Old Towne Creek County Park

Old Towne Creek County Park, located on Old Towne Road in West Ashley, is a 67-acre former estate dotted with open fields mixed among groves of Live Oaks. It offers views of South Carolina’s first English settlement at Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site and the winding Old Towne Creek and surrounding salt marsh. 

For several years, the site was known as Ashem Farm. It was home to Charleston preservationists Ashby Farrow, Emily Ravenel Farrow, and “Miss Em’s” St. Andrews Riding Academy. 

In 2005, Mrs. Farrow established a conservation easement with the Historic Charleston Foundation to protect the property from future development. With her death in 2011, Ms. Farrow gifted her land to Lowcountry Land Trust, with the understanding that Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission would acquire the land as a public park. Aligned with CCPRC’s Mission, the easement stipulates that the site must provide public benefits, such as scenic views, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, education, and historic preservation. Mrs. Farrow’s actions have ensured that future generations of people and wildlife could enjoy all the resources Old Towne Creek has to offer. Following Ms. Farrow’s wishes, Lowcountry Land Trust will be constructing its headquarters office immediately south of Old Towne Creek County Park, on a neighboring portion of the original Ashem Farm property. CCPRC and Lowcountry Land Trust have mutually coordinated with the Historic Charleston Foundation for the past several years to ensure that the planning of this vital property best exemplifies Ms. Farrow’s vision for conservation and public access.

We are well on our way to creating a welcoming space with accessible trails and boardwalks, scenic marsh views, a nature-inspired playground, and opportunities to learn about the site’s history and ecology.


Phase I Development  

In Phase 1 of park construction, work will include interior and exterior renovations of one of the former buildings; roof replacement of existing stable buildings; construction of a new restroom/pavilion building; a new maintenance building; boardwalks, fencing, and gates; a paved vehicular entry and deceleration/turning lane on Old Towne Road; a pedestrian entrance; parking areas, concrete sidewalks and paths; crushed stone pathways; lush landscape areas; wayfinding signage; natural and cultural history interpretation signage; a small amphitheater; playground; site lighting; installation of water and sewer services; IT infrastructure; and the reconstruction of an existing impoundment for wildlife habitat enhancement.


Latest Update

May 23, 2025Old Towne Creek County Park

Spring has seen a lot of work being done at Old Towne Creek County Park. The most visible to the public is the work on the new turn lane into the entrance of the park. Construction of the new sidewalks leading to the park on Old Towne Road has begun. There has also been significant work done on the existing building that will become the new Park Center, including carpentry, utility and IT projects.  The new Learning Center is virtually complete. Trail and utilities infrastructure work also continues throughout the park. Finally, the nature-inspired playground is taking shape. While the site is still closed to the public, we are excited to share this beautiful place with our community and anticipate an early 2026 Grand Opening.

Birds-eye view of the master plan for Old Towne Creek County Park

Digital rendering of a future office building, covered shelter, playground and walkways

Digital rendering of a walkway, entrance and covered shelter

Timeline

February 2025

Great progress has been made at Old Towne Creek County Park. Many of the amenities are starting to take shape including renovations to an existing structure that will become the new Park Center, the building of the Learning Center that includes an outdoor classroom and restrooms and work on the nature-inspired playground. The trails that will circle the park and offer spectacular views of Old Towne Creek are also being developed. The trail system will also include a boardwalk and overlook area. In addition, there has been significant underground water, sewer and electrical work done. Finally, we were honored to have partnered with the Clemson School of Architecture’s CommunityBUILD program to build an onsite shelter. Students put together several miniature model options which were presented to the agency’s planning & development division. Once the design of the shelter was settled and plans were created, students worked to prefabricate materials, bring them on-site, and build the shelter together. With construction on track, we anticipate opening Old Towne Creek County Park in early 2026.


April 2024

Work at Old Towne Creek County Park has made significant progress in the last few months! Renovations continue on the Park Center building. Construction is also progressing on the Learning Center that will include an outdoor classroom and restrooms. Trail work continues on the walking paths and dike. We also had a very special delivery this month of some of the nature-inspired playground elements, including a trio of turtles that include a Box, Snapping and Slider (the Snapping Turtle is pictured). Construction remains on track and we look forward to welcoming visitors to see the playground’s turtles and all this new park will have to offer in early 2026.

January 2024

Exciting progress was made on the construction of Old Towne Creek County Park. Much work was done on the new walking trails, and when complete the new park will feature over a mile of trails. The renovation has also began on the existing building, historically called “The Rain Hut”, which will be the Park Center when complete. Foundation and slab work also began on the park’s Learning Center building. In addition, work continued on the dike within the park that will become part of the walking trail system. 


September 2023

A construction entrance was created along Old Towne Road and informational banners went up that included renderings of the park. In addition, preliminary groundwork was done for the gas, water, sewer, electrical, and IT lines. 


Giving Tree

Another unique aspect planned for the park is the creation of the Charleston County Parks Foundation Giving Tree, an outdoor art installation that allows people to purchase a custom engraved leaf or other adornments that will be placed on the installation to recognize loved ones while supporting the mission of the Foundation. Visit our Giving Tree page for more information.