Tommy John Plantation – Gardens Corner – Beaufort County

— Tommy John Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2008 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Huspah Creek, Gardens Corner, Prince William Parish, Beaufort County

  Located south of Gardens Corner off US 21 on Dean Hall Road
  

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – Dean Hall

• Current status – Privately owned
  
  
  
  — Rear of Tommy John Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2008 —
  (Do Not Use Without Written Consent)
  
  

Timeline

• ? – Earliest known date of existence

• 1971 – E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company owned the house built in 1827-1828 by William Augustus Carson along with 2,100 acres of Dean Hall Plantation in Berkeley County. Their plan was to raze the house in order to build an industrial complex (1, p. 3).
  

  In January, a nomination was submitted to place the house on the National Register. It was hoped that this status would help preserve the house. However, Commodore Charles C. Baggs purchased the house and decided to relocate it to his property. It was dismantled, loaded onto trucks, and delivered to Tommy John Plantation (2, p. 90).
  

• 1973 – Commander Charles Baggs started to rebuild the house but due to lack of funds, was not able to complete the job.
  

• 1982 – John and Mary Nash purchased the plantation and completed the restoration.
  

— House Prior to Move, 1939 © Library of Congress —
(Prints & Photographs Division HABS SC-40)

Land

• Number of acres – 90 in 2004

• Primary crop – ?

Owners

• Alphabetical list – Colonel Charles Baggs; Fowler; John and Mary Nash
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• In 1971, the William Augustus Carson house built at Dean Hall Plantation in Berkeley County was dismantled and moved to Tommy John. Restoration began in 1973 but was left uncompleted due to Colonel Charles Baggs' lack of funds. John and Mary Nash purchased the plantation in 1982 and completed the project.
  

• Several outbuildings have been constructed in the original 19th century style to give the plantation a historic feel. Including slave quarters that are used as guest houses, carriage shed used as a garage, a glass house greenhouse, and two pigeonniers.
  

References & Resources

1. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in January 1971, removed from the National Register in October 1971.
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

2. J. Russell Cross, Historic Ramblin's through Berkeley (Columbia, SC: R.L. Bryan Company, 1985)
    Order Historic Ramblin's through Berkeley