Halidon Hill Plantation – Huger – Berkeley County

— Quinby Plantation house at Halidon Hill © Gazie Nagle, 2016 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Eastern branch of the Cooper River, Huger, St. John's Berkeley Parish, Berkeley County

  Located off SC 41 on Cainhoy Road

• Origin of name – William J. Ball changed the name to Halidon Hill in 1843 for the Scottish battle site in a poem by Sir Walter Scott (5, p. 58)
  

• Other names – Simonsville, Horts

• Current status – Privately owned

— Rear of Quinby Plantation house at Halidon Hill © Brandon Coffey—
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Timeline

• 1697-1705 – Earliest known date of existence

  Benjamin Simons received several land grants in the area. This property would become Middleburg Plantation and was later subdivided into multiple plantations in 1789 (3).
  

• 1717 – Benjamin Simons died leaving his plantation to youngest son Benjamin Simons II (3).
  

• 1722 – Benjamin Simons II passed away. His son Benjamin Simons III inherited the plantation (3).
  

• 1789 – Benjamin Simons III died and his Middleburg Plantation was divided among his three daughters. Catherine Simons Hort inherited 768 acres which became known as Simonsville and Horts (1, p. 7) (2, p.16) (9, p. 66).
  

• ? – John Bryan owned the plantation (3) (9, p. 66).
  

  Bryan also owned nearby Camp Vere Plantation whose lands also had once been part of Middleburg Plantation.
  

• 1843 – The plantation was sold to William James Ball. It was called Horts Plantation at this time but Ball changed the name to Halidon Hill (1, p. 7) (2, p. 16) (5, p. 58) (9, p. 66).
  

• ? – John Coming Ball acquired Halidon Hill (6, XII: 26) (9, p. 66).
  

• 1872 – Ball foreclosed on a loan that Simons descendants had taken out using Middleburg Plantation as collateral. Ball had previously acquired Halidon Hill and Smoky Hill and merged all three back into one at this time. He called this merged property Middleburg Plantation (11).
  

• It appears sometime during ownership by the Ball family, the property of Middleburg Plantation was once again divided and Halidon Hill became a separate holding.
  

• ? – Thomas A. and Mary Vereen Huguenin acquired the plantation (1, p. 1) (6, XII: 26).
  

• 1954 – The Quinby house was rolled four miles through the woods via a narrow highway to its present site at Halidon Hall. It was renovated by Mr. and Mrs. Huguenin (1, p. 2) (2, p. 17) (5, p. 58) (6, XII: 26).
  

• 1985 – Thomas A. and Mary Vereen Huguenin were the owners of record (1, p. 1).
  

• Prior to 2014 – Richard and Vereen Coen acquired Halidon Hill. Vereen is the daughter of Thomas and Mary Vereen Hugeenin. The Coens have placed a portion of the plantation under a conversation easement (10, p. 7).
  

Land

• Number of acres – 1,545 in 1722; 768 acres in 1787; 1,960 in 1985 (1, p. 5) (3)
  

• Primary crop – Rice (1, p. 5)
  

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. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form for Quinby Plantation house - PDF - submitted in 1985
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

2. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form for Cooper River Historic District - PDF - submitted in 2002
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

3. Russell Cross, Middleburg Plantation and the Benjamin Simons Family: Click here

4. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society

5. William P. Baldwin Jr., Plantations of the Low Country (Westbrook, ME: Legacy Publishing, 1994)
   
   

6. 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
   

7. 30-14 Plantation File, South Carolina Historical Society
   –  Online Catalog

8. Catherine Campant Messner, South Carolina's Low Country: A Past Preserved (Orangeburg, SC: Sandlapper Publishing Company, 1988)
    Order South Carolina's Low Country: A Past Preserved

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

10. The Cooper River Corridor, PDF (Charleston, SC: Lowcountry Open Land Trust, Summer 2014)
    

11. Ray Timmons, Brief History of Middleburg Plantation: Click here