LeConte-Woodmanston Rice Plantation (a proposed Liberty County Coastal Georgia Greenway trailhead) in Liberty County has announced plans for a memorial to honor slaves who worked on that plantation:

Memorial to be Established at Former Coastal Rice Plantation

“Slave Walk” commemorates first African-Americans

The Board of Trustees of LeConte-Woodmanston Rice Plantation & Botanical Gardens near Riceboro, Georgia, announced this week its intention to create a slave memorial at its Liberty County site. The Slave Walk, a brick path that will wind through the reclaimed plantation, will bear names of 18^th & 19^th century Liberty County slaves.

According to Jim and Pat Bacote, founders of the nearby Geechee Kunda Cultural Arts Center and Museum, “Liberty County is the center of African culture in America.” Working in concert with Geechee Kunda and with other historic sites in the area, LeConte-Woodmanston hopes to present a complete picture of the plantation story and the era of enslavement as well as the rich cultural heritage of the first African Americans.

Part of the project will be the collecting of oral histories “before another generation passes” says project director, Mary Beth Evans. “We tend to think of slavery in the abstract, but these were real people, with names and faces and family. Walking in these very footsteps can be quite moving.”

The Slave Walk will be in a style similar to memorials created with donor bricks but will be funded entirely with grant money. The Board will be seeking financial and community support for the memorial and for the completion of the LeConte-Woodmanston Master Plan which was commissioned in 1981 when the site was owned by the Garden Club of Georgia.

LeConte-Woodmanston was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1973. A 64-acre site, carved out of the original 3300-acre plantation, features a botanical garden and a black swamp nature trail. Plans include the reconstruction of historic, scientific and ornamental aspects of the original self-sustaining plantation that kept approximately 200 slaves for its rice production from the 1770’s until the Civil War. The gardens were first established and tended by Louis LeConte and recognized throughout America and in Europe in the early 1800’s. His sons, William and Joseph, made names for themselves on the west coast and in the scientific world. The LeConte Plantation will host an open house on Saturday, November 3rd from 10:00–2:00 in conjunction with the 1st Annual Geechee Rice Fest. Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the memorial project.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Mary Beth Evans at 912-658-4691 or email at mbevans ( a t ) coastalnow (d o t) net.