I had a great day getting just a small taste of what the Prince George ladies put together. What an absolute treat!
“For over 75 years, the Prince George Winyah Church Women have hosted the Tour of Historic Plantations and Homes each spring. In this self-guided tour, visitors have a unique opportunity to tour select historic plantations, town homes, and gardens located in and around Georgetown County,”
Tour of Historic Plantations & Homes by Prince George Winyah Church Women
The dates for 2025 are March 28-29, well worth putting on your calendar now.
The tour goes over two days, I was only able to do Saturday. There were several places I’d been already, but many more I’d never had the opportunity to gain access to. You are given a map, and all day to do as you please, in any order. I purchased a bag lunch of church lady pimento cheese sandwich, an apple, and a bag of chips, and it was a delicious treat that fit with the theme of exploring. I intended to take a pic of the sandwich, but it didn’t last long enough. Use your imagination to picture it, and multiply that by ten.
Georgetown
Georgetown is a place I have often visited. It’s only about an hour south of where I live, between Myrtle Beach and Charleston. No laughing, but they have for a long time had a very nice, convenient, always open Public Restroom downtown, so it is a favorite pit stop. When I first relocated from Connecticut, Front Street reminded me greatly of Mystic, CT.
The only completely foodie post I ever did was for a restaurant on Front Street, Marker 47. Purr n’ Pour Cat Café is also a place I stop in regularly. It’s a nice walk along the harbor.
Georgetown is a place of contradictions. Deep in history, beautiful houses, but…when the wind is blowing towards the harbor, there is a paper mill that absolutely stinks something terrible. There is also a waterfront steel mill that mars the harbor view a bit, but it is strange how you get used to it, and only see the beauty of Georgetown after a few visits.
If the wind isn’t blowing the wrong way.
Prince George Winyah Parish Church
The church is open regularly, and is well worth a visit if you are wandering Georgetown. One of the stories told on the tour was regarding the British occupation of the building during the Revolutionary War. The British stabled their horses in the building, and soldiers may have slept in the box pews. Horses were also pastured in the graveyard.
The organ loft area extended from wall to wall early on, and that is where the enslaved people attended worship from. The loft was remodeled, and now the choir uses the remaining space.
Below, an addition was put on the altar area of the church, which required some additional space out into the graveyard. The stones below are from some of the folks who already occupied the property. Rather than displace them, their gravestones were embedded into the new wall.
Prince Frederick Summer Chapel
The chapel was constructed in 1837. It was moved to it’s current Plantersville location in 1876. The choir stalls came from St. Mary’s Chapel for slaves on Hagley Plantation, as a gift from Plowden C. J. Weston.
Mansfield Plantation
When I do house tours at Hampton Plantation, we have a small model of a winnowing house that we use when interpreting the history of rice production. A huge highlight of the tour was Mansfield, because I knew they had one of the last original winnowing houses. I was not disappointed! I must have looked like a nut oooohing and ahhhhing and taking photos from every angle, but I couldn’t hide my delight.
Near the winnowing house, a beautiful rice mill chimney. The chimney has stood for more than 175 years.
Mansfield Plantation currently operates as a Bed & Breakfast. If you have seen the film The Patriot, exterior shots of the plantation home where Benjamin Martin’s children stay while he is away fighting were filmed at Mansfield.
Mansfield Plantation has a recreated slave village, with five original slave cabins, and a slave chapel/school. I was delighted to see my “friend” from Hampton Plantation, Mr. Archibald Rutledge, in the form of a prayer for learning, on a sign under the school bell.
Below are shots of the interior of the Chapel/School building.
This little house was a beautiful and terrible example of how the land takes back.
The Champion Oak
Having long admired the Champion Oak from the street, it was a treat to be able to see it close up, and meet the family that takes good care of it. The tree is breathtaking. It was like it’s own little ecosystem, with a beehive buzzing, resurrection ferns, birds, Spanish Moss, and an owl or two.
House Scenes
Taking photos inside the homes on the tour is forbidden. I got special permission to take these shots below, with the understanding I wouldn’t say where they were taken. A little teaser to get folks on the tour next year!
Winyah Indigo Society
The day closed with a tea party at the Society building. Tea was served in china teacups, with an assortment of home-baked goodies. A pianist played period music.
Arcadia Plantation
Arcadia is made up of seven former rice plantations, including Prospect Hill, from which the original dwelling remains. Names associated with this place are like a who’s who of the area’s history – Percival Pawley, Joseph Allston – Joseph of the Oaks, Thomas Allston, Benjamin Huger, and even George Vanderbilt. There is a large stable, and a free -standing two lane bowling alley, one lane regulation, one lane duck pin.
The pineapple post toppers were a crafted gift from Anna Hyatt Huntington. Archer and Anna Huntington were guests here, while searching the area for their new home. They went on to build Atalaya at Huntington Beach State Park.
St. Anne’s
St. Anne’s was erected by Major Huger, who served in the Revolution, and was used a hospital for slaves until the end of the Civil War. It was rebuilt in 1927. The attached school was in full operation through 1956.
