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Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation
The culture of a forgotten empire comes alive at this historic rice plantation along the Altamaha River. Visitors can walk beneath live oak to the antebellum home furnished with fine antiques, then gaze from the porch past magnolias and camellias to the marsh where rice once flourished. The museum features fine silver, a model of a working rice plantation, and a slide show about the life of planters and slaves.
Around 1807, William Brailsford of Charleston began carving a rice plantation from the virgin cypress swamps along the Altamaha River. His son-in-law, James M. Troup, acquired additional land along the river. By the time Troup passed away, he owned 7,300 acres of land, 357 slaves, and several homes.
Until the outbreak of the Civil War, the plantation produced rice steadily. War, hurricanes, and lack of abundant labor led to the fall of the rice empire in 1915. Brailsford's descendants converted the plantation into a dairy that distributed high-quality milk in Glynn County. Due to a combination of reasons, the dairy closed in 1942. In 1973, the plantation was willed to the state of Georgia by Ophelia Troup Dent.
| Hours of Operation |
Thursday-Saturday / 9AM-5PM / Last main house tour at 4PM. Gate locked at closing. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Small admission fee. Group rates avalible with advanced notice. Picnic tables and bus parking avalible. |
| Information |
Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites |
Nearby Attractions
| Fort King George | Lewis Island Natural Area |
| Fort Morris State Historic Site | Georgia's Golden Isles |
| Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve | Historic District, Jekyll Island |
| Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge | Coastal Museums |
| Fort Frederica | Beaches |
Special thanks to Joseph Segui for his help on this page.