Historic gem to be sold

Middleburg Plantation has a house, 326 acres

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The Post and Courier

Middleburg Plantation off Cainhoy Road in Berkeley County will be sold to the highest bidder. The 326-acre property is on the Cooper River.

Middleburg Plantation has a house, 326 acres

A historic Berkeley County rice plantation that's older than the United States is going on the block.

The owners of Middleburg Plantation, which dates back to the late 1690s, are planning a private auction Oct. 30 to sell the 326-acre property off Cainhoy Road.

The highest bidder will take ownership of the waterfront estate, which is on the east branch of the Cooper River.

The property includes a 2,500-square-foot, six-bedroom house, former slave quarters and the remains of a mechanized rice mill.

The main residence is considered the oldest surviving wooden plantation dwelling in South Carolina.

"This is the most significant and historic property to be offered in South Carolina in years," said John McAllister, a Columbia-based real estate consultant who is helping market Middleburg.

Owners Max and Jane Hill decided to put the property up for sale as part of their estate planning.

"You can subdivide money but not property," said Max Hill, 80, a well-known veteran of the local real estate industry.

The existing house at Middleburg was built in 1697 by planter Benjamin Simons, who named the plantation after the ancient capital of Zeeland Province in Holland.

The property is listed as a National Historic Landmark by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Hills bought the plantation in 1981 for weekend getaways.

The couple and their children gradually restored parts of the aging structures, sometimes using grant money earmarked for historic projects.

At times, workers even used antique tools to re-create the craftsmanship, said Max Hill, who quipped in a 1983 newspaper article that Middleburg "now owns me."

Many of the main house's windows are original and still have a greenish tint. The stateroom features a marble fireplace that was imported from Italy.

The plantation has been a private residence and not a tourism stop, but the Hills have placed easements on the property to ensure that the public has access to it after the sale.

Max Hill said he wouldn't be surprised if someone opened it up for tours.

"The house itself is fragile, but the grounds are so beautiful," he said.

Potential buyers might include historic restoration groups or descendants of former Middleburg owners.

The Hills chose to use the sealed-bid auction process because, despite Max's extensive real estate background, they were unsure of the value of such a unique property.

There are few comparable sales that they could go by, and the historic features are difficult to put a price on.

"You don't know what it's worth," he said.

As part of the marketing campaign, McAllister said he plans to send out thousands of brochures and to advertise Middleburg in local and possibly national publications.

The bidding will be handled by Rome, Ga.-based J.L. Todd Auction Co.

Reach Katy Stech at 937-5549 or kstech@postandcourier.com.