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Archives For November 30, 1999
Known as “Charleston’s Grandest Dame,” Gertrude celebrated New Year’s Eve with a lavish costume ball at Medway for over half a century. This post includes photos of party-goers, staff, and menus, as well as Gertie’s annual Christmas card sent to friends and family.
Gertie as a showgirl, circa 1950
Gertie and Bokara, 1955
Gertie was sure to get photos of each guest in full costume upon their arrival, 1955
Two guests, 1955
Bokara and guests, 1955
Opulent dinner in full costume, 1955
The buffet line, 1955
A full band plays the night away, 1955
Christmas dinner, circa 1929-1932
Gertie’s Christmas card, undated
Christmas, 1973
Christmas, 1972
Christmas, 1974
“The whole staff, Christmas ’56”
“Xmas Day – ’56”
Gertie’s Christmas card the year after she returned from being a German Prisoner of War during WWII.
Gertrude and Sidney purchased Medway Plantation in the spring of 1930 after stumbling across it during a countryside horseback ride. They took on the task of restoring the historic plantation even though Medway had no heat, no electricity, and no running water. This post shows just a small amount of the materials held in the College of Charleston’s collection, including archaeological surveys, staff lists, Medway Timber Company materials, and more.
Realtor’s posting for Medway, listing the plantation for $100,000.
Realtor’s photo, undated 1929-1930
Realtor’s photos, undated 1929-1930
Realtor’s photo, undated 1929-1930
“Reasons for and against Purchase of Medway,” holograph on envelope, undated 1929 (written by Sidney or Gertrude Legendre)
Interior renovation pencil sketch, undated 1930
Staff list with days worked and amounts paid, 1931 May 21. The Gourdine family maintained the grounds for over three generations
Dinner list for December 13th (year not noted)
Medway game book (front cover), 1934-1961. Includes date, hunters, location, game hunted, and remarks.
Medway game book interior. When away from Medway during World War II, Gertrude marked pages “WAR!!” in red pencil and captioned, “Sidney joined navy and went to Pacific; Gertie joined OSS, was sent to Europe and was taken prisoner by Germans 26 Sept 1944, escaped March 22, 1945.”
Correspondence from Thomas A. Edison’s Ediphone Service Company, 1937 March 29.
Bing Crosby often visited Medway and enjoyed going on shooting trips with Gertrude and friends. Photo from “Medway 1966” album.
Toni Frissell portrait of Gertrude and family at Medway, undated 1941-1949.
The following are photos from an archaeological survey and sampling project at Medway’s Back River/Pine Grove area in 1992.
Archaeological dig at Medway, undated 1992.
The dig site, undated 1992
Beginning excavation, undated 1992
Specimens discovered, undated
Specimens discovered, undated
Photos of luncheon and demonstration held for Medway Timber Company.
Presentation in the “Trophy Room” at Medway, undated 1955-1956
“Bucking pulp tops – poles peeled in woods,” undated 1955-1956
Demonstrations, undated 1955-1956
Worker with harvested logs, undated 1955-1956
Timber Company luncheon on the lawn at Medway, undated 1955-1956
Gertrude’s first husband, Sidney Legendre, was one of six children (Katherine, Hennen, Armant, Edith, Morris, and Sidney) born to James Gilbert Legendre and Cora H. Morris of New Orleans (LA). The Legendre family was rooted in French creole life, Mardi Gras celebrations, and military service, with three of the brothers serving in the World Wars. This post features text in Gertrude’s own words when remembering the brothers, taken from her 1987 biography The Time of My Life.
On Hennen: “Hennen was the eldest and the only one besides Katherine to speak really good French.”
Hennen Legendre, World War I, 1914
Hennen Legendre, undated
On Armant: “Armant was next—-cited for All-America in football at Princeton, a lovely character with a wonderful sense of humor and full of beans. Everyone called him ‘Cajun’ because of the crazy things he used to do. Once he brought a goat into Henry’s Bar in Venice and was thrown in jail for the night. His quick temper often got him into fights, which the rest of the brothers helped him finish.”
Gertrude and Armant, undated 1950
Armant Legendre and family, undated
On Morris: “Morris used to introduce himself as Jean Maurice Armant Agricole Legendre. He had a natural confidence about everything except marriage. He was an extrovert, natural leader, and organizer. Nothing bothered him. When we went on safari, Morris organized everything.”
Morris Legendre, undated 1935-1945
Morris in Abyssinia, 1928-1929
Morris Legendre, undated 1920-1925
On Sidney: “My Sidney was tall and dark and he parted his thick, curly black hair just to the left of center and plastered it down. In photographs, he stood tall and straight, always rather elegant. He was moody, often brooding or worrying about things, but he also had a wonderful sense of humor and could pull your leg with a perfectly straight face, which would make you think twice before breaking a smile. When he felt like it he could entertain everyone, but when he became bored with the dinner conversation or the weekend guests, he grew sullen and quiet.”
