Cherry Hill Plantation – St Helena Island – Beaufort County

Basic Information

• Location – St Helena Island, Beaufort County
  

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – Baldwin

• Current status – Privately owned

Timeline

• 1853 – Earliest known date of existence

• ? – Thomas Aston Coffin, as manager of his father's estate on behalf of the siblings, purchased Cherry Hill to expand the family's holdings which also included Coffin Point Plantation and McTureus Plantation at the time (1).
  

• 1861 – The Coffins abandoned all their Beaufort County holdings when they fled the area in advance of Union troops (1).
  

  The United States Government confiscated many plantations in Beaufort County during the Civil War.
  

• ? – Dr. Arthur Elting owned approximately 3,000 acres on St. Helena Island and Cherry Hill was among these holdings (1).
  

• 1948 – Dr. Elting died and left the Cherry Hill portion of his estate to Phillips Academy of New Hampshire (1).
  

• 1949 – Phillips Academy sold property to Theodore Ayer Randolph (1).
  

• 1951 – Dr. Robert D. and Frances Johnson purchased Cherry Hill from Theodore Ayer Randolph (1).
  

• 1959 – Hurricane Gracie caused much damage to the area. The Johnsons had been renting out the property but decided to sell, fearing future storms (1).
  

• 1960 – Local timberman Harry Hanna and his brother Leslie bought the property from the Johnson's (1).
  

Land

• Number of acres – 255 in 1853; 160 in 1887

• Primary crop – ?

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.
  

References & Resources

1. Robert B. Cuthbert and Stephen G. Hoffius, editors, Northern Money, Southern Land: The Lowcountry Plantation Sketches of Chlotilde R. Martin (Columbia, SC: The University of South Carolina Press, 2009)
   
   

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. News & Courier (predecessor to the Charleston Post & Courier) February 26, 1933 issue reprint of Free South April 4, 1863 listing of St. Helena Island plantation sales prior to the Civil War