Historic Brattonsville & Draper WMA

York County, SC
1080 Draper Rd, McConnells, SC 29726
Parking Loop (meeting location) 34.872459, -81.1885610
Saturday September 27th | 10:30AM ~ 4:30PM

WEAR ORANGE!!! Entry charge $12 @ HB

The September gathering will commence at Draper WMA where we will meet at the parking loop. Where we go from there will depend on the amount of other cars in the parking lot as it is hunting season in many of our WMAs. Please wear orange as it may be worth exploring the WMA along the main trail. If we experience a large number of hunters, we can head over to Historic Brattonsville. If we end up at Historic Brattonsville, there is an entry fee of $12 per person. There are no facilities at Draper but there are restrooms at Brattonsville.

The properties we are visiting were settled in 1766 by the Bratton family. Later, R. Fisher Draper purchased both properties from Bratton descendants in 1958. He then sold the land that would become Draper and Brattonsville to York County in 1994.

Draper is 806 acres and is best known for its Sunflower fields. There are three stocked ponds for fishing, and the sunflower fields are managed for dove hunting. Luckily for us, there are a series of rough trails that navigate Draper WMA. There are a variety of pines, including Virgina Pine, and hardwoods on the property. However, almost half the acreage is open and takes the form of the ponds, fields and right-of-way. There is a stream feeding into Love Creek pacing through the property west of the youth dove field but was running nearly dry during my visit. Love Creek forms the lower southwest and southern border for much of the WMA. The general loop into the property is just under three miles but there are lots of spurs off the main loop and an adventure could be made of just walking near the two main ponds.

Historic Brattonsville presents living history on the historic grounds from 10am-4pm. Highlights include the battleground of Huck’s Defeat, period farming and cooking, and an enslaved ancestral burial ground. For our purposes, there is a 7.5-mile network of trails named after Walt Schrader. Walt advocated for environment and the ability for people to have access to the recreational opportunities the areas provide. The network’s shortest loop is less than a quarter mile and the longest is around four miles. They pass by ponds, fields and forests along the hills of the Piedmont.

Directions:
1080 Draper Rd, McConnells, SC 29726
Parking Loop (meeting location) 34.872459, -81.1885610

• Take exit 55 off I-77 for SC-97N towards Chester.
• Follow until it joins SC 321 N/Columbia Rd approaching Chester, SC.
• Continue on 321 N until McConnells and then take a right on SC-322 E.
• After 2.5 miles turn right on Brattonsville Rd. In just over a half mile
• Turn Right into Draper WMA.
• Continue into the property and stay to the right at the split till you reach a loop with parking. We will meet here and determine our next steps.

Todd Johnston
Northern Regional Director