Greenwood Plantation facts for kids

Greenwood Plantation is a large, historic estate in southern Georgia, close to Thomasville. It features a beautiful main house built in the Greek Revival style. This style was very popular in the 1800s, inspired by ancient Greek buildings. The original house was built around 1838 and was made even bigger in 1899.

The plantation covers about 5,200 acres of forest. This land is used for quail hunting. It also has 1,000 acres of very old longleaf pine trees, some of which are up to 500 years old! Greenwood Plantation was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976. At that time, it included 1,400 acres and many important historic buildings.

A Look Back: History of Greenwood Plantation

Building the Main House

The main house at Greenwood Plantation was designed by a British architect named John Wind. It was built around 1838 for Thomas and Lavinia Jones. The house was finished in 1844. The Jones family lived there until 1889, when they sold it to S.R. Van Duzer from New York.

Later, Van Duzer sold the home to Col. Oliver Hazard Payne. In 1916, Colonel Payne left the home to his nephew, Payne Whitney. Payne Whitney was a millionaire who loved horse racing. In 1899, he hired architect Stanford White to add two small, matching sections to the sides of the main house. He also added more living space and a kitchen area at the back.

Famous Owners and Visitors

After Payne Whitney passed away, his son Jock Whitney inherited Greenwood in 1944. Jock Whitney was involved in financing the movie Gone with the Wind. This famous movie premiered in Atlanta in December 1939. It is said that Greenwood Plantation helped inspire the look of southern elegance for the film.

In 1942, Jock married Betsey Cushing. The Whitneys owned several homes, but they often used Greenwood as their winter retreat. They sometimes even brought their thoroughbred race horses with them! Jock Whitney also served as the American ambassador to England from 1957 to 1961. This was during the time Dwight Eisenhower was president. President Eisenhower visited Greenwood and enjoyed hunting quail and turkey there. Many other famous friends of the Whitneys also stayed at Greenwood over the years. These guests included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and the famous dancer Fred Astaire.

A Place of Refuge

In February 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy spent several weeks at Greenwood Plantation. This was after a very difficult time in her life. The Whitneys offered her a quiet place away from the media. She visited again in 1967. During this visit, Lord Harlech, who was the British ambassador to the U.S., was also a guest.

Changes and Challenges

The main house was updated and restored in 1965. Then, in 1993, it was redecorated by a well-known designer named Sister Parish. However, soon after the redecoration was finished, a fire broke out. The fire badly damaged the inside of the house, but the outside walls remained standing.

Jock Whitney passed away in 1982, and his widow, Betsey, died in 1998. She left the plantation to the family's Greentree Foundation. The foundation continued to take care of the property. In 2013, the foundation decided to offer the plantation for sale.