Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Historic Site

Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Historic Site. . , Welcome to Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site. This property, then known as the “Broadface Tract”, was purchased in 1806 by William Brailsford. Brailsford changed the name to Broadfield and grew rice in the marshlands., Brailsford and his wife Maria Hayward came to this location from Charleston, South Carolina, center of the southern rice industry. Maria’s brother, Nathaniel Hayward was the largest rice planter of the day. He owned 15 plantations and over 2,500 slaves., The lands here along the Altamaha River were especially well suited for rice cultivation. Victoria Reeves Gunn, in her history of Hofwyl-Broadfield writes, “the fields produced such fine quality of grain that according to government record, the superior ‘Broadfield Rice’ on the Charleston market took its name from the Brailsford Plantation.”, The plantation remained in the same family until the death of the last surviving heir, Ophelia Dent in 1973. It passed through five generations of the Brailsford, Troup and Dent families. In the 1850’s George C. Dent affixed the name Hofwyl (pronounced hofwill), after the Swiss agricultural school he attended. Ophelia Dent left the property to the State of Georgia as a memorial to her family and the workers who lived and died here., William Brailsford constructed the original plantation house on this site in 1807. The present structure, about a ¼ mile walk from this location was begun around 1851 and finished prior to the Civil War. It was furnished with family antiques and heirlooms dating to the 1790’s. All furnishings are original to the house and the families which owned it. There are no “period pieces.”, Hofwyl House is an unpretentious two-story farm house design common along the rice coast. In the 18th and 19th centuries planters fled the malaria infested marshes during the summertime for more ornate homes in more healthful locations. Regularly scheduled guided tours are available. There are also seven plantation outbuildings open to the public., Visitors will also see impressive examples of the Live Oak, Georgia’s state tree. The Ophelia Live Oak, located next to the Hofwyl House, is estimated to be up to 800 tears old. The site is also home to state champion Bay Magnolias and Hercules Club trees. A mile long loop trail traverses the edge of the marsh. The are several overlooks and an obversation deck from which visitors can see where “Carolina Gold” rice was once grown., The Visitor Center, located directly in front of you, features a museum of exhibits, a short film and gift shop. Please pay admission before touring the site. We hope you enjoy your visit to the last surviving rice plantation along the Georgia coast. Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation is operated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Historic Sites Division., (captions) , Photography Credits: (top) “Autumn Breeze”, courtesy John E. Adams, Fernandina beach, Florida. (bottom) courtesy Bruce Whitmote, Friends of Hofwyl Plantation. , Ladies Parlor, interior of Hofwyl House