Plantations in and Around Savannah
One of the most popular questions the visitor centers get is where are the plantations? The answer is, we don’t have that many anymore. Many around Savannah were destroyed by Sherman during his march to the sea (Savannah was spared by Lincoln) and never rebuilt, some were destroyed when the Ports Authority was built, and one remains (Wormsloe) but it has someone living in the plantation house itself, but you can visit the ruins there.
There is one plantation house, though, that you can still see: the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation near Brunswick, GA.
The Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation represents the history and culture of Georgia’s rice coast. In the early 1800’s William Brailsford of Charleston carved a rice plantation from marshes along the Altamaha River. The plantation and its inhabitants were part of the genteel low-country society that developed during the antebellum period. While many factors made rice cultivation increasingly difficult in the years after the Civil War, the family continued to grow rice until 1913. When that began to wain, the family resolved to start a dairy rather than sell the family home. The efforts of the Dent family led to the preservation of their family legacy. They left the plantation to the state of Georgia in 1973.
When you visit the plantation, you can see a film on the plantation’s history and then take a guided tour to see the antebellum home, the collection of silver and the furniture and Cantonese china. There’s a nature trail and lovely natural beauty. The hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 9-5; Sunday 2-5:30. For information call 912.264.7333 or go to www.georgiastateparks.org.
Wormsloe Plantation is an exceptional place to visit just for the drive up the driveway. Reminiscent of Tara in Gone with the Wind, the mile-long drive is lined with beautiful, overhanging live oak trees. Once you reach the buildings, you can see a film about Wormsloe and visit their wonderful museum. Afterward, walk out onto the trails to see the ruins of the former plantation, the graveyard of former residents, the mock-up village displaying what life was like for the early settlers, and more. Often they have live demonstrations of tanning, cooking, making soap, blacksmithing, and so forth. Call 912.353.3023 or visit: www.georgiastateparks.org.
