October 2019 Park of the Month: Wragg Square
Wragg Square is one of Charleston’s most historic and hidden parks. If you’ve visited its neighboring square park Marion Square on Meeting Street, you may have even walked past it without realizing it.
Located in the heart of downtown Charleston near The Visitor Center in the historic Mazyck-Wraggborough neighborhood, Wragg Square dates as far back as the early 19th century. The park is often mistaken as a private space, as it sits in front of the Second Presbyterian church; however, the park was dedicated to the public more than 150 years ago. One of its defining characteristics is the historic brick wall and the finely crafted wrought-iron fence.
The Conservancy began working at Wragg Square in 2016 through its partnership with the City of Charleston and the Mazyck-Wraggborough/Garden District Neighborhood Association. The partnership was established to formally renovate the park with a focus on beautification and accessibility in two phases.
The first phase in 2016 included:
– New steps to the entrance of the park
– An added wheelchair-accessible entrance
– A new plaza hardscape
– Restoration of the wrought-iron perimeter fence
The second phase in 2017 included:
– New gardens planted
– New park benches added
– New planted Grecian urn added as a new focal point for the park
Each year beginning in November, more than three-thousand daffodils and fifty liriope plants are planted at Wragg Square. Thousands of daffodils make their appearance beginning in March of 2020. The park truly comes to life in the spring and also showcases plants like Japanese camellias, American Wisteria, Japanese Spirea, and Lily of the Nile.
Wragg Square is the perfect respite from the weekend rush of traditionally more popular parks like Marion Square in downtown Charleston. Don’t wait to visit this charming historic park!