William M. Whitten - Wednesday, May 28 2008 - Jasper County Sun

Some 2,000 acres of Good Hope Plantation is never to be developed under an agreement just signed by Jane Powell, Good Hope Corporation president, and the Lowcounty Open Land Trust.

No public announcement has been made by the participants.

Other nearby properties already preserved under LOLT agreements are Mackay Point at about 6,375 acres and Roseland Plantation at about 822 acres.  Further south a portion of Strawberry Hill Plantation is also under easement.

The protected Good Hope acreage is visible for about 3,600 feet along Bees Creek Road and for about 7,000 feet along Old House Road.  A 300-foot vegetated buffer is to be maintained along both roadways.

A significant element of the Good Hope – LOLT agreement is the inclusion of the famous Honey Hill Civil War battlefield in the protected area.

The engagement and loss of life for several hundred participants, particularly black union troops on November 30, 1864 is described as one of the three largest Civil War battles fought in South Carolina.

 It is Jasper’s premier Civil War Battle site.

The “undeveloped and forested existence will help preserve this site by prohibiting development into perpetuity,” states the April 30 agreement.

While the site has been picked over by surface collectors for almost 150 years, it is believed to be topographically and archaeology very close to the time of the battle.  It has been hoped by some historians that it would eventually be preserved, marked and open to the public under state or federal regulation. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but that designation offers little protection.

This agreement maintains the undeveloped status and keeps its relics and earthen fortifications off limits to casual collectors / trespassers.

Existence of the Pine Barron Hunting Club building on about two acres including a concrete block building with screened sides, a walk-in cooler, dog kennels, small aluminum feed storage building and 13 small camper trainers is acknowledged in the documents detailing the protected property. No other structures are on the site.

Other portions of the agreement include:

• No towers to be allowed, including broadcast, microwave, communication or cellular phone transmission
• Wildlife observation towers may not be higher than 25 feet
• No industrial use
• No impervious roads to be constructed
• Signage limited to no more than 8-feet square with minimal visual impact from the highways
• No sale of archaeological artifacts. Any found must be kept on site or preserved in museums.
• No golf course
• No junk sites