Davant Plantation – Gillisonville – Jasper County

— Davant Plantation © John F. Maag, 1975 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Overview

• Location – Near Gillisonville, St. Luke's Parish, Jasper County

  US 278 at SC 462; 384 Davant Drive, Ridgeland is the address of the golf course (9)
  

• Origin of name – Owner Richard James Davant

• Pronunciation of name – Just the way it looks, Da-Vant
  

• Other names – The Oaks

• Current status – Purchased by a commercial developer in 2014 which planned on building a golf course on part of the property (9)
  

— Davant Plantation Mailbox © John F. Maag, 1975 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Timeline

• 1770 – Earliest known date of existence

  John Hobard received a grant for 100 acres for services rendered to King George III.
  

• 1811 – Sold to Stephen McDonald
  

• 1813 – Sold to Williams Watters
  

• 1815 – Sold to John Cheney, who christened the property The Oaks
  

• 1828 – Cheney's daughter Evelina married lawyer Richard James Davant. Upon his father-in-law's death, Davant purchased the estate and changed its name to Davant Plantation.
  

• 1865 – Original Greek Revival home burned by Sherman's troops
  

  Davant dismantled a much simpler, circa 1820 house that was located on a nearby plantation, which he also owned, and transferred it piece-by-piece to the site of his former home.
  

• ? – Sold to Edwin M. Berolzheimer
  

• 1938 – Edwin and Myra Berol purchased the plantation. The Berols had the plantation house extensively renovated and had the two wings added (4) (7).
  

• 1949 – Edwin Berol died leaving Myra as the sole owner (7).
  

• 1980 – Myra Berol passed away (7).
  

• 1981 – Thomas L. Harper purchased 2,400 acres from the Berol estate (4).
  

• 1985 – Harper added an additional 25 acres to the plantation (4).
  

• 1991 – Harper sold to Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Rutledge Moore. The Moores reside on the plantation year-round and operate it as a hunting preserve (6).
  

• 1995 – Primary filming location for the movie Something to Talk About (6).
  

• 2014 – Davant Plantation was sold to a NC Developer under the name Davant Farming and Timber Company. The property has been deeded in two parcels, one 1,058 acres and the other 513, both owned by Davant Farming and Timber Company. The plantation had been listed with an asking price of $9,850,000. 350 acres are being developed into a commercial golf course to be called Davant Plantation Golf Course (9).
  

— Davant Plantation Avenue of Oaks © John F. Maag, 1975 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Land

• Number of acres – 100 in 1770; 2,400 in 1981; 2,425 in 1985; 2,100 in 2006; 2,050 in 20114

• Primary crop – ?

• The Davant family burial ground is located on the property. One stone slab bears a verse and the inscription "Sarah Isabella, Eldest Child of Richard J. and Evelina J. Davant." Another slab bears a verse and the inscription "To the Memory of Mrs. Martha E. Craft, Eldest Daughter of John and Sarah R. Cheney." The dates of the two deaths are 1828 and 1829 (6).
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

  We are actively seeking information on the slaves who lived and worked at this plantation. If you find a resource that might help, please fill out this form. Thank you.
  

Buildings

• Barns, kitchen smokehouse, stables, laundry house, three hunting cottages (6)
  

— Entrance to Davant Plantation © Gazie Nagle, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

References & Resources

1. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society

2. Claude Henry Neuffer, editor, Names in South Carolina, Volume I through 30 (Columbia, SC: The State Printing Company)
    Order Names in South Carolina, Volumes I-XII, 1954-1965
    Order Names in South Carolina, Index XIII-XVIII
   

3. N. Jane Iseley and William P. Baldwin, Lowcountry Plantations Today (Greensboro, NC: Legacy Publications 2001)
   
   

4. Information contributed by Tommy Harper
   

5. Interior photos
   

6. Information contributed by Rutledge Moore. Rutledge and his wife Frida owned Davant 1991-2014.
   

7. Information contributed by Darrell Massie, who had done extensive research on the Berol family.
   

8. Information contributed by real estate agent Chip Hall of Plantation Services Inc..
   

9. Sarita Chourey, Golf Course Expected to be Built Near Gillisonville (Hardeeville, SC: Jasper County Sun Times, October 8, 2014