Decline of the Rice Empire
The Civil War was the beginning of a long, slow demise of the rice plantations in South Carolina. The Union blockade had prevented export of most of the rice crop to foreign lands, and Georgetown had fallen to the North. On March 5 and 6, 1865, Union soldiers and the United States Navy sailed the rivers around Georgetown and declared the slaves to be free. Most of the planters had left their homes for Plantersville or other inland areas, and chaos ensued on the plantations. The soldiers and former slaves ravaged many of the plantation homes. The planters rushed back to their plantations to keep from loosing their lands to slaves, as had happened south of Charleston. They managed to reclaim their lands, but never their prominence. There was now a severe labor shortage, and planters were unable to produce a large yield. Many planters were going bankrupt by 1867, and in that year the Georgetown produced only about a quarter as much rice as they had before the war. Many of the slaves had left the area in search of work elsewhere, and planters now found themselves paying for labor.
New inventions also helped cause the decline of the rice empire. Rice could now be produced using less labor and more modern techniques. These failed in South Carolina, though, because of the boggy nature of the land in which rice was grown. The planters had to use the task system they had used with their slaves. The end of Reconstruction opened up areas in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas to rice farming. Using this new machinery, rice could now be grown in the same manner as wheat. Steam engines, seeders, and other machines, impossible to use in the terrain of the South Carolina Lowcountry, also aided in production. By the late 1880s, South Carolina's rice production was passed by Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. The state tried desperately to hang on to its dying industry by combining plantations and forming joint-stock companies to administer them, and this effort was briefly successful. However, South Carolina was hit by two hurricanes in 1893, and others in 1894, 1898, 1906, 1910, and 1911. Freshets (floods) developed during the spring in 1906, 1907, and 1908 because of the draining of fields and cutting of forests inland and upriver from the rice fields. The area could not recover from these catastrophes, and the culture finally ceased to exist. Some rice was still grown until about 1930, but it was only sold on local markets or for personal consumption. Many of the plantations were later bought by northern families and used as winter homes.
Although some of these plantation homes still exist, the actual rice fields have been reclaimed by the cypress swamps and animals that had occupied them before rice was grown. The Lowcountry has only recently been able to recover economically. The Waccamaw Neck, which once housed some of the wealthiest people in America, has now been redeveloped. The area is now home to subdivisions, golf courses, and condominiums as the influence of tourism from Myrtle Beach, located 15 miles to the north pushes down towards Georgetown. A few plantations near Charleston have also enjoyed this kind of revival, but most other areas are not developed. Some homes have been preserved while many others have fallen into disrepair. The best example of plantation homes is on the west (inland) side of the Pee Dee River near Plantersville. This area has not been developed like the Waccamaw Neck, and most of the homes have been restored and are privately owned. The pictures in the gallery are taken of these homes and the surrounding areas on the Pee Dee River that once were rice fields. Most of this area is now a wildlife preserve that is popular for duck hunters and fishermen. There is little evidence that rice was once grown here.
Sourcesof information on this page are Rogers, pg419-420, 487-489 and http://www.the-strand.com/rice.
Front Gates / Table of Contents / Introduction of Rice / Rise of the Rice Plantations / Planters / Slaves / Georgetown County / Geography of Georgetown County / Examples of Plantation Homes / Demise of the Rice Plantations / Gallery of the Abandoned Rice Fields / Explanation of Certain Terms / Links to other sites / Bibliography