After visiting the Zion Chapel of Ease and acquainting ourselves with William Baynard, it only made sense to head to Sea Pines and visit the Stoney-Baynard Ruins.
Situated inside of the private community of Sea Pines, there is a nominal fee to enter, so I suggest stringing this visit along with other attractions such as the Forest Preserve or Harbortown.
The plantation is situated in a small slice land similar to a park, surrounded by beautiful modern homes. It would be really easy to drive right by it, and not even know what the trees concealed!
Built by Captain Jack Stoney in the 1790s, legend has it that he lost the property and home to William Baynard during a poker game in 1840. Baynard was a wealthy Sea Island Cotton owner, and the property also holds the remains of slave quarters for the domestic slaves that he owned.
When Baynard passed in 1849, he was laid to rest in the Baynard Mausoleum; and just like the mausoleum, the mansion was raided during the Civil War. The house had stood for some time as union headquarters, the Confederates burned the structure, leaving it in the ruined state that continues to stand to this day.
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