Hofwyl-Broadfield was once a thriving rice plantation on the Altamaha River between Darien and Brunswick Georgia. William Brailsford purchased the property around 1806. Mr. Brailsford and his descendants continued to grow rice here until 1913.
After the Civil War and with the end of slavery, it became difficult to command cheap labor to work the rice fields. With the plantation deep in debt, Gratz Dent established a dairy farm on the plantation. His sisters, Miriam and Ophelia, managed the day to day operations until 1942.
The sisters never married and when Ophelia died in 1973 she left her entire estate to the state of Georgia. Her wishes were to have the home and the history of five generations preserved.
The house is still furnished with the family heirlooms and antiques.
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| front of house |
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| left side of house |
Large live oaks, hundreds of years old, grace the property. Spanish moss hanging from the branches sways in the breeze . The family dog house sits under one such tree.
The commissary now houses many of the antique tools and artifacts found on the property. Austin and I spent a couple of days cleaning in and around this building so it will look nice for the 33rd annual Hofwyl Plantation Christmas on December 5 & 6. Through the trees is the dairy barn and bottling house.
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| dairy barn |
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| the commissary |
Behind the ice house is the laundry yard. The old brick walls were built so the cows, which were allow to roam, wouldn't dirty the laundry. It was in this laundry yard while I was cleaning up branches, moss, and weeds that I noticed I was being watched by a very green " rough green snake". The cute little guy was about the size of our garter snake back home.
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| laundry yard |
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| rough green snake |
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