St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Hampton Plantation
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 26, 2012
1. Hampton Plantation Marker
In 1774 Major Pierce Butler of South Carolina purchased Hampton Point in northwestern St. Simons Island, and by the 1790s Hampton was developed into the island's largest cotton plantation in land and slave population. Signer of the Constitution and member of the new U. S. Senate, Butler moved from Charleston to Philadelphia. In 1838 Major Butler’s grandson, Pierce Butler, and his abolitionist wife, British actress Fanny Kemble, traveled to Georgia to inspect the Butler plantations. She wrote a scathing account that was published during the Civil War, creating much sensation in the North and in England. In 1859, to cover mounting debts, 436 slaves from Butler’s Georgia plantations were sold in Savannah, an event known as “The Weeping Time.”
Erected 2012 by The Georgia Historical Society, Coastal Georgia Historical Society, Friends of Coastal Georgia History, and Sea Island Company. (Marker Number 63-10.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1774.
Location. 31° 15.307′ N, 81° 21.231′ W. Marker is on St.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Cannon's Point Plantation (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pike's Bluff (approx. 1.1 miles away); Sinclair Plantation (approx. 1.3 miles away); German Village (approx. 1.9 miles away); Harrington Hall (approx. 2˝ miles away); Frederica — Northeast Town Bastion (approx. 3 miles away); The Georgia Navy (approx. 3 miles away); William Bartram Trail (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Simons Island.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. the relationship shown.
Also see . . .
1. Fanny Kemble and Pierce Butler. Africans in American - PBS Online website entry:
Kemble spent four months on Butler and St. Simon's Islands. During that time she and Pierce clashed frequently over the issue of slavery. Fanny recorded her experiences in letters which she later compiled and published as her Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation. It is the closest, most-detailed look at plantation slavery ever recorded by a white northern abolitionist. (Submitted on January 26, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
2. The Weeping Time
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 26, 2012
2. Hampton Plantation Marker, prior to dedication
3. Butler Family. New Georgia Encyclopedia website entry:
The Butlers of South Carolina and Philadelphia owned extensive plantations in the Sea Islands of Georgia, where hundreds of slaves labored to grow the rice and cotton on which the family's wealth was based. (Submitted on January 26, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 26, 2012
3. Hampton Plantation Marker Dedicated January 26, 2012
Mary Tipton, Ed MacKethan, the driving force in getting the marker and Will Hanley do the honors
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 26, 2012
4. Hampton Plantation Marker and the dedication spectators
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 26, 2012
5. Hampton Plantation Marker, looking north along Lawrence Road
Credits. This page was last revised on October 8, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,528 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 26, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
