At the May 21st meeting of the Colonel Joseph Glover Chapter of the SC Daughters of the American Revolution in Walterboro, Walterboro’s Eleanor (Nina) Burke was awarded the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation Medal. Presenting the medal in addition to Chapter Regent, Jan Ulmer were DAR District IV director Gail Newton and State Regent Alice Lamb Caskey.
The lifelong dedication of Eleanor Sledge Burke (Nina) to the cause of Historic Preservation cannot be described by or limited to one certain category of endeavors but covers volunteer efforts and pursuits over a span of 50 years in 4 states, covering state, regional and national levels. Nina has been a member of DAR since 2005 and is an active member of the Colonel Joseph Glover chapter of SCDAR.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Nina joined the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in 1973, beginning her 50-year involvement with Preservation. She served on the Headquarters Restoration and Furnishing Committee for the Georgia Trust’s first Headquarters in the Baltimore Place Row Houses in Atlanta. She also coordinated some of the original “Rambles”, historic tours the Georgia Trust does in various towns and cities throughout Georgia. In 1979 Nina was a charter/founding member of the Atlanta Preservation Center. She received the APC Volunteer of the Year Award in 1980 for her efforts in raising awareness of historic buildings among certain Atlanta city departments and the Outstanding Service Award in 1985 after completing a term as President of that organization.
In 1983 Nina became the Georgia Director for Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County Virginia, home of the famous Lee family of Virginia, now known as Stratford Hall Historic Preserve. Like Mt. Vernon, Stratford is owned and operated by a Board of Directors consisting of one lady from each state in the union and one from Great Britain. Stratford is considered second only to Mt. Vernon and includes the original 1738 Great House with dependencies and gardens, coach house and stables, working grist mill and landing on the Potomac River, Visitor Center and Museum, DuPont Research Library, Plantation Store, Council House, Guest houses and cabins for Directors and Administrative Offices all located on over 1,600 acres of fields and forests bordering the Potomac River. Nina served on that Board for 23 years, chairing committees such as Restoration, House Furnishings, Garden and Grounds, Archaeology, and the triennial Coaching Event fundraiser. After a term as Treasurer overseeing a $3 million-dollar annual budget, Nina was elected to serve as President for a 3-year term from 1997 to 2000, taking Stratford into the 21st century. While President, Nina worked with the Virginia Director and the Virginia Legislature to secure their first ever $1,000,000.00 grant to renovate Stratford’s Visitor Center and Museum. She was then involved with overseeing the plans, design and construction of the museum interior and historic exhibits. During her Presidency, Stratford won two awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The first was the Presidents’ Award in 1998 recognizing Stratford’s leadership role in establishing internet awareness of historic places. The second was the National Trust’s most prestigious award, The Stewardship of Historic Places Award given to Stratford in 1999. Nina stepped down from the Stratford Board in 2006 but remains an Honorary Director in an advisory role.
In 1988 Nina joined the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of Georgia where she served as Historical Activities Chairman, Vice Chairman of the Atlanta Town Committee and Chairman of the 102nd Annual Meeting. As a member of the Peachtree Garden Club in Atlanta, Nina was awarded the Garden Club of America Zone VIII Historic Preservation Award in January 2006, recognizing her work in local, regional and national historic endeavors.
Nina and her husband Frank own and maintain a vacation home which was purchased by her family in Highlands, North Carolina in 1955. Built in 1918, it is called The Hedges and is one of the first houses built on Satulah Mountain using foundation stones quarried on the mountain and brought to the site by oxen. The house was built before electricity came to the town and transportation was by horse and buggy. It is maintained in its original design and construction. In addition to maintaining its historic integrity, Nina compiled the research for The Hedges to be included as a contributing building in the Satulah Mountain District of the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina and has recently worked on the documentation necessary to place The Hedges under a Preservation Easement with Preservation North Carolina. This will ensure that The Hedges will retain its historic presence in perpetuity. Nina has served in an advisory capacity to the Board of the Highlands Historical Society and has opened The Hedges for tours benefitting the Society.
In 1986 the Burkes purchased Ravenwood Plantation near Walterboro, South Carolina, and began the restoration of the house and plantation property, and their eventual move to South Carolina. The house at Ravenwood is one of the three remaining antebellum plantation houses in Colleton County. Built c.1835-1840, it was originally a two-over-two design with separate kitchen. Flanking wings and a columned front porch were later added. Nina spent a year directing and overseeing the hands-on restoration of the house, maintaining historic standards wherever possible, and requiring extensive historic research. In addition to the house proper, Nina researched and documented the unique Inland Rice Fields which comprised Ravenwood Plantation. Using her research, she compiled and submitted the successful nomination of Ravenwood Plantation to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, the only such listing in the state of South Carolina. In 1992, Nina received the first Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society Landgrave Edmond Bellinger Award for Plantation Preservation recognizing her restoration and preservation of the house at Ravenwood. It is of note that Nina restored and preserves two National Register Historic Properties for which she personally did all the research and submitted successful nominations.
Upon joining the Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society, Nina served on the Plantation Tour Committee, the Plantation Awards Committee, the Board of Directors and as Vice President, 2002-2003. Her combined interest in plantations and the Historical Society led her to begin researching, writing and producing a book featuring 27 plantations of Colleton County to benefit the Society. The book, a 160 page coffee table photographic book, “Plantations of St. Bartholomew’s Parish”, published in 2005, was featured on South Carolina Public Television and in Southern Living magazine and won several awards:
The Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society Robert N. Carter Volunteer Award with Deepest Appreciation to Nina S. Burke for writing and production of the book, May 17, 2006.
Commendation Proclamation, Colleton County Council, in conjunction with the 300th Anniversary of St. Bartholomew’s Parish, March 7,2006.
South Carolina Genealogical Society, Inc.: Best South Carolina Local History Book, October 7, 2006.
Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies: Robert N. Pryor Volunteer Service Award, March 2007 for lifelong dedication to the preservation of Colleton County history.
It should be noted that not only did Nina spend over a year researching, writing, editing, designing and producing the book, she receives no remuneration or compensation from book sales. It was completely done on a volunteer basis, and all proceeds go directly to the Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society.
In addition, Nina and her husband, Frank, made the lead personal gift for the restoration of the Bedon Lucas house following the Colleton County Accommodations Tax Board, The Bank of Walterboro, and the Colleton Artisans Guild. On March 23, 2002, the couple has a fundraising event for CCHAPS at Ravenwood featuring novelist Dorothea Benton Frank and her book “Plantation”.
Nina continues her commitment to Historical Preservation with ongoing research and by conducting historical tours, presenting programs and demonstrations and speaking to groups such as the DAR, the National Society of Colonial Dames, the Colonial Dames of the Seventeenth Century and the South Carolina Historical Society among others.
