Wormsloe Plantation

Wormsloe Plantation is a large coastal estate on the Isle of Hope near Savannah, Georgia, with a smaller tract on Long Island. Noble Jones, one of the original English colonists, leased the land in 1736 and developed it as a country estate and experimental farm rather than a typical crop plantation. Around 1739 he built a tabby fortified house enclosed by an eight-foot wall with corner bastions; about a quarter of the wall still stands. The grounds also hold a house begun in 1828 and much altered since, extensive gardens, a 1907 library, a Confederate earthwork, and a mile-long avenue of oaks. Five generations of the family worked in medicine, politics and history, and built a major collection of historical books. The estate was listed for its agricultural, architectural, military and conservation importance, and for the survival of its natural landscape. Much of the land was being transferred to the state for preservation.