Litchfield Plantation

Litchfield Plantation

Litchfield Plantation in Pawleys Island, South Carolina is one of the oldest rice plantations on the Waccamaw River.

History

The plantation traces its formation to three land grants of 500, 500 and 420 acres from King George III to Thomas Hepworth, in 1710, 1712 and 1711. The plantation was named "Litchfield" by Peter Simon, with the first reported statement of its existence occurring in his will. The original mansion or "Plantation House" was built in 1740.

The most celebrated owner of the plantation was the Tucker Family of Georgetown, SC. The Tucker family originally came to South Carolina from Bermuda. Daniel Tucker was a politician and had three sons. The eldest, John Tucker eventually inherited the plantation and perfected growing methods for rice on the property. By 1850 Litchfield Plantation was producing one million pounds of rice per year. John had 9 sons by 4 wives.

Upon the death of John Tucker ownership passed to his son Dr. Henry Massingberd Tucker. Dr. Tucker served as a volunteer with the Confederate Army for four years during the American Civil War. He was also a staunch Episcopalian and when a new church was built had the old All Saints Church dismantled and moved to his property. In order to compel church attendance by the slaves who worked the plantation Dr. Tucker withheld weekly rations of food and tobacco from those slaves who did not attend services. Dr. Tucker was also a sportsman and won many tournaments at the Georgetown Rifle Club.

List of Owners (chronological)

Peter Simon, circa 1794 John Simon, circa 1794 (acquired upon the death of Peter Simon and sold to Daniel Tucker prior to 1796) Daniel Tucker, circa 1794-1797 John Hyrne Tucker, 1797-1859 Dr. Henry Massingberd Tucker, 1859-1897 Breslauer, Lachicotte and Company, 1897-1901 Louis Claude Lachicotte, 1901-1904 Col. Ralph Nesbit, 1904-1911 Joshua John Ward and Arthur Herbert Lachicotte, 1911-1926 Dr. Henry Norris, 1926-1942 Harry Edmond Parker, J. Philip Booth and Thornwell Hay Parker, 1942-1957 James B. Moore, E. Craig Wall, William N. Miller, Jr., Howard Hinman, Jr., 1957-1966 Louise Price Parsons, 1966 Litchfield Plantation Company

lavery

:See also Slavery in the United States

Little is recorded of the history of slavery at Litchfield plantation, although it is established by many sources that slaves were used to work the plantation. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Litchfield plantation is the existence of a cemetery utilized by slaves of Litchfield plantation and their descendants. According to an archaeological investigation performed by Brockington and Associates in 1989 the cemetery holds approximately 150 possible graves. Only 2 of these graves are marked, with dates in 1888 and 1920.

Ghost Stories

Like much of the low country, Litchfield Plantation boasts a number of ghost stories. These stories center around Dr. Henry Massingberd Tucker. One of the stories involves the ghost of Dr. Tucker returning to the plantation on horseback after performing a midnight house call. It has been anecdotally reported that he rings the bell at the entrance gate to alert the stable hands that he had returned, followed by the sound of a horse trotting down the main lane. The other stories involve the ghost of Dr. Tucker appearing in the plantation house and the sound of a person walking on the back staircase.

Today

Litchfield Plantation is currently in the process of being developed as a master-planned residential community. The original Mansion is now used as a Country Inn, and the original site of the stables is now occupied by The Carriage House Club, a private dinning club.

ee also

* Plantations
* Slavery in the United States

External links

Litchfield Plantation External Site [http://www.litchfieldplantation.com/litind.htm] Google Map [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.706559,-89.055984&spn=0.11,0.18] South Carolina Plantations Resource [http://south-carolina-plantations.com/georgetown/litchfield.html]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Litchfield — may refer to: Places In Australia: * Litchfield National Park * Shire of Litchfield, Northern TerritoryIn Canada: * Litchfield, QuebecIn England: * Litchfield, Hampshire * Lichfield, a city in Staffordshire ** Earl of Lichfield, an associated… …   Wikipedia

  • The Litchfield Company — History= The Litchfield Company was founded as a real estate development company in 1956 by A. Foster McKissick and Bill Miller Sr., among others. The company owned a significant amount of land in the Pawleys Island area of South Carolina. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Georgetown County, South Carolina — Infobox U.S. County county = Georgetown County state = South Carolina map size = 200 founded = 1769 seat = Georgetown | area total sq mi =1035 area land sq mi =815 area water sq mi =220 area percentage = 21.27% census yr = 2000 pop = 55797… …   Wikipedia

  • Historical U.S. Census Totals for Kennebec County, Maine — This article shows U.S. Census totals for Kennebec County, Maine, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.There are two types of incorporated municipalities in Maine, towns and cities. The tables below differentiate between towns and… …   Wikipedia

  • List of New England towns — See that article for further explanation.This is called a List of New England Towns, but also includes municipalities incorporated as cities or organized as plantations with those types indicated as such.=Massachusetts=Barnstable… …   Wikipedia

  • Населенные пункты штата Мэн —   Это служебный …   Википедия

  • Населённые пункты штата Мэн — …   Википедия

  • National Historic Landmark — Historic Landmark auf Pearl Harbor National Historic Landmarks (NHL) sind Stätten in den Vereinigten Staaten, die vom Innenministerium als besonders bedeutend eingestuft wurden, weil sie Ort eines wichtigen Ereignisses der amerikanischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Georgetown County, South Carolina — Location of Georgetown County in South Carolina This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Georgetown County, South Carolina. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National… …   Wikipedia

  • Maine locations by per capita income — Maine has the thirty fourth highest per capita income in the United States of America. In 2000, the state s average personal per capita income was $19,533.[citation needed] By 2003, that figure had risen to $28,831.[citation needed] Maine… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”