The Legacy of the Land and the Stewards of Hofwyl-Broadfield

The Legacy of the Land and the Stewards of Hofwyl-Broadfield. . , Temporary Custodians , Many a living thing has found sustenance in the Altamaha River’s estuarine environment, a setting whose life force is dependent upon the complex ebb and flow of the ocean’s tidal forces and the turbulent exchange with the river’s freshwater. A natural environment, both nourishing and demanding, a place whose human history bears the scars of oppression and the strength of resilience., Some lived lives marked only by first names, Dido, Sam and Fibby. Others, like Rudolph Capers, a descendant of Fibby, whose 45 years of service at Hofwyl-Broadfield rooted him deeply to the land and its people. Its final heirs Gratz, Miriam and Ophelia Dent’s relationship to Hofwyl-Broadfield spanned five generations and 150 years, a fact that Ophelia understood arose “out of the accidents of birth and survival.” The knowledge of which resulted in their shared belief that “they did not truly own Hofwyl Plantation. To them it was a matter of stewardship....[T]aking care of property as temporary custodian of something more precious than you are” (Matt Schaefer and Bill Haynes, family friends)., Fifth-generation of Brailsford-Hayward, Troup-Brailsford, Dent-Troup, Dent-Cohen, Ophelia expressed her concern for the property’s future in a letter to a friend, circa 1970: , I have no other wish but that Hofwyl does not fall into speculators hands and a trailer camp or a subdivision or worse. It has been beloved by my family over the years....I have been lucky enough to live here happily and keep it up to the best of my ability, but always with lurking worry about what would eventually become of it., Upon Ophelia’s death, she deeded the property to the state of Georgia for “scientific, historical… education[al] and aesthetic purpose” and set up a trust fund for the site’s preservation. Understanding Rudolph Caper’s relationship to Hofwyl-Broadfield, it was her wish that Rudolph stay at Hofwyl as long as he wanted. He continued to grace visitors and the site’s staff with his weekly visits to Hofwyl-Broadfield well into his 70s, sharing his stories and those of previous generations with the self-assurance of one whose knowledge is rooted in experience and a life that has lived it., Dent Siblings , The three surviving Dent siblings were educated at northeastern boarding schools and well-traveled. Gratz Dent, the eldest, married and lived in Savannah, while his sisters, who remained single, made their homes at Hofwyl-Broadfield. None of them had children. , James Troup Dent, Jr., second after Gratz, died in early childhood (1882-1887)., Independent and strong-willed, Miriam ran the dairy, and Ophelia delivered the milk house-to-house in Brunswick, seven days a week. , Ophelia was a tenacious survivor whose mixture of charm and iron will was both captivating and disarming. She handled her contradictions with ease, mixing two centuries, two religions [her mother was Jewish], north and south, old and young as if they were really variations of the same theme. Miriam was really the dynamic one. She was the brains. She was a remarkable person, very intense and capable of taking things to heart. She felt all the difficulties Jewish people were having. Discrimination hurt her (Matt Shaffer, family, friend)., “When my sister Miriam died in 1953 it was great blow to me, and my friends did not think I would recover....She was always considered the stronger of us, with the stronger personality....My friends urged me to go back to Savannah were I was born. But how could I leave.” (Ophelia Dent quoted by friend Matt Shaeffer)., Man of the House , Prior to the Civil War, enslaved Africans toiled in the wet, mosquito-infested rice fields at Hofwyl-Broadfield, a hotbed for a transmission of malaria., Emancipation brought freedom from ownership, but the available jobs remained the same. Opportunities were limited, and many individuals stayed on for wages. When Rudolph Grant Capers was born in 1903, every African-American relation was one or two generations removed from an enslaved ancestor, Rudolph’s grandmother was said to have been the plantation cook for 50 