2011 Colleton Historical Society Plantation Tour

Sign on White Hall Road

Pond behind the main house at White Hall

On Sunday October 16th the annual Colleton County plantation tour was held during glorious fall weather, and some of the properties date back to when the area was known as St. Bartholomew's Parish. An outdoor worship service was held at the Pon Pon Chapel in Jacksonboro before fellowship and a meal on the grounds of Beech Hill. Still in the hands of the family that has owned Beech Hill since 1825, the hosts were gracious in allowing access inside their home which was decorated with a mixture of sporting images and floral decorum. Next up was Oregon Plantation, a tract that claims nearly identical property boundaries since the late 1770's,  and is now utilized as a nature preserve. Thanks to the plantation manager for being on hand to answer questions about the native plants that have been restored on the Oregon tract. Taking a turn south towards the nerve center of the ACE Basin, I arrived at White Hall Plantation - which is simply a sporting property. The heartbeats of sportsmen could be imagined when witnessing the duck impoundments behind the house, the equestrian facility and its associated hunter/jumper activites, and the pristine grounds around the main house dotted with live oaks that belittle the word ancient. The owners of the property are members of the N.Y. Botanical Society and they have constructed a walled two-acre secret garden for the sake of communing with nature, and thanks to their master gardener for being on hand to discuss its plant life. Other properties on the tour included Maybank Plantation, Fishpond Bridge, Col. Isaac Hayne's tomb and the church at Catholic Hill. It is great to visit the living history that is present at the plantations of the Lowcountry.

To view the Colleton County Historical Society website click here.

Avenue of oaks and palmettos at Beech Hill