Pleasures
Ford Plantation offers owners natural charm

CAROL WEIR
The Island Packet
Published Sunday, October 10th, 2004

If trees could talk, the majestic oaks at the Ford Plantation, just south of Savannah, would spin quite a yarn.

For more than three centuries these giants have stood watching over the 1,800-acre Lowcountry plantation, which is surrounded by marshland and the Ogeechee River.

They were planted in colonnades when Scotsman John Harn received a King's Grant of the land around 1748, and grew into saplings as he built dikes to cultivate rice. The oaks survived when neighboring settlers tried their hand at silkworm farming in mulberry trees and failed. By 1803, the site was a bustling rice plantation owned by Joseph Habersham, mayor of Savannah and postmaster general under George Washington.

The live oaks were mature when auto maker Henry Ford bought the place as a winter retreat in the 1920s, building a majestic Greek Revival-style mansion, marina, swimming pool, hunting cabin and even an escape tunnel to his private dock. Henry Ford owned the plantation until he died in 1947.

In the 1970s, a wealthy Saudi bought the plantation with the idea of developing it. He commissioned Pete Dye to build a unique 600-acre links golf course meandering beside freshwater lakes and the giant Spanish moss-draped trees.

The owner never built anything else on the land.

The plantation's current owners -- partners Peter Pollak, Steve Schram and Chip Dolan of the Bluffton-based Dolan, Pollak and Schram Development Co., LLC -- are building a low density, residential development with incredible amenities for people who love nature and history. Some of the oaks are coming down as people build their homes, but most stand where they always have.

"Our vision is to take a very historically significant piece of land and enhance its natural beauty to create a private club environment where the members could have a home and enjoy a vast variety of outdoor pursuits," partner Peter Pollak said.

The community of 400 homesites near Richmond Hill, Ga., is for those who value privacy and recreation above image and pretension. There is no minimum size requirement for homes, and the maximum size allowed for a single building is 6,000-square-feet.

"You won't see any 'McMansions' here," said Ford Plantation sales manager John Friday, adding that homes in the community must have "Lowcountry-style" or "historical" architecture.

Most of the homes have a main house, guest house and a garage with an apartment over it, Friday said.

About 320 lots have been sold, but only about 125 homes have been built. Many owners are waiting until they retire to build on their land, Friday said. The lots that still are available range from about $150,000 for a quarter-acre to about $2.5 million for about two acres with river views. Neighborhoods within the gated plantation include Charleston-style homes grouped around a square, marina lots and large estate compounds. While many of the lots and homes belong to Northerners who winter here, the staff at the Ford Plantation say they're increasingly targeting their marketing efforts at locals. About 40 percent of the homes are primary residences, Friday said.

Most people who buy in the Ford Plantation are seduced by the incredible amenities, Friday said. Property owners pay $13,500 per year including club dues and assorted maintenance fees for roads and common areas. A limited number of equity memberships to the sporting club for nonproperty owners are being sold at $95,000 until the end of this year, Friday said.

The club is managed by The Greenbrier Resort and Club Management Co. of West Virginia. More than 125 people -- including house manager Jimmy Blige, whose father worked for Henry Ford -- are employed by the Ford Plantation.

The clubhouse includes a fine dining restaurant, bar and pro shop.

The Ford Plantation is "heaven for horses" and the club includes a first class stable, Friday said. The plantation was built to be traveled on horseback, and riders enjoy more than 18 miles of forested and waterfront trails, including paths on top of the dikes.

Anglers enjoy fresh and saltwater fishing in the surrounding marshlands, river, and sound. A new fishing club at the marina, called Ogeechee Outfitters, is celebrating its grand opening this weekend. The club includes a gear store and large screened-in porch where members grill their catches and share with friends. Local legend Fuzzy Davis heads up the fishing programs as instructor and water guide.

The 60-slip deep water marina, built on the site of Henry Ford's original yacht basin, can accommodate boats up to 65 feet.

Other amenities include a day spa (in Henry Ford's refurbished six-car garage), a sports "barn" (a 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art workout facility with squash courts), tennis courts, a playground and a lap pool.

At the Main House -- the mansion Henry Ford built -- there's even a second swimming pool where members' dogs have been known to take a swim. The main house has a ballroom and guest bedrooms for use by members, property owners and guests.

The Ford Plantation employs a full time naturalist, Mike Womble, who leads kayak tours, alligator watching tours and nature walks. He helps the members learn about the wildlife that surrounds them, including the great horned owls that nested last year in a majestic oak, to the foxes and deer.

Every other Friday, members gather for oyster roasts in the woods near Henry Ford's old hunting cabin to enjoy each other's company and the taste of the great outdoors.