Brookland Plantation

Historic house in South Carolina, United States

United States historic place

Brooklands Plantation

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| 2328 Laurel Hill Road
Coordinates| 32°34′15″N 80°21′28″W﻿ / ﻿32.57083°N 80.35778°W﻿ / 32.57083; -80.35778
Area| 59.62 acres (24.13 ha)
Built| 1803
Architect| Robert Mills
Architectural style| Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.| 86003198[1]

Brookland Plantation (often written as Brooklands Plantation) is a large plantation along Shingle Creek on Edisto Island, South Carolina.[2]

## History

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Brookland Plantation existed on Edisto Island at least by the late 18th century, when it was the home of Joseph and Martha Jenkins, who are buried on the farm. The current plantation house, however, was built later. The core of the house was built of black cypress, and its side pavilions were added later. Long-gone cabins for the enslaved people who worked the land once stood between what are now grand old oak trees.

The house was perhaps built between 1800 and 1807, but some, such as architectural historian Samuel G. Stoney, claim that the house was likely built in the 1840s.[3] The exact date of construction has not been determined, but Robert Mills is a suggested architect for the house.[citation needed] Ephriam Mikell Seabrook acquired the land, perhaps by intermarriage to the Seabrook family, by about 1800, and used it as cotton plantation before the Civil War. Ephriam's son, Henry Seabrook, inherited the plantation but lost it in a tax sale in 1872 when H.E. Young and James Lowndes bought the then-300 acres for $471. In 1928, Mary P. Bailey bought the house and added a metal roof over the wood shingles. In 1958, Rev. Ralph Wentling bought the plantation and turned it into Brooklands Home for Boys in 1958. The old school bell is mounted in the back garden. In 1968, Dr. and C.C. Wannamaker bought the house, while the Brooklands Home for Boys moved to Orangeburg County off the present U. S. 301 and Interstate 26, where it stayed until its acquisition by the South Carolina Baptist Convention, which merged it into the Connie Maxwell Children's Home in 1993.[4][5][6][7]

Robert Chesnut bought the house from Dr. Wannamaker after a bidding war with another interested buyer, a partnership, for $1.75 million. Pat Barber and Cas Danielowski, who were the members of the partnership, coincidentally had been former clients of Mr. Chesnut and had planned on hiring him to restore the house for them had they bought it. Barber, Danielowski, and Chesnut formed a new partnership to restore the house.[4] Former South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel purchased the 3,440-square foot house in 2006 because he heard there was an effort to subdivide the 60-acre property, and he wanted to save it.[8] The property was listed for sale in June 2019, at a list price of $3,950,000 (~$4.64 million in 2023).[9]

## References

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1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ "South Carolina Inventory Form for Historic Districts and Individual Properties in a Multiple Property Submission: Edisto Island Multiple Resource Area Brooklands Plantation" (PDF). National Park Service. c. 1985. Retrieved April 2, 2015. Three photos (1984/1985)
3. ^ "Brooklands Plantation Reflects Wealth of Sea Island Cotton Era". Charleston News & Courier. October 26, 1953. p. 12\. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
4. ^ a b Judy Watts (June 20, 2004). "Extreme Makeover". Charleston Post & Courier. p. G1. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
5. ^ "Brookland Plantation to Observe Anniversary". Charleston News & Courier. October 4, 1959. p. 5C. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
6. ^ "Brookland Plantation Serves as Boys' Home". Charleston News & Courier. July 23, 1961. p. 10B. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
7. ^ Margaret Byrd (December 27, 1965). "Brookland Plantation is 'Home' to 18 Youths". Charleston News & Courier. p. 11A. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
8. ^ Stech, Katy (July 20, 2009). "Ravenel lists his Lowcountry properties for sale". The Post and Courier. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
9. ^ "'Southern Charm' Star Thomas Ravenel Lists 60-Acre Estate in South Carolina for $4M". American Luxury Magazine. July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.

## External links

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* Media related to Brooklands Plantation at Wikimedia Commons
* Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-141, "Brookland, Edisto Island, Charleston County, SC", 3 photos

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