Drayton Hall Fellowships

Drayton Hall
2025 Wood Family Fellowship
Drayton Hall is accepting applications for the 2025 Wood Family Fellowship. This program is designed to offer a graduate-level fellowship with a focus on architectural history and conservation, material culture studies, historic preservation, archaeology, collections management, the decorative arts, landscape studies or museum studies. Applicants are invited to submit a fellowship proposal focusing on any of the above disciplines.
Drayton Hall is one of the oldest unrestored plantations in America that is open to the public. Its main house is an icon of colonial American architecture, and the entire site—the house, landscape, archeological sites, and collections—constitute a compelling story of Southern and American identity. Established by John Drayton in 1738, it passed through seven generations of the Drayton family before sale to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1974. Today, Drayton Hall’s staff and visiting consultants create a “faculty” capable of teaching and nurturing emerging professionals.

The 2025 fellowship will consist of an 8-week program to be held at Drayton Hall during the summer or fall. All applicants must be a student or recent graduate of an accredited university and be available to work full or part-time during the program. Fellows will receive a weekly stipend along with a travel and research support allowance totaling $5000. Applications will be accepted April 1–April 30, 2025. A decision will be made no later than May 15, 2025. To apply, please send a résumé, cover letter, and statement of purpose detailing primary areas of interest to: Michelle Tyler, Drayton Hall, 3380 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414. E-mail applications and questions can be directed to MTyler@draytonhall.org

Drayton Hall
2025 Charles Scott Riley Collections Fellowship
Drayton Hall is now accepting applications for the 2025 Charles Scott Riley Collections Fellowship. Named in memory of Charles Scott Riley III, this program is designed to offer a graduate level fellowship with a focus on Drayton Hall’s collections including the decorative arts and archival holdings. Applicants are invited to submit a fellowship proposal indicating their areas of interest and possible outcomes.
Drayton Hall is one of the oldest unrestored plantations in America that is open to the public. Its main house is an icon of colonial American architecture, and the entire site—the house, landscape, archeological sites, and collections—constitute a compelling story of Southern and American identity. Established by John Drayton in 1738, it passed through seven generations of the Drayton family before sale to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1974. Today, Drayton Hall’s staff and visiting consultants create a “faculty” capable of teaching and nurturing emerging professionals.

The 2025 fellowship will consist of an 8-week program to be held at Drayton Hall and associated archives during the summer or fall. All applicants must be a student or recent graduate of an accredited university and be available to work full or part-time during the program. Fellows will receive a stipend of $5000 along with a travel and research support allowance totaling $500. Applications will be accepted April 1–April 30, 2025. A decision will be made no later than May 15, 2025. To apply, please send a résumé, cover letter, and statement of purpose detailing primary areas of interest to: Michelle Tyler, Drayton Hall, 3380 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414. E-mail applications and questions can be directed to MTyler@draytonhall.org

Drayton Hall
2025 Richard Hampton Jenrette Fellowship
Drayton Hall Preservation Trust is excited to announce a new fellowship opportunity for 2025. Supported by the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation, the Jenrette Fellow will work under the direction of the Curator of Education and Museum Programs to strategically identify and develop preservation-focused educational opportunities, using the upcoming preservation efforts on Drayton Hall's Great Hall ceiling as a tool to connect guests to conservation through professional museum interpretation in real time.

Drayton Hall is a unique setting for educating about historic preservation, and that must be emphasized in all interpretive programs. The intern will expand training materials used to educate interpretive staff on this project and other past and present preservation work at Drayton Hall, as well as provide them with tools to integrate the information seamlessly into tours. These materials will include in-person training sessions along with a printed manual that utilizes resources such as the site's preservation archives and ethical interpretation approaches that reflect professional best practices.

Finally, utilizing these new resources and prioritizing K-12 education standards, a preservation-based education program, field trip, or day camp will be developed that emphasizes the importance and multidisciplinary nature of historic preservation at Drayton Hall.

The 2025 fellowship will consist of a 12+ week program to be held at Drayton Hall and associated archives during the summer or fall. All applicants must be students or recent graduates of an accredited university and be available to work full or part-time during the program. Fellows will receive a stipend, a travel and research allowance, and a housing stipend as needed. Applications will be accepted April 1–April 30, 2025. A decision will be made no later than May 15, 2025. To apply, please send a résumé, cover letter, and statement of purpose detailing primary areas of interest to: Amber Satterthwaite, Curator of Education and Museum Programs, Drayton Hall, 3380 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414. E-mail applications and questions can be directed to asatterthwaite@draytonhall.org. Please do not apply below.