Chicora Wood Plantation, human settlement in South Carolina, United States of America
Chicora Wood Plantation is a Greek Revival mansion in South Carolina built on raised foundations, with tall columns and a symmetrical facade. The estate includes several outbuildings such as a rice mill, smokehouse, and kitchen structures that together demonstrate the functional layout of a 19th-century plantation operation.
Originally founded as Matanzas between 1732 and 1736, the estate developed into a major rice-producing plantation. Robert Francis Withers Allston took over in the 1820s and expanded it into a hub for a network of rice farms, while his daughter Elizabeth Allston Pringle later managed the property from 1896 and recorded her experiences in published writings.
The name Chicora refers to the Chicora people who lived in this region long before the plantation was established. The estate shows the architecture and lifestyle choices of 19th-century plantation owners, with its buildings and grounds reflecting the social structures and daily routines of that era.
The estate is located in a quiet rural area about 12 miles from Georgetown and is easily accessible by car. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes to explore the 40-acre grounds and outbuildings, especially in the warm and humid weather typical of the region.
The plantation is notable for the extensive written records left by Elizabeth Allston Pringle, including the book 'Chronicles of Chicora Wood', which offers rare insights into daily life and female experience on a Southern plantation. These documents make the property a unique source for understanding what life was actually like there in the early 1900s.
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