Sidney Legendre, undated
Sidney Legendre, undated 1930-1935
Sidney (right) and Morris (left), Abyssinia 1928-1929
Sidney (right) and Morris (left), serving during WWII in Honolulu (HI), 1945
Sidney’s military ID cards, undated 1942-1945
Sidney J. Legendre biographical sketch (page 1 of 3), undated
Sidney Legendre at Medway, undated
Sidney and Bokara at Medway, undated 1942
Sidney and Gertie with “Clippy,” undated
Sidney and Gertie “Palm Beach Xmas – 1930”
Sidney and Gertie at Hurricana Farms, August 1932
Sidney and Gertie, undated
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On their deaths: “All the Legendre men died young. The first to go was Hennen, whom we called ‘The Frenchman.’ One minute he was lying in a hammock reading, and the next, he was dead of a heart attack. Then Sidney died, and then Armant, known as ‘Cajun.’ Not too long after Cajun died in New Orleans, Morris and his new bride died in a plane crash—just a few years after Sidney’s death. All the Legendre brothers died in the prime of their lives.“
Sidney’s grave at Medway plantation. He died of a sudden heart attack in March of 1948.
Gertrude’s second daughter, Bokara (affectionately nicknamed “Bo” or “Bobo” for short), was born in 1940. Below are some photos of Bokara at Medway, in New York (NY), and with Landine and Gertrude.
Bokara dining with Gertrude
Young Bokara, undated 1943
Bokara with Gertrude, 1943
Bokara with Landine, undated 1943
- Bokara with actors Darryl Hickman, Monica Moran, and Kevin McCarthy, undated
Bokara in New York (NY), undated
Bokara at Medway, undated
Bokara with Landine and Gertrude in the “Trophy Room” at Medway, undated
Gertrude’s first daughter, Landine, was born in 1933. Below are some pictures of young Landine at Medway, at Lake Placid (NY), and at social events.
Landine with Sidney
Landine with Gertrude at Medway, 1933
Landine at Medway, undated
Landine at Medway, undated
Landine at Lake Placid (NY), 1935
Virgil Boozer portrait of Landine, undated
Captioned: “Miss Landine Legendre, Chairman of the Junior Committee for the Free Milk Fund for Babies benefit opera at the Metropolitan, Thursday Evening, Dec. 18”
Landine in gown, undated
35mm slides
ByThe Gertrude Sanford Legendre collection boasts nearly 13,000 35mm color slides. Most of these slides are of Gertrude’s travels in North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and to islands in the Atlantic. Though many printed pictures of her expeditions are showcased in her scrapbooks and photo albums, there is much more to be found in the slides! Below are some images of the cataloging and rehousing process, equipment used to view slides, and well as photos of some of the images on the slides.
Pana-Vue Automatic slide viewer
Natives with downed elephant, French Equatorial Africa, 1952
Natives with downed elephant, French Equatorial Africa, 1952
Robert F. Kennedy on the campaign trail, 1968
Robert F. Kennedy on the campaign trail, 1968
Barn kitten, undated
Medway Plantation (SC), undated
Gertrude’s youngest daughter, Bokara, recounts her haunting experiences at Medway Plantation. Read the full article here.
“In 2000, Bokara Legendre, an artist and a stage performer, inherited her family’s plantation in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. She promptly set about making the place her own, redecorating the antebellum mansion with abstract paintings and a pastel color scheme. But this seemed to unsettle the house. The first night Legendre spent in her redone bedroom, there was a problem with the fireplace, and the chamber filled with thick black smoke. As a member of the plantation staff put out the fire, he glimpsed an apparition: the late mistress of the house, Legendre’s mother, Gertie. She was not pleased with the changes…”
Image credit: Katherine Wolkoff for The New York Times
Since this collection was organized and kept arranged by an archivist during its time at Medway, most of the materials were already placed in archival-quality boxes and had its own unique arrangement system. Check out a few photos from the initial survey — this collection spans over 3 generations and includes over 15 different formats!
Lots of film formats
Polo balls…Gertrude’s brother, Stephen “Laddie” Sanford was a well-known polo player and horse breeder!
Correspondence from Hon. John Sanford, Gertrude’s father, c. 1880
This collection was originally kept in an “archives room” at Gertrude Legendre’s former home at Medway Plantation in Goose Creek, SC. After the Legendre family donated the materials, a team of archivists from College of Charleston’s special collections painstakingly labeled, tagged, boxed, and moved the entire 176 linear foot collection to its new home at the Addlestone Library.
Main house at Medway
The “archives room” at Medway
Temporary storage at the College of Charleston’s Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library