Located in Sumter, South Carolina, Swan Lake Iris Gardens began in 1927 as a private fishing lake for wealthy businessman Hamilton Carr Bland, who also began landscaping his garden with Japanese Iris flowers. It is currently the only public park in the United States to have all eight species of swans—including Royal White Mutes, Black Necks, Coscorobas, Whoopers, Black Australians, Whistlers, Bewicks, and Trumpeters.