Stafford Plantation

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
Stafford mansion
Nearest citySt. Marys, Georgia
Built1901
MPSCumberland Island National Seashore MRA
NRHP reference No.84000265
Added to NRHPNovember 23, 1984[1]
Stafford Plantation setting.

19th century

Stafford 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

The 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

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Growth of the Plantation". History and Archeology at the Robert Stafford Plantation, Cumberland Island. National Park Service. 2009-01-14.
  3. "Archeological Investigations". History and Archeology at the Robert Stafford Plantation, Cumberland Island. National Park Service. 2009-01-14.
  4. "Stafford Mansion". List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. 2009-01-14.
  5. "Stafford Slave Settlement Well". List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. 2009-01-14.
  6. "Cumberland Island National SeaShore (Map)" (PDF). NPS map showing Stafford as "Private/Retained-rights" property. National Park Service. 2009-01-27.
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