About Butler Island Plantation

I was disappointed to read several comments on this site stating there is little to see and nothing of historical interest. The property is now owned by the Nature Conservancy and is not open to the public. The current house was built in 1927 not the 1800's. The rice mill chimney and one other brick structure are all that remain from the 1850's. However as for historical significance this site is of great importance for many reasons. The property was developed in 1790 by Major Pierce Butler as a rice plantation. There are many references to this property, it's owners, and the slaves who lived there, in many books, in PBS films, in documentaries on Reconstruction, and in Ken Burn's film on the Civil War which it mentions. Slave life was well documented by Frances Anne Kemble who married Pierce Mease Butler and published Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation 1838-1839. Pierce Butler's daughter Frances published Ten Years on a Georgia Plantation in 1882 and it is considered to be a treasurer trove of first hand information regarding Reconstruction after the Civil War. There are two historical markers on the side of Hwy 17 south of Darien, GA. One marker is a Georgia Historical Society marker and one is a State of Georgia marker. It is quite telling to read each marker and see the dramatic difference in the story told by each. Quite appropriate given our divergent attitudes on slavery to this day. Take the time to stop and read them both.