Greenville County will soon become the owner of the former Oakland Plantation, a 52.5-acre parcel of land located off Adams Mill Road in the fast-growing Five Forks area. The property includes buildings dating from the 1820s and about 48 acres of green space which Greenville County Parks, Recreation and Tourism will convert to a nature park. It will be the first new regional park in 15 years — a time when the county’s population grew by nearly 25%.
Upstate Preservation Trust, a nonprofit, facilitated the sale and will work with the county to lead fundraising and support restoration of the historic buildings. Greenville County’s Historic Natural Resources Trust and the South Carolina Conservation Bank each invested $602,500 in the project.
Carlton Owen, HNRT board chairman, said the property likely would have been developed years ago if part of the land hadn’t been contaminated with hazardous chemicals. The area has since been rehabilitated and cleared of environmental concerns.
Owen credits the YMCA, which acquired the property in 2004, for maintaining the parcel intact and selling it at a relatively modest $1.2 million dollars, rather than putting it on the market.
“Because of their stewardship, this land is passing from their use to public use,” Owen said.
Lindsey Strand, UPT vice board chair, said UPT plans to hold easements that will protect the land and historic resources in perpetuity, and is working closely with the county to ensure its history is not just protected, but featured.
“Oakland is different from other historic sites in the Upstate because so much of the original site is preserved and undeveloped,” Strand said. “The site includes the original home, a slave cabin and other outbuildings, all in their original locations, plus dozens of acres of open land. All of these resources enable us to tell the full history of a place like Oakland Plantation: the family, the enslaved, the farming, the commerce and the community.”
UPT has commitments of $250,000 toward the more than $1 million in anticipated renovation costs and hopes to begin stabilization and exterior restoration on the home and slave cabin soon. UPT depends on donations and grants to fund its work and will hold a private opening of the home for donors later in 2024.
The Community Foundation of Greenville made a $25,000 grant to HNRT towards the Oakland Plantation purchase.
“CFG’s support for this project sends a strong message to Greenville County Council of broad citizen interest in and commitment to the work of the trust and the importance of open space and historic preservation to environmental sustainability and quality of life in the greater Greenville area.” Owen said. “This grant, following on the heels of an earlier $50,000 grant in support of HNRT’s efforts to help add 150 acres to Paris Mountain State Park, represents a commitment by CFG to a lasting legacy for future generations.”
For more information, visit preserveupstate.org/oakland-plantation and gchnrt.org.
