Kilkenny Plantation

Kilkenny was a plantation owned by Thomas Young (1733-1808) containing 662 acres. The plantation started around 1765. Since Thomas Young was a Loyalist, his plantation was confiscated and later sold in 1836 to Charles W. Rogers who gave the property to his son named Reverend Charles W. Rogers, Jr. Rogers’ 125 slaves were recorded in the 1850 census. The plantation produced food crops for the slaves, and by 1806, Kilkenny Plantation produced more cotton than any other property in the county. The property was sold several times and was eventually sold in 1931 to Henry Ford who started purchasing lots of land around present-day Richmond Hill, GA, starting in the 1920s. Not only did Ford restore the property, but he also hired locals for his farming and lumbering operations and supported the traditional oystering enterprise known in this area. This site is in the National Register of Historic Places.