The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-01-30
A LOVELY COUNTRY PLACE,
New York millionaire Buys n
Winter Home Near Beaufort, S.

G,
A correspondent of the New York
Herald describes splendid country
estate near Beaufort which Mr.. II. r.
Wilson, ,Jr., of New York, has Just
purchased from Col. j. III. Estlll, of
Savannah, an which will be made one
OF the finest winter homes in the South.
The place is known as May River
| Neck, because ii is an elongated island
strip between the May and New rivers.
The landing place, leading up to the
mansion, is about half way between
Savannah and Beaufort, being approxi-
matcly thirty-!ivc miles from each by
water, although an air line from
| Savannah would be little more than
| fifteen miles.
| The island is the next south Of Hilton
Head, where one Of the governments
naval proving stations is situated
| Before the war between the States the
Neck" contained the homes and
plantations Of some Of the most famous
iamlhcs Of South Carolina-thc Pcti-
yrus, Draytons, Hamiltons and others
whose names have become associated
with The States history. The battle of
Port Royal opened the country to the
Federal gunboats, and in less than a
month what had been a rich and pros
porous planting community, with five
thousand slaves to till The land, was
abandoned to the invading forces.
Then it fell a prey to maraudiny fl ccd
men. handsome homes were Destroy
cd or wrecked, and the fields became
thlckcts and forests. 1t was not until
after 1876 that white men again lived
on the island. AT that time the country
had dcgcncratcd into almost wilder
ness.
AS a boy, long before the war, Colo
mel Estill had resided for time on
May River Neck. 1t was then that he
conceived desire to be the owner of
one Of the fine Il;niations. When he
had returned home from The war, IL
pCnnilcss former Confederate, the de-
sire was still with him. When he be-
gan to prosper in the publishing bus-
ness in Savannah, among his first in .
vcstmcnts was the purchase of a plan
tation on May River. From time TO
time he added other plantations to his
holdings on the Neck, until eventually
he had secured fifteen thousand aci cs
which..hc has transferred TO Mr.. Wilson.
There was much sentiment in Col
oncl EstilPs gathering Of thc Land
piccc-mcal. lie had an ideal seacoast
home and plantation in view. He
succeeded III bringing under his owner
ship one Of the finest properties OF its
kind in the world, Upon which he
erected a mansion IN keeping with the
nd T,T ~ foto
1t is this mansion which Mr.. Wilson
is having refurnishcd for occupancy
early in February. 1t is understood
that he, accompanied by his sister,
Ms. Vanderbilt, and few friends,
will arrive at the May Rivcrplacc dur
ing the latter part Of this month or the
first OF next.
Mr.. Wilson's plans, as far as they
can be learned, are broad and ambi-
uous. One Of the first improvements
TO be made will be the construction Of
an automobile road TO lIardccvillc, the
nearest railroad station, nine miles dis
tant. In addition, long distance tclc-
phone line is being built from the plan
tation to IIardccvlle, which will put
Mr.. Wilson into telephone communica-
ton with Savannah and Charleston.
An electric lighting apparatus and
| pumping plant Is also being put IN.
IL is said TO be the purpose of Mr..
Wilson to retain 5000 acres of the
| plantation for hunting. 1t is magnlfi-
Gently wooded and game is plentiful.
The lishing, too, is exceptionally fine.
On one side of The island is Il salt river
from which practically every species of
fish from the ocean may be taken
while on the other side is a fresh wat CT
river abounding in fish. Thus the
owner has only to go north or south
across his acres to take either salt or
fresh water fish at his pleasure. The
| May River is a deep stream, and it Will
bc possible for Mr.. Wilson, or Mr..
Vanderbilt, or any guest, to sail up
to the landing, within a few hundred
yards Of the mansion, in his ocean go
ing yacht.
Besides the forest land, the eleven
plantations which make up Mr.. Will
sons purchase embrace some of the
best sea island cotton land in the
world. The soil will produce just
about any product that may be grown
in the temperate zone, and, being
near the ocean and entirely surrounded
by water, it Is peculiarly free from
killing frosts. Thus crops arc almost
| certain, even IN seasons when new
vegetation is killed on the mainland by
cold snaps.
1t is said to be Mr.. Wilson's in
tention to divide the 10000 acres re-
manning after setting off his shooting
preserve, into farms of approximate
fifty acres each, and to bring in Ger
man farmers or other thrifty white
settlers to ill them.
| The idea seems to be to construct {
a model farm village as near the center
Of the tract as may be convenient
The village will have its school, churcl
and library, besides other municipa
accessories. Whether Mr.. Wilson vii
own the houses or permit them TO b,
owned independently has not yet beer
determined. The details arc TO b,
worked out later. IT is sail to be III
purpose, however, to encourage tn
cultivation of sea island cotton an
l Il H.