The History of Poplar Grove

Charles Towne Farms enjoys a rich history extending back more than 300 years. Following the receipt of a kings grant from William and Mary on April 24, 1696, Thomas Elliott acquired “all the land around the Western Edge of Rantowles Creek.” For almost 200 years prior to the civil war, Mr. Elliott and his heirs including his brother William continued to acquire adjacent lands ultimately totaling 7,500 acres.

In 1703 Thomas Elliott made the first of several future acquisition with the purchase of the adjoining “Winners” plantation. This settlement became highly recognized as strategically located along the last major branch of the Stono River. The location provided an opportunity to take advantage of existing transportation routes from Savannah and surrounding cities to the Charleston Peninsula.

Charles Towne Farms occupies more than 3,100 acres of the original historic Poplar Grove Plantation. At the time of his death in 1760, Thomas Elliott left a substantial estate of more than $200,000 pounds. Historical court records indicate that Poplar Grove served as a county seat for West Ashley lands. Like most planters and their families, and the Elliot family spent winter months at Poplar Grove but moved to their home at 48 Meeting Street on the Charleston peninsula during the summer so as to escape the routine outbreak of malaria. The downtown Elliott house is now widely recognized as a “significant” Historic structure.

Artifacts discovered during various archaeological investigations of the land support that the original settlement was consistently occupied by Europeans until it was ultimately purchased by the West Virginia Paper Company in the 1940’s. Efforts to repair and restore the ruins of the original structures and the vast rice fields that remain today are now underway. The various trunks and flood gates controlling irrigation of the rice fields have long since disappeared but will hopefully receive required permits for their restoration in the near future.

Artifacts discovered during the Archaeological studies confirms that Poplar Grove enjoyed some level of prosperity. Fragments of ceramic around each of the plantation homes were Delft and Chinese porcelain, an indication of affluence which was substantiated by census records. Archival research and archaeological testing indicated that most of the construction of the plantation homes occurred around 1740. This correlates to the emergence of Georgian architecture which was the style most likely employed. The primary home was brick using an English bond pattern with alternating rows of headers and structures. The walls were 21 inches thick consisting of 4 bricks laid side to side. Remnants demonstrate that the interior walls were plasters and were also four bricks thick. The very large foundation of the primary residence depicts that a large two-story home having large piers indicates that they likely supported “substantial” columns.

Throughout the 1700’s, the land produced valuable rice harvest. Later production expanded to other crops such as cotton, indigo, and normal farming produce. Historic Evidence show that is likely that the home was destroyed during the civil war. Around 1887 the land was sold to William Bradley of Massachusetts who operated a phosphate mining operation on adjacent Middleton Plantation just across the northern boundary of Rantowles Creek. No mining occurred on Poplar Grove lands. In 1933 the land was sold to the West Virginia Paper Company (now Mead Westvaco) and has operated as a timber farm for the past 80 years. The current owner has groomed the lands for almost 20 years and was the catalyst for the 15,000 acres that is now known as the Ashley River Platation District.

Notwithstanding its interesting past, today Charles Towne Farms remains in its natural state much as it was the late of 1600’s. Extensive marsh grassland flourish in the historic rice fields. Stately oaks, cypress and pines cover most of the property but remainder roses, trace back to the original Elliott family when descendant Robert Rowand gave the massive lands its moniker…Poplar Grove.