Texas Plantation – St George – Dorchester County

Basic Information

• Location – St George, Dorchester County

  709 Gum Branch Road
  

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – Deerfield; Oak Hill (1)
  

• Current status – Hunting club (2017) (1)
  

Timeline

• ? – Earliest known date of existence

• ? – House built

  The current house was constructed in the 1800s and now serves as a hunting lodge (2).
  

• 1838 – David Gavin had 1,500 acres on Big Gum Branch and 584 acres on Indian Field Swamp surveyed and plats drawn (6).
  

• 1839 – David Gavin and William W Rigsby had 147 acres on Poke Swamp surveyed and a plat drawn (6).
  

• 1853 – David Gavin had 3,246 acres on Indian Field Swamp surveyed and a plat drawn. David Gavin may have had this done to document his plantation as a whole (6).
  

• 1874 – David Gavin passed away. His will declared that his land be divided into lots as equally as possible and distributed among his nephews and nieces, "share and share alike." (3).
  

• 1993 – By this year, Oak Hill Investors had aquired the property that was once Texas Plantation (1).
  

• 2017 – The area that was once Texas Plantation is operated as a hunt club called Deerfield Plantation. Still owned by Oak Hill Investors (1) (3).
  

Land

• Number of acres – 3,246 in 1853 which bordered the Edisto River, Indian Field Swamp and Polk Swamp; 12,000 in 2017 (1) (2)
  

• Primary crop – Rice, cotton, lumber products, livestock (7, p. 12)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – 29 in 1859; 33 in 1862 (7, pp. 12, 14)
  

  David Gavin kept extensive diaries. Below are slaves he mentions in his writings:
  

• 1843 – Abram, Elsy Friday, Peg, and Philis
  

• 1855-1865 – Abram, Alfred, Betsey and son Sam, Celia (had a child on April 10, 1859), Clarissa, Friday, Gaines, Harriet and son 'Little' Jim, Irvin, Jane and son James Washington (born September 1860 and died of Whooping Cough April 15, 1861), 'Big' Jim, 'Little' Mary, Mike, wife Mary Pride and daughter Tenah (all three were purchased from Jas. Grimes on February 5, 1856), Nolly, Peg and son Harry and daughter 'Big' Mary Bryant, Mildred (whose mother was 'Big' Mary), Peter, Punkin, Racheal, Rose, Team, Tom, and Wesley
  

References & Resources

1. Information contributed by Paula Buckley.
   

2. Information contributed by Paula Buckley from the Deerfield Plantation website: Click here
   

3. Information contributed by Paula Buckley from David Gavin – Last Will and Testament
   

4. Information contributed by Paula Buckley from Texas Plantation & Oak Hill
   

5. Information contributed by Paula Buckley from 1897 Dorchester County Map – Paula explains, "Texas Plantation was in Georges Township in the upper third of the county south of Byrds, running from the Plank road to Byrds junction (currently Gum Branch Road) south and westerly to the junction of the road to Byrds and the Texas road to Georges (currently Second Texas Road).
   

6. Information contributed by Paula Buckley from records held by the South Carolina Department of Archives & History
   

7. Information contributed by Paula Buckley from Dorchester County, South Carolina Historical Resources Survey - PDF
   

8. Information contributed by Paula Buckley from Sankofa's Slavery Data Collection
   

Contact Information

• Deerfield Plantation
  709 Gum Branch Road
  St George, SC 29477
  

  Telephone: 843-563-7927
  Website: Click here