Tibwin Plantation – Awendaw – Charleston County

— Tibwin Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2015 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Tibwin Creek (a branch of the Harbor River), Awendaw, St. James Santee Parish, Charleston County

  Located off US 17 in the Francis Marion National Forest
  

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – Tebwin (2)
  

• Current status – Part of the Francis Marion National Forest
  

— Side of Tibwin Plantation © Vanessa Kauffmann —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Timeline

• 1705 – Earliest known date of existence

  Grant for 500 acres received by Captain John Collins (2).
  

• 1707 – Captain Collins died and left Tibwin Plantation to his son Alexander Collins (2).
  

• 1723 – Alexander Collins passed away willing Tibwin to his brother Jonah Collins (3).
  

• ? – Jonah's wife Sarah Ruberry Collins was the plantation's next owner (3).
  

• ? – After Sarah's death, her daughter Elizabeth became the owner of Tibwin. She was married to Richard Withers (3).
  

• 1794 – William Matthews purchased the property from the Collins family, most likely Elizabeth Collins Withers (4) (7, p. 119).
  

• 1803 – House built by William Matthews (4).
  

• 1822 – After a hurricane threatened the house, it was moved back from the waterfront (4) (7, p. 120).
  

• Circa 1848 – William Matthews passed away (8).
  

• 1875 – Arthur McNeil Skipper purchased the plantation from William Matthews' daughter (4).
  

• 1899 – Arthena Gertrude Skipper inherited Tibwin from her father Arthur McNeil Skipper. Arthena had married Horace Leland in 1893 (4).
  

• 1929 – Horace Leland passed away leaving Tibwin to his four children (4).
  

• 1930s – Tibwin Plantation was acquired by George C. Haas who established a hunt club on the property (9).
  

• ? – Henry Ford purchased a rice mill from Tibwin, and it is now on display in Dearborn, Michigan.
  

• 1996 – Tibwin Plantation was acquired by the US Forest Service and is part of the Francis Marion National Forest. The house was stabilized at this time and the roof replaced that had been blown off during Hurricane Hugo (5).
  

— Interior of Tibwin Plantation © Vanessa Kauffmann —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Land

• Number of acres – 500 in 1704; 1,516 in 1875 (2) (4)
  

• Primary crop – Sea Island cotton, corn, potatoes by Arthur Skipper (4)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – 105 in 1848 (8)
  

— Fireplace at Tibwin Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2015 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

References & Resources

1. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society
   

2. Information contributed by Kenneth Collins from: Abstracts of Wills of the State of S.C. (1687-1710) Vol. I, p. 25 - Chief Jeremy & Elizabeth Cacique
   

3. Information contributed by Kenneth Collins from: Abstracts of Wills of the State of S.C. (1670-1740) Vol. I, p. 99 - Chief Jeremy & Elizabeth Cacique
   

4. Information contributed by Linda Fredrickson Ingram whose grandmother Mildred Leland was born and grew up at Tibwin Plantation
   

5. Target Tibwin For Restoration, (Charleston, SC: The Post and Courier, May 15, 2015
   

6. Drawing of House - Library of Congress
   

7. Low Country Gullah Culture, a National Park Service Study - PDF
   

8. Slaves in the estate of William Matthews - scroll down for list of Tibwin
   

9. Information contributed by Samuel Walker whose parents lived at Tibwin Plantation in the early 1930s while his father worked for George C. Haas.
   

— Tibwin Plantation © Vanessa Kauffmann —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Window at Tibwin Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2015 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Ceiling at Tibwin Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2015 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Hallway at Tibwin Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2015 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Contact Information

• Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests
  Francis Marion Ranger District
  2967 Steed Creek Road
  Huger, SC 29450
  

  Telephone: 843-336-3248
  Website: Click here