Belmont Plantation – Garnett – Hampton County

— Belmont Plantation Lodge © Gazie Nagle, 2016 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Garnett, Hampton County

  1282 Webb Avenue
  

• Origin of name – The Belmont name became associated with the plantation when the Belmont family, founders of the famed Belmont Stakes, purchased it (2).
  

• Other names – Possum Corner; James W. Webb Wildlife Center

• Current status – The plantation has been designated as a managed land area by SCDNR. The Webb Wildlife Center is open to the public, and the 1890 house serves as a hunting lodge for visitors.
  

— Side Belmont Plantation Lodge © Gazie Nagle, 2016 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Timeline

• 1737 – Earliest known date of existence (2)

  The Tison family received a land grant from King George II. The property was called Possum Corner during the Tisons' ownership (2, 5).
  

• ? – House built

• 1765 – John Tison and his wife, May Stafford Tison, moved to Hampton County from North Carolina and it is assumed to the family's granted land (4).
  

• ? – John and May's son, John Tison II, and his wife, Elizabeth Stafford Tinson, are believed to have inherited the plantation. They are buried in the Tison family cemetery located on the plantation (4).
  

• ? – Elizabeth and John's son, Reuben Henry Tison, became the plantation's owner. He constructed a summer house called Mistletoe Grove at the plantation. This house would later be used to house employees of the Webb Wildlife Center (4).
  

• 1865 – Sherman's troops burned the house in the winter (2).
  

• 1874 – Colonel John Allen Tison inherited the plantation, still known as Possum Corner, when his father Reuben Henry Tison passed away (4) (6).
  

• 1890 – Colonel Tison built a new house on the plantation. The house is now used as a hunting lodge for visitors (2).
  

• 1902 – August Belmont purchased the plantation for use as a hunting retreat and winter training ground for his race horses (2) (5).
  

• 1941 – The plantation was purchased by the State of South Carolina (2).
  

— Belmont Plantation Outbuildings © Gazie Nagle, 2016 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Land

• Number of acres – 5,866 in 2016 (2) (3)
  

• Primary crop – ?

• The Tison family cemetery is located on the property (4)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

References & Resources

1. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society
   –  Online Catalog
   

2. Information contributed by Gazie Nagle from 75 Years and a Million Acres (and Counting), a publication by SCDNR.
   

3. Webb Wildlife Center: Click here
   

4. Information contributed by Kathy Schmidtktally of the Tison family
   

5. Yvonne Deloach, A List of Some More Plantations for Hampton County
   

6. Historic Resources of the Lowcountry by Cynthia C. Jenkins
   

Contact Information

• Webb Wildlife Center
  1282 Webb Avenue
  Garnett, SC 29922
  

  Telephone: 803-625-3569
  Website: Click here