years., Rudolph was born near Darien, GA. As a young man, he worked as a shrimper, and later as a pipeline supervisor in dredging land during construction of the Sea Island Resort for automobile magnate Howard Coffin., In 1924, he married Anne Rogers, a union that lasted 58 years until his death, sharing seven children. He came to work for the Dents at the age of 30 in 1933. For the next 40 years, Rudolph cooked and took care of the house, its inhabitants and its many guests. In an Ebbtide interview, Rudolph explained that he learned to cook and take care of the house, “because I was an only child…and I had to help my mother.”, Ophelia left Rudolph a stipend for his personal use in her will and a trust for the property. When the state opened Hofwyl-Broadfield as a historic site, Rudolph, who had outlived all the generations of Hofwyl landowners, continued caring for the house and served as the resident historian for many years, sharing his knowledge of the land, the house and its inhabitants with the public., (Georgia Map Outline Insert) , “Ophelia [Dent] thought that a historical agency of the State of Georgia could be persuaded to take over Hofwyl, especially if she left some money for upkeep, if a sponsor could be found, she proposed to change her will and hand over everything to the [s]ate, lock, stock and barrel, with the exception of some items of furniture and art to the relatives and friends. It was a generous, bold plan, arising out of the accidents of birth and survival that had made her temporary, final custodian of a place she had learned to love dearly.” (Matt Schaffer, family friend)., (Timeline) , 1806-1850 , William Brailsford purchased lower-third of “Broadface” and renamed it “Broadfield” . Upon Brailsford’s death, his wife and daughter Camilla managed the heavily debted property until 1814 when Camilla married Dr. James Troup . Troup expanded holdings and at his death property consisted of 7,300 acres cultivated by over 350 enslaved persons . The property was bequeathed equally to his children. , late 1850s , James and Camilla Troup’s daughter Ophelia inherited the center portion of Broadfield . Ophelia married George Dent, and circa 1856 the couple moved into the present-day house and renamed it “Hofwyl.” , 1861-1865 , During the Civil War, the Dents fled to a Ware County refugee colony. The Dents brought the enslaved Africans with them for fear the Union Navy would raid the plantation and free the enslaved persons. , 1880-1913 , The Dent’s son, James, named after his grandfather, married Miriam Gratz Cohen in 1880 . With the infusion of her family funds and hard work, they rebuilt the plantation . However, by the turn-of-the-century, the loss of enslaved labor, hurricanes and competition led to the decline of rice cultivation as a cash crop. , 1881-1886 , James and Miriam Dent lived out the remainder of their lives at Hofwyl. Their three surviving children, born between 1881 and 1886, became the final heirs to the property: Gratz, Miriam and Ophelia. , 1914-1942 , Gratz Dent, who did not live on the property, converted the plantation to a dairy as a means of income . Miriam and Ophelia ran the day-to-day operations of bottling and deliveries. , 1953 , Miriam Dent died leaving Ophelia the sole heir to Hofwyl-Broadfield . Neither sister married. , 1973 , Ophelia Dent, the descendant of five generations of ownership at Hofwyl-Broadfield, died and left the property to the state of Georgia, along with a trust to assist for its care. , 1979 , The state opened Hofwyl-Broadfield as a historic site . Rudolph Capers, 40-year caretaker of the house and it occupants, continued to be the guardian of Hofwyl-Broadfield’s history, which he shared until his death in 1982. , , Plantation Complex , 1.Plantation House 2.Laundry Yard, Ice House and Garage 3.Servants Quarters 4. Commissary 5. Pay Shed 6.Dairy Barn 7.Bottling House, (captions) , Ophelia Dent, circa 1970 , Ophelia and her sister Miriam, circa 1905 , “Miss Ophelia’s sport game was hunting. She was a crack shot and hunted…even into her 80s” (William Polite, chief field hand) , Ophelia Troup Dent, 1920 (1886-1973) , Gratz Cohen Dent (1881-1932) , Miriam Gratz Dent (1883-1953) , Ophelia, Gratz and Miriam