Springfield Plantation – Fort Mill – York County

— Springfield Plantation © Bill Fitzpatrick, 2012 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Fort Mill, York County

  Located approximately 3 miles north of the Town of Fort Mill on US 21
  

• Origin of name – For the plantation's founder, John Springs III
  

• Other names – ?

• Current status – Corporate offices of Leroy Springs & Co. (3)
  

Timeline

• 1790 – Earliest known date of existence (1, p. 3)
  

  John Springs Jr. owned the property (1, p. 3).
  

• 1806 – John Springs III moved to Springfield shortly after his marriage to his cousin Mary Springs (2).
  

• Circa 1806 – House built

  John Springs III constructed a two-story frame house (1, p. 2).
  

• 1853 – John Springs III died. His will divided his land holdings among his children with son Andrew Baxter Springs inheriting Springfield Plantation (2).
  

• 1865 – Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, and several members of his cabinet spent two or three days in April at Springfield Plantation durning their retreat south (1, p. 6).
  

• 1946 – Elliott White Springs owned the plantation and modernized the house with electricity, plumbing, and the addition of a kitchen and bathrooms (1, p. 5).
  

• 1985 – Mrs. Anne Springs Close owned Springfield (1, p. 1).
  

• 1987 – Leroy Springs & Co. moved into the house and uses it as corporate offices (3).
  

Land

• Number of acres – Over 3,200 acres in the 1800s; 2.75 in 1985 (1, pp. 4-5)
  

• Primary crops – Grains, cattle (1, p. 3)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• The original plantation house still stands and has been owned by the Springs family since it was built. The house was remodeled and enlarged in the mid-1800s with electricity and plumbing added in 1946. It is believed to be the oldest wood-fram house in York County (1, p. 2).
  

References & Resources

1. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form - submitted in 1985
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

2. Springs Family Papers, 1772-1924 - Contributed by April Springs, who is a descendant of a Springfield Plantation slave and that is how her family got their surname.
   

3. Jenny Overman, Project Needs Images of Springfield House - (Fort Mill Times: August 31, 2011)