Basic Information
- Location Black River, Oatland, Georgetown County
Located northwest of US 701 at Post Foot Landing off Choppee Road
- Origin of name Named after the rice crop that made so many planters wealthy
- Other names Black River Plantation, International Paper Company House
- Current status Privately owned
Timeline
- 1744 Earliest known date of existence
Daniel Shaw surveyed his 850 acre tract of land (National Register, p. 8).
- 1751 Daniel Shaw died willing the property to his son Amos Shaw (National Register, p. 6).
- 1752 Amos Shaw sold the plantation to William Turner (National Register, p. 7).
- 1754 William Glenn was owner of Rice Hope (National Register, p. 7).
- 1765 William and Martha Glenn sold the plantation to Henry Futhy (National Register, p. 7).
- 1797 Captain Francis Green owned the property (National Register, p. 7).
- 1807 William Green was owner (National Register, p. 7-8).
During the Civil War, many Georgetown County deeds were destroyed so ownership information during this period is not known (National Register, p. 8).
- 1857 B.D. Heriot became owner of the plantation (National Register, p. 8).
- ? John P. Ford purchased the property from Heriot (National Register, p. 8).
- 1866 John P. Ford willed the plantation to his daughter Martha S. Ford. Martha and her husband Paul Fitzsimons mortgaged the property and regained sole ownership when the mortgage was repaid in this year (National Register, p. 8).
- Prior to 1904 Martha Fitzsimons willed Rice Hope to Ann E. Ford. This same year Ann and her husband Thomas lost it to foreclosure (National Register, p. 8).
- ? Soon after the foreclosure, Georgetown County's Clerk of Court, O.B. Skinner, acquired the plantation (National Register, p. 8).
- 1917 Rice Hope became part of the estate of O.B. Skinner (National Register, p. 5).
- 1918 The heirs of O.B. Skinner sold the plantation to James A. Waddell (National Register, p. 5).
- 1919 Waddell began a cattle business and deeded the property to the Waddell Ranch Corporation (National Register, p. 5)
- 1919 Current house built by James A. Waddell (National Register, p. 5)
- 1928 Waddell declared bankruptcy and lost the plantation to foreclosure (National Register, p. 8).
- 1928 Willis E. Fertig purchased the property (National Register, p. 8).
- 1942 The plantation purchased by the International Paper Company from Fertig and was used as a resort by employees and guests (National Register, p. 5).
- 1986 The International Paper Company sold to John and Suzanne Hudson (National Register, p. 8).
- 2004 The nursing home scenes in the movie The Notebook were shot at the plantation.
Land
- Number of acres 850 in 1744; 11.25 in 1993
- Primary crop Rice
Owners
- Chronological list Daniel Shaw (1744-1751); Amos Shaw (1751-?); William Turner (1752-1754); William and Martha Glenn (1754-1765); Henry Futhy (1765-?); Captain Francis Green (1797); William Green (1807); B.D. Heriot (1857-?); John P. Ford; Paul and Martha S. Ford Fitzsimons (1866); Thomas and Ann E. Ford (1904); O.B. Skinner (?-1917); James A. Waddell (1918-1919); Waddell Ranch Corporation (1919-1928); Willis E. Fertig (1928-1942); International Paper Company (1942-1986); John and Suzanne Hudson (1986-?)
Slaves
- Number of slaves ?
Buildings
- It has long been rumored that the 1919 house was a Sears 'kit house.' Kit houses were very popular at this time but the Rice Hope Plantation is not a Sears house (National Register, p. 5).
Web Resources
- National Register of Historic Places
Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1993
Photographs, architectural overview
Print Resources
- Suzanne Cameron Linder and Marta Leslie Thacker, Historical Atlas of the Rice Plantations of Georgetown County and the Santee River
(Columbia, SC: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 2001)
Order Historical Atlas of the Rice Plantations of Georgetown County and the Santee River
More about Georgetown County
- Learn more about historic Georgetown County, including the lovely town of Georgetown SC. We have helpful guides to Georgetown SC history and Georgetown SC libraries and museums – plus Georgetown SC restaurants, Georgetown SC bed & breakfasts, Georgetown SC hotels, and Georgetown SC real estate.


