Traces of a Forgotten Rice Empire along the Alatamaha . . .
This beautiful plantation represents the history and culture of Georgia's rice coast. In the early 1800s, William Brailsford of Charleston carved a rice plantation from marshes along the Altamaha River. The plantation and its inhabitants were part of the genteel low-country society that developed during the antebellum period. While many factors made rice cultivation increasingly difficult in the years after the Civil War, the family continued to grow rice until 1913. The enterprising siblings of the fifth generation at Hofwyl-Broadfield resolved to start a dairy rather than sell their family home. The efforts of Gratz, Miriam and Ophelia Dent led to the preservation of their family legacy. Ophelia was the last heir to the rich traditions of her ancestors, and she left the plantation to the state of Georgia in 1973. A museum features silver from the family collection and a model of Hofwyl-Broadfield during its heyday. A brief film on the plantation's history is shown before visitors walk a short trail to the antebellum home. A guided tour allows visitors to see the home as Ophelia kept it with family heirlooms, 18th and 19th century furniture and Cantonese china. The site also includes a nature trail that leads back to the Visitor Center along the edge of the marsh where rice once flourished.
GaStateParks.org/HofwylBroadfield
Facilities:
Guided HouseTour Museum & Film Nature Trail Gift Shop
Annual Events:
Black History Celebration (February)
Christmas at the Old Plantation (December)
Nearby Attractions:
Fort King George Crooked River State Park Sapelo Island Visitor Center Brunswick & The Golden Isles
Jekyll Island Historic District St. Simons Island Fort Frederica Beaches
Hours:
Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Last main house tour at 4 p.m. Gate locked at 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Group rates available with advance notice. Picnic area and bus parking available.
Information:
Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site 5556 U.S. Highway 17 North Brunswick, GA 31525 912-264-7333
Georgia State Parks& Historic Sites Panola Mountain Division Headquarters 2600 Highway 155 SW, Suite C Stockbridge, GA 30281 404-656-2770
Located between Brunswick and Darien on U.S. Hwy. 17, 1 mile east of I-95 exit #42 (Ga. Route 99).
GeorgiaStateParks.org
Printed 03/2014 10,000 / $403