Mansfield Plantation
Mansfield Plantation
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File:MansfieldOakAlley.jpg | |
The "Avenue of Oaks" approach to Mansfield Plantation
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Location | In Georgetown County, South Carolina. 5 miles north of Georgetown, off U.S. Route 701. |
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Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Area | 55 acres (22 ha) |
NRHP Reference # | 77001223 [1] |
Added to NRHP | December 06, 1977 |
Mansfield Plantation is a well-preserved antebellum rice plantation, established in 1718 on the banks of the Black River in historic Georgetown County, South Carolina.[2][3]
Contents
History
Spanning nearly 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of pine forest, rice fields and cypress swamps, Mansfield Plantation was once one of the largest rice producing plantations in the country. Mansfield, along with adjacent rice plantations up and down the Black River, provided much of Europe with "Carolina Gold" rice during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Rice growing was made possible by:
- perfecting irrigation techniques using tidal water and manmade dykes.
- experimentation with natural fertilizers.
- most notably, African-American slave labor.
After the American Civil War, rice production became too expensive and soon the plantations fell into bankruptcy and were sold off to new owners.
Present day
Today, Mansfield Plantation is preserved as an authentic rice plantation, complete with the original plantation home, a school house, live oak avenue ("oak allée"), chapel, guest house, and grounds. It also has the only remaining winnowing barn in Georgetown County, where rice grains were processed for shipment.
Restoration
Undergoing restoration is a slave village of 7 slave cabins and a chapel.[4]
As of 2009, the entire plantation is undergoing a privately funded, massive restoration project to keep its distinct history alive for generations to come. It is said to be the only American plantation saved from development and reclaimed by a direct descendent of the original owners.[citation needed]
Media
Mansfield Plantation has been featured in numerous films, documentaries and television shows. It served as the backdrop for scenes from Mel Gibson's 2000 film, The Patriot.[5] In 2006, the Fox network filmed two segments of their primetime television series Treasure Hunters at Mansfield and the Fine Living Network filmed a documentary at Mansfield Plantation for their television series Windshield America.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Georgetown County, South Carolina
- Plantations in South Carolina
Gallery
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MansfieldMainHouse.jpg
The main house decorated for the holidays
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MansfieldKitchenGuestHouse.jpg
The Old Kitchen Guest House, now a bed and breakfast
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MansfieldSlaveVillage.jpg
The old slave village, currently undergoing restoration
References
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Slave cabin/chapel restoration project
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mansfield Plantation (Georgetown, South Carolina). |
- Mansfieldplantation.com: Official Mansfield Plantation website
- Mansfieldplantation.com: Interactive plantation map
- NPS.org: When Rice Was King — a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan.
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-476, "Mansfield Plantation, U.S. Route 701 vicinity, Georgetown, Georgetown County, SC", 4 photos, 1 photo caption page
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-476-A, "Mansfield Plantation, Winnowing House, U.S. Route 701 vicinity, Georgetown, Georgetown County, SC", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-476-B, "Mansfield Plantation, Rice Threshing Mill, U.S. Route 701 vicinity, Georgetown, Georgetown County, SC", 6 photos, 1 photo caption page
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-476-C, "Mansfield Plantation, Schoolhouse, U.S. Route 701 vicinity, Georgetown, Georgetown County, SC", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-476-D, "Mansfield Plantation, Slave Quarters, U.S. Route 701 vicinity, Georgetown, Georgetown County, SC", 3 photos, 1 photo caption page
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Plantations in South Carolina
- Houses in Georgetown County, South Carolina
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places in Georgetown County, South Carolina
- History of the Southern United States
- Pre-statehood history of South Carolina
- Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina
- Bed and breakfasts in South Carolina