The history and story of The Ford Plantation

The history of The Ford Plantation mirrors the history of this country. The plantation played important roles in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the industrial revolution. And it continues to play a prominent role in American society today as one of our premier Private Club Communities.

In 1733, General James Oglethorpe established the Colony of Georgia, named for King George II of England, and laid out its first city, Savannah. He barred slavery, rum and lawyers, seeing all three as contrary to the best interests of the new English settlement.

One of the earliest grants made by Oglethorpe was for 2,000 acres on the Ogeechee River at Sterling Bluff where present-day Ford Plantation sits. The grant was made to Hugh and William Sterling. The Sterlings ultimately abandoned the grant, the land passing to John Harn, who named it Dublin Plantation and began cultivating rice. In 1747, Harn planted the now massive live oaks that form the letter “H” at the entrance to The Ford Plantation.

After the Revolution and throughout the 1800s, rice cultivation at Dublin and Silk Hope Plantations reached new heights and fortunes were made.

The good times ended with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, when the Union blockaded the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. Robert E. Lee, later Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, served as the Commander of the Military Departments of the Coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and East Florida. Lee oversaw the construction of Fort McAllister at Genesis Point near Savannah, to protect the Confederacy’s “breadbasket.” It survived numerous attacks by naval forces, only to be destroyed in 1864 when General William Tecumseh Sherman conducted his “March to the Sea.”

In the early 1900s, the booming rice economy crashed, planters moved away and plantations fell into disrepair. It was at this time in 1923 that a stranger from Michigan unexpectedly appeared. Henry Ford, the world’s first billionaire, headed enterprises that included assembly plants, coal and iron mines, timber holdings, railroads, freighters and aircraft manufacturing, and employed more than 500,000 men. With the influence of his friends Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison, Ford developed a keen interest in coastal Georgia – first as a place to grow rubber; then because it was home to an innovative school which Ford supported to the tune of $4 million; and, finally, because it had “a better climate and was a better place to winter than Florida.”

Ford started purchasing land, and when he finished he had accumulated 70,000 acres covering 120 square miles. He called his estate Richmond Hill. Addressing social and economic problems of the area gave Ford his greatest satisfaction and provided him with an escape from things that distressed him.

“Helping the people,” he said, “is my religion.” He championed causes to improve health care and education. He brought in doctors and nurses. He built clinics. He enlarged schools and brought in new educational equipment, libraries, movie projectors, radios, athletic equipment and most of all teachers. He built community houses and chapels.

In 1936, Ford broke ground for a beautiful Greek Revival style mansion of Savannah-gray brick with marble steps on the banks of the Ogeechee River. It featured a colossal portico and sweeping “Temple of the Winds” columns on both the front and river sides. The grand house had air conditioning and an elevator. It sat on 55 acres of manicured lawns and flowering gardens. It remains the centerpiece of The Ford Plantation today.

Ford’s ever-present birdhouses were tucked in appropriate places. He forbade hunting and before long deer and wild hogs began to abound and even wild turkeys became tame and frequented the lawn during the day. Steam plants and tunnels interlaced the estate, with a power plant located at the rice mill which had been left in ruins by General Sherman.

Ford suggested the entire town be renamed Richmond Hill and the town’s people eagerly agreed. The house became the center of social gatherings with visitations by the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and the DuPonts.

Clara and Henry Ford made their last trip to Richmond Hill in the spring of 1947. Ford had suffered a stroke and returned to Dearborn on Easter Sunday, April 6. He died the next day at the age of 83.




		The history of The Ford Plantation mirrors the history of this country. The plantation played important roles in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the industrial revolution. And it continues to play a prominent role in American society today as one of our premier Private Club Communities. In 1733, General James Oglethorpe established the Colony of Georgia, named for King George II of England, and laid out its first city, Savannah. He barred slavery, rum and lawyers, seeing all three as contrary to the best interests of the new English settlement. One of the earliest grants made by Oglethorpe was for 2,000 acres on the Ogeechee River at Sterling Bluff where present-day Ford Plantation sits. The grant was made to Hugh and William Sterling. The Sterlings ultimately abandoned the grant, the land passing to John Harn, who named it Dublin Plantation and began cultivating rice. In 1747, Harn planted the now massive live oaks that form the letter “H” at the entrance to The Ford Plantation. After the Revolution and throughout the 1800s, rice cultivation at Dublin and Silk Hope Plantations reached new heights and fortunes were made. The good times ended with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, when the Union blockaded the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. Robert E. Lee, later Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, served as the Commander of the Military Departments of the Coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and East Florida. Lee oversaw the construction of Fort McAllister at Genesis Point near Savannah, to protect the Confederacy’s “breadbasket.” It survived numerous attacks by naval forces, only to be destroyed in 1864 when General William Tecumseh Sherman conducted his “March to the Sea.” In the early 1900s, the booming rice economy crashed, planters moved away and plantations fell into disrepair. It was at this time in 1923 that a stranger from Michigan unexpectedly appeared. Henry Ford, the world’s first billionaire, headed enterprises that included assembly plants, coal and iron mines, timber holdings, railroads, freighters and aircraft manufacturing, and employed more than 500,000 men. With the influence of his friends Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison, Ford developed a keen interest in coastal Georgia – first as a place to grow rubber; then because it was home to an innovative school which Ford supported to the tune of $4 million; and, finally, because it had “a better climate and was a better place to winter than Florida.” Ford started purchasing land, and when he finished he had accumulated 70,000 acres covering 120 square miles. He called his estate Richmond Hill. Addressing social and economic problems of the area gave Ford his greatest satisfaction and provided him with an escape from things that distressed him. “Helping the people,” he said, “is my religion.” He championed causes to improve health care and education. He brought in doctors and nurses. He built clinics. He enlarged schools and brought in new educational equipment, libraries, movie projectors, radios, athletic equipment and most of all teachers. He built community houses and chapels. In 1936, Ford broke ground for a beautiful Greek Revival style mansion of Savannah-gray brick with marble steps on the banks of the Ogeechee River. It featured a colossal portico and sweeping “Temple of the Winds” columns on both the front and river sides. The grand house had air conditioning and an elevator. It sat on 55 acres of manicured lawns and flowering gardens. It remains the centerpiece of The Ford Plantation today. Ford’s ever-present birdhouses were tucked in appropriate places. He forbade hunting and before long deer and wild hogs began to abound and even wild turkeys became tame and frequented the lawn during the day. Steam plants and tunnels interlaced the estate, with a power plant located at the rice mill which had been left in ruins by General Sherman. Ford suggested the entire town be renamed Richmond Hill and the town’s people eagerly agreed. The house became the center of social gatherings with visitations by the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and the DuPonts. Clara and Henry Ford made their last trip to Richmond Hill in the spring of 1947. Ford had suffered a stroke and returned to Dearborn on Easter Sunday, April 6. He died the next day at the age of 83.