Litchfield Plantation

Litchfield Plantation is a historic property on the Waccamaw River near Pawleys Island in Georgetown County, South Carolina. It is regarded as one of the oldest rice plantations in the Waccamaw region and is associated with the colonial, antebellum, and post-Civil War history of the South Carolina Lowcountry. The property traces its formation to three land grants made by King George III to Thomas Hepworth: grants of 500 acres in 1710 and 1712, together with a 420-acre grant in 1711. The plantation later acquired the name Litchfield, which is attributed to Peter Simon. The first reported documentary reference to the name appears in Simon's will. The original plantation house was built in 1740. During the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the property became particularly associated with the Tucker family, a Georgetown family originally from Bermuda. Daniel Tucker and his descendants developed Litchfield as a rice-producing estate. John Hyrne Tucker, who inherited the property in the late eighteenth century, improved cultivation practices and expanded production. By 1850, the plantation was reportedly producing approximately one million pounds of rice annually, making it a significant agricultural enterprise in the regional rice economy. Litchfield's history is inseparable from the forced labor of enslaved people. Enslaved workers cultivated and processed rice on the estate, although surviving documentation provides only a limited account of their individual lives and community. An enslaved-persons' cemetery and its later descendants' burial ground remain important physical evidence of that history. An archaeological investigation conducted by Brockington and Associates in 1989 identified approximately 150 possible graves, only two of which were marked with dates from 1888 and 1920. The site therefore represents both an architectural and agricultural landmark and a place connected to the history of slavery in the United States. After John Hyrne Tucker's death, ownership passed to his son, Dr. Henry Massingberd Tucker, who held the property from 1859 to 1897. Tucker served as a Confederate volunteer during the American Civil War and was a prominent Episcopalian. When a new church was constructed, the former All Saints Church was dismantled and moved to the plantation. Historical accounts also describe coercive religious practices involving enslaved workers, including the withholding of weekly food and tobacco rations from those who did not attend services. These accounts are part of the plantation's documented history and should not be separated from its architectural or heritage presentation. Ownership changed repeatedly between 1897 and 1966, passing through commercial partnerships and individual owners including Breslauer, Lachicotte and Company; Louis Claude Lachicotte; Colonel Ralph Nesbit; Joshua John Ward and Arthur Herbert Lachicotte; Dr. Henry Norris; Harry Edmond Parker, J. Philip Booth, and Thornwell Hay Parker; and a group comprising James B. Moore, E. Craig Wall, William N. Miller Jr., and Howard Hinman Jr. Louise Price Parsons held the property in 1966, after which it became associated with the Litchfield Plantation Company. In the contemporary period, Litchfield Plantation has been developed as a master-planned residential community rather than operated solely as an agricultural plantation. The historic mansion functions as a social club for homeowners, while the former stable site is occupied by The Abbey, an Anglican mission church. The plantation's name also survives in the nearby community of Litchfield Beach. The property is additionally known in local folklore for ghost stories concerning Dr. Henry Massingberd Tucker, including tales of a rider returning by night and unexplained footsteps in the house. These stories are part of the site's popular cultural reputation, but they are anecdotal rather than established historical facts.

Litchfield Plantation developed from three colonial land grants made to Thomas Hepworth by King George III in 1710, 1711, and 1712. Together, the grants covered 1,420 acres. The property was later named Litchfield by Peter Simon, whose will provides the earliest reported documentary reference to the plantation under that name. A substantial plantation house was constructed in 1740. The property became most closely identified with the Tucker family, whose South Carolina branch originated in Bermuda. Daniel Tucker acquired the plantation in the 1790s, and ownership then passed to John Hyrne Tucker, who held it from 1797 until 1859. Tucker developed the estate's rice cultivation and improved its production methods. By 1850, Litchfield was reported to be producing one million pounds of rice each year. This prosperity depended on enslaved labor. Although the surviving record is incomplete, enslaved people worked the plantation and formed a community whose presence is also represented by a cemetery containing approximately 150 possible graves, according to a 1989 archaeological investigation by Brockington and Associates. Only two graves were reported as marked. In 1859, the plantation passed to Dr. Henry Massingberd Tucker. He served for four years as a Confederate volunteer during the Civil War and was active in the Episcopal Church. During his ownership, the former All Saints Church was dismantled and relocated to the property after a new church was built. Accounts of the plantation also document coercive practices used to compel enslaved workers to attend religious services, including the withholding of weekly food and tobacco rations. Dr. Tucker's ownership is therefore significant both to the property's architectural history and to the documented history of slavery and racial coercion at the site. Following Tucker's death in 1897, Litchfield entered a period of changing ownership. It was held by Breslauer, Lachicotte and Company from 1897 to 1901, by Louis Claude Lachicotte from 1901 to 1904, and by Colonel Ralph Nesbit from 1904 to 1911. Joshua John Ward and Arthur Herbert Lachicotte jointly owned it from 1911 to 1926. Dr. Henry Norris then held the property from 1926 to 1942. From 1942 to 1957, ownership was shared by Harry Edmond Parker, J. Philip Booth, and Thornwell Hay Parker. James B. Moore, E. Craig Wall, William N. Miller Jr., and Howard Hinman Jr. held it from 1957 to 1966, followed by Louise Price Parsons in 1966. The property subsequently became associated with the Litchfield Plantation Company. In its present form, Litchfield Plantation is being developed as a master-planned residential community. The original mansion is used as a homeowner social club, and The Abbey, an Anglican mission church, occupies the former stable area. The plantation also lent its name to nearby Litchfield Beach. Local ghost stories focus on Dr. Tucker and alleged nighttime sounds at the house and entrance gate; these tales are part of local folklore rather than independently verified historical events.

• 1989

  Archaeological cemetery investigation

  [1]Litchfield Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Brockington and Associates investigated the cemetery associated with enslaved people and their descendants, identifying approximately 150 possible graves.

• 1850

  Peak documented rice production

  [1]Litchfield Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The plantation was reported to produce approximately one million pounds of rice annually.

• 1740

  Plantation house constructed

  [1]Litchfield Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The original Litchfield Plantation house was built.

• 1712

  Third Hepworth land grant

  [1]Litchfield Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Hepworth received another 500-acre grant, bringing the three recorded grants to 1,420 acres.

• 1711

  Additional land grant

  [1]Litchfield Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  A further 420-acre grant was made to Thomas Hepworth.

• 1710

  First Hepworth land grant

  [1]Litchfield Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  King George III granted Thomas Hepworth 500 acres in the area that later formed part of Litchfield Plantation.

A Lowcountry heritage property whose historic plantation house, river setting, rice-growing past, and residential-community redevelopment combine architectural preservation with private community use.

Product categories. Historic property and heritage site · Residential-community amenities · Homeowner social-club facilities · Historic and cultural tourism experience

1. 1Litchfield Plantationen.wikipedia.org