Though Jefferson did not support Genet's actions, he was aware of Genet's instructions for Michaux and even provided Michaux with letters of introduction to

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