Mansfield Plantation is a well-preserved

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...

rice plantation, established in 1718 on the banks of the Black River in historic Georgetown County,

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

History

Spanning nearly of pine forest, rice fields and cypress swamps, Mansfield Plantation was once one of the largest rice producing

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

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 Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, 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 Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks. ...

avenue ("oak allée"), chapel, guest house, and grounds. It also has the only remaining

winnowing barn Winnowing barns (or winnowing houses) were structures commonly found in South Carolina on antebellum rice plantations. A winnowing barn consists of a large shed on tall posts with a hole in the floor. Raw, husked rice was carried up into the 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. In 2009, the entire plantation underwent 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 descendant of the original owners.

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''. In 2006, the

Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...

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''.

Gallery

Image:MansfieldMainHouse.jpg, The main house decorated for the holidays Image:MansfieldWinnowingBarn.jpg, Mansfield's winnowing barn Image:MansfieldKitchenGuestHouse.jpg, The Old Kitchen Guest House, now a bed and breakfast Image:MansfieldSlaveVillage.jpg, The old slave village, currently undergoing restoration

References

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External links

Mansfieldplantation.com: Official Mansfield Plantation websiteMansfield Plantation
Photos & History

— '' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan''. * * * * * {{Authority control 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 Rice production in the United States Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina Bed and breakfasts in South Carolina Slave cabins and quarters in the United States 1718 establishments in South Carolina