Sea Cloud Plantation – Edisto Island – Charleston County

— October Marsh at Sea Cloud Plantation © Painting by Andy Corley —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Edisto Island, St. John's Colleton Parish, ACE Basin, Charleston County

  Botany Bay Road
  

• Origin of name – Legend suggests Sea Cloud received its name through the marriage of a member of the Seabrook family to a member of the McLeod family
  

• Other names – ?

• Current status – Along with neighboring Bleak Hall Plantation, Sea Cloud now comprises Botany Bay WMA.
  

— Sea Cloud Plantation Ruins © Brandon Coffey, 2008 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Timeline

• 1695 – Earliest known date of existence

  Christopher Linkley received a grant of 170 acres (4, p. 119).
  

• 1727 – Linkley transferred ownership to Paul Hamilton, Sr. (4, p. 119).
  

• 1748 – Paul Hamilton, Jr. became owner (4, p. 119).
  

• ? – A 21-acre piece of property that was adjacent to the Hamilton property had been retained by the colonial government. Sometime after the Revolutionary War, this piece was granted to Normand McLeod. By the mid-1850s, it has become part of the larger parcel (4, p.119).
  

• ? – Ephraim Mikell Seabrook became owner (4, p. 120).
  

• Circa 1825 – House built by Seabrook (4, p. 120).
  

• ? – John Ferrars Townsend became owner. John was a political leader serving in the South Carolina Senate, South Carolina House of Representatives. He attended the Secession Convention as a delegate and signed the Ordinance of Secession.
  

  The Townsends also owned and lived at the nearby Bleak Hall Plantation.
  

• Mid-1800s – Although Townsend owned Sea Cloud, the Seabrook family was living at the plantation (4, p. 119).
  

• 1930s – Dr. James Greenway purchased Sea Cloud Plantation. Near the same time, he also purchased Bleak Hall Plantation. Dr. Greenway then combined the two plantations, forming Botany Bay (5).
  

  Since Botany Bay was created after the Civil War, it was never a true plantation, though it was comprised of true plantations.
  

  Dr. Greenway had the house torn down (5).
  

• 1973 – John E. Meyer purchased Botany Bay.
  

  Meyer also owned White Hall Plantation.
  

• 1977 – Meyer died, leaving the property to his wife Margaret.
  

• 2007 – Margaret passed away. As stipulated by John Meyer, Botany Bay was deeded to the state of South Carolina upon his wife's death to be used as a wildlife perserve.
  

Land

• Number of acres – 170 in 1695; 4,687 in 2012 (combined total of Botany Bay WMA, which also includes Bleak Hall)

• Primary crop – Sea island cotton

Owners

• Chronological list – Christopher Linkley (1695-1727); Paul Hamilton, Sr. (1727-1748); Paul Hamilton, Jr. (1748-?); Normand McLeod (Late 1700s); John Ferrars Townsend (Mid 1800s); Dr. James Greenway (1930s); John E. Meyer (?-1977); Margaret Meyer Pepper (1977-2007); Ephraim Mikell Seabrook (1825); State of South Carolina (2007-present)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• By the early 1900s, the house had been abandoned. Greenway had the house torn down in the 1930s. Only ruins remain today (4, p. 120).
  

References & Resources

1. Pictures of Botany Bay

2. Debra Staples, Edisto's Hidden Treasure

3. Edisto Island Preservation Alliance

4. Charles Spencer, Edisto Island, 1663 to 1860 (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008)
   
   

5. Information provided by Gretchen Smith with the Edisto Island Museum
   

Contact Information

• Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area
  Botany Bay Road
  Edisto Island, SC 29438
  

• Telephone: 843-869-2713
  Website: Click here