The Stafford Plantation was a plantation on Cumberland Island in Camden County, on the southeastern coast of Georgia. It was established in the early 19th century by Robert Stafford.
Stafford Plantation Historic District | |
Nearest city | St. Marys, Georgia |
---|---|
Built | 1901 |
MPS | Cumberland Island National Seashore MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 84000265 |
Added to NRHP | November 23, 1984[1] |
19th century
editStafford acquired portions of lands belonging to General Nathanael Greene through auction, and continued to assemble former Greene family lands so that by 1830 Stafford controlled 1,360 acres (550 ha) with 148 slaves. In 1843 Stafford acquired 4,200 acres (1,700 ha) from P.M. Nightingale, a Greene descendant who retained Dungeness. The primary crop was Sea Island cotton.[2]
Robert Stafford died in 1877. His heirs sold the property to Thomas M. Carnegie and his wife Lucy, who had also acquired Dungeness.[2] All that remains of Stafford's house is a ruin known as "the Chimneys," a series of 24 hearth-and-chimney structures representing Stafford's slaves' housing, about one kilometer east of the main house.[3]
20th century
editThe Stafford Mansion was built by Lucy Carnegie in 1901, for one of her children. It was one of a series of Carnegie houses on the island, including Plum Orchard, Greyfield, and the main Carnegie residence at Dungeness.[4][5]
- Present day
The property is privately held under a life estate by a Carnegie descendant within Cumberland Island National Seashore.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ a b "Growth of the Plantation". History and Archeology at the Robert Stafford Plantation, Cumberland Island. National Park Service. January 14, 2009.
- ^ "Archeological Investigations". History and Archeology at the Robert Stafford Plantation, Cumberland Island. National Park Service. January 14, 2009.
- ^ "Stafford Mansion". List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. January 14, 2009.
- ^ "Stafford Slave Settlement Well". List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. January 14, 2009.
- ^ "Cumberland Island National SeaShore (Map)" (PDF). NPS map showing Stafford as "Private/Retained-rights" property. National Park Service. January 27, 2009.
External links
edit- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. GA-2360, "Stafford Plantation, Cumberland Island, Camden County, GA", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. GA-2360-A, "Stafford Plantation, Playhouse, Cumberland Island, Camden County, GA", 10 photos, 1 measured drawing, 1 photo caption page