Resting peacefully on the banks of the Battery Creek estuary, where it has been for more than 250 years, Pinckney Retreat boasts a past as rich and enchanting as the land it rests on.  Near the bank sits the old retreat Plantation Home, a living monument to that story of love, war, survival, and perseverance.  Intended to “last forever,” the tabby home was built in 1736 by dashing young French Huguenot Jean de la Gaye, for his young bride Catherine Gautier.  Retreat Plantation was owned by a series of legendary Lowcountry figures, with names like Bull, Barnwell, and the Reverend Edward Tabb Walker.

At the conclusion of the Civil War, the property was returned to the Walker family, in whose hands it remained until 1938, when Mr. and Mrs. James Sturdevant purchased it and restored the house and grounds.  From 1949 to 1965, the home was owned and loved by Bronson Lamb and then by Antonio Convert, who hired Robert E. Marvin of Walterboro to design the formal gardens on the east side of the house.  From 1965 until recently, the plantation was the home of B.G. Pinckney and his family.

From the outset of the design process, the intent was to preserve the timeless, natural beauty and historic architectural ambience that was created by Beaufort County's oldest surviving house, majestic live oaks and magnolias draped with Spanish moss, all overlooking the coves and marshes of Battery Creek.  This was accomplished by preserving 198 of the 200 major specimen trees, keeping the river bluff and marshes accessible for community use, and restoring the historic home to become a community focal point.  Each lot was sized and situated to not only preserve specimen trees, but to capitalize on views and allow for a variety of architectural expression.