Cemetery serves as lab for students

It's easy to live in Charleston a long time and not ever come across the large, pastoral cemetery that spreads out along the Cooper River a few miles north of downtown.

For those who manage to find it, Magnolia Cemetery offers a glimpse into the city's history during the last one and a half centuries.

But it's a history that's endangered.

Many of the most prominent plots are surrounded by cast iron fences that have significant rust, and even the stones can erode gradually over the years.

But some local architectural students and interns are helping out, spending hours in the cemetery to make precise, measured drawings of some of its most significant sites.

The students included two young women who visited Charleston this summer as part of an intern program through ICOMOS, the international nongovernmental preservation group that works under the umbrella of the United Nations.

Mariana Isa of Malaysia and Jeanhwa Song of South Korea not only measured about five markers each, they also created a computer map showing the cemetery and its individual plots.

Isa worked on a drawing of the Edward P. Jones monument, a Gothic tower that stands about 13 feet tall. The monument, which features stone carvings of figures on all four sides, apparently was designed by architect Francis Lee, whose one-time partner, Edward Jones, laid out the cemetery in 1850 (in part because space was getting scarce in the city's churchyards).

The drawing that she did with Hillary King includes the site plan and gate detail and will be filed with the Historic American Buildings Survey in Washington, D.C.

Asked about the biggest challenge to the work, both agree it was the heat. "I got myself a really big hat," Isa says. "I was also a bit cunning. I chose the plots under big, big trees."

"She was smart," Song agrees.

Ashley Robbins of Clemson University's Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, says making measured drawings is an excellent exercise for training architectural students. Having them concentrate on Magnolia's markers makes sense not only because they are accessible but also because they're small enough for students to complete in a reasonable amount of time.

Robbins says Clemson is working on turning these drawings into a publication that will highlight some of Magnolia's most historic and architecturally significant markers. Some mock-up pages adorn the walls of the program's rooms at the College of Charleston, though no publication date has been set.

An even more potentially helpful step in the cemetery's preservation could come by getting Clemson's Restoration Institute involved in researching ways to conserve the rusting iron fences at the cemetery.

"The stuff out there that's really falling apart is very, very expensive to maintain," Robbins says. "You can't fix it without spending tons and tons of money."

However, the institute, which grew out of the ongoing effort to conserve the once submerged Hunley submarine, could find a more cost effective way to conserve the metal down the road.

--Those looking for tips on caring for their historic homes should consider attending a series of programs at the Historic Charleston Foundation's headquarters at 40 East Bay St. They include caring for a house's exterior (Sept. 17); caring for interiors (Sept. 24); protecting homes through easements (Oct. 1); and caring for silver, furniture and paper drawings and pastels (Nov. 5). Each program costs $20 and is limited to 40 people. For more information or reservations, call 723-1623.

Robert Behre may be reached at 937-5771 or by fax at 937-5579. His e-mail address is rbehre@postandcourier.com, and his mailing address is 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.