Seabrook Plantation – Edisto Island – Charleston County

— Seabrook Plantation House © Chip Hall, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Steamboat Creek (a branch of the North Edisto River), Edisto Island, St John's Colleton Parish, Charleston County
  

  Located about a mile west of SC 174 on Jenkins Road
  

• Origin of name – Named for the owner
  

• Other names – William Seabrook, Dodge
  

• Current status – Privately owned, managed for hunting and recreational activities (2016)
  

— Dock at Seabrook Plantation © Chip Hall, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Timeline

• 1810 – Earliest known date of existence
  

  House built by William Seabrook

• 1836 – William Seabrook died leaving a plantation to each of his children. His second wife Emma Elizabeth Edings lived at Seabrook until until 1854 or 1855 (3, Vol. VI: 2) (6).
  

• ? – John Evans Eddings, Jr. acquired the plantation (6).
  

• Circa 1862 – The house was used as a provost and headquarters for the Union Army. Seabrook Plantation was the location of a required inspection of Company D of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry and Company G of the 47th New York Volunteers (see the Union Army General Order). After the war ended, freed slaves resided at the plantation (6) (8).
  

• 1875 – Eddings, Jr. sold the plantation (6).
  

• ? – Judge Smith purchased Seabrook (6).
  

• 1930s – The plantation began being managed for hunting and recreational activities (4).
  

• ? – Mr. and Mrs. Donald D. Dodge became owners of Seabrook Plantation and fully restored the house (5).
  

• 2000 – Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hunter McEaddy purchased Seabrook Plantation from the Dodges (5).
  

• 2012 – Seabrook Plantation was put on the market with an asking price of $9,850,000. The plantation is under conservation easements so that the property can be subdivided into no more than six parcels (4).
  

• 2016 – The plantation was still on the market with a price drop to $8.3 million (4).
  

— Seabrook Plantation in 1928 © Contributed by Chip Hall —

Land

• Number of acres – 350 in 2012 (4) (6)
  

• Primary crop – Sea Island cotton

Slaves

• Number of slaves – 119 in 1860 (7)
  

— Marsh View at Seabrook Plantation © Chip Hall, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Buildings

• The house is an ornate example of the Federal style and was designed by White House architect James Hoban. It's three stories combine for a total of 5,740 square feet. The house has been fully renovated and updated with modern conveniences. At least two out-buildings remain standing (4) (6).
  

— Aerial View of Seabrook Plantation © Chip Hall, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

References & Resources

1. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1971
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

2. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society

3. 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
   

4. Information from the real estate listing developed by agent Chip Hall
   

5. Information contributed by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hunter McEaddy

6. Charlotte Hutson Wrenn, The William Seabrook House, Edisto Island – 2010 Blog
   

7. 1860 slave inventory, including names, of William Seabrook's Edisto Island plantation – Fold 3
   

8. Information and the Union Army General Order document contributed by John Strobel.
   

— Double Staircase at Seabrook Plantation © Chip Hall, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Seabrook Plantation Tea House © Chip Hall, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Rear of the Seabrook Plantation © Chip Hall, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)