Many years ago people would have weddings here because it is so Enchanting. Richard Stradling: 919-829-4739, @RStradling. Two wings were added to the house in 1904. In 1725, Roger Moore, son of Governor James Moore and grandson of Irish nobleman Sir Rory Moore, and his family moved from the Province of South Carolina to an area of land known as Orton in southeastern North Carolina. A descendant of the founder of Orton Plantation re-purchased the plantation and the large acreage of former rice fields and formal gardens surrounding it, as well as the family chapel and graveyard close by the plantatation's large mansion. The est time involved will be 3-4 years, but I believe the new owner plans to reopen the plantation once everything has been completed. Orton Plantation was abandoned after the Civil War and remained empty for 19 years. Two proud Eagles adorn each side of the gate. Orton plantation will be under extensive restoration until 2014 when access would resume on a limited basis through prearranged visits with educational and historic groups. North Carolina's Coastal Land Trust says the plantation's newest owner, Louis Bacon, shows he has the best intentions with the property. Maurice Moore began his ownership of Orton Plantation, located on the west bank of the Cape Fear River, in the early 1900s. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Sitting on the banks of the Cape Fe. 100% of travellers recommend this experience. Orton Plantation is no longer open to the public, It is now a private residence. A pavilion is located near the chapel. level of our approval. Following the Confederate defeat at Fort Fisher, Union soldiers confiscated Orton Plantation and used the home as a military hospital, thus sparing it from destruction. This is one you won't forget. We probably made a 10 percent yield, Epp said. If you are in the area, plan to visit Fort Anderson and Old Brunswick Town. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Orton Plantation, located in Brunswick County, North Carolina, is a historic plantation that was once home to a large plantation owner and his family. BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) The owner of the historic Orton Plantation in Brunswick County was recently profiled in Forbes Magazine. They understood that the critical part of growing rice was getting water in and out of the fields.. (LogOut/ by 2014. We had to learn from that.. $$ - $$$ American Cajun & Creole Seafood, Points of Interest & Landmarks Piers & Boardwalks. He entertained them at his town home and Orton Plantation, in addition to treating them to an oyster roast at the Cazeauxs. Built in 1735 by the co-founder of Brunswick Town, the Orton Plantation house is one of the oldest structures in Brunswick County. Lovely grounds & "feel" here for sure ! Originally a .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}1+12-story white brick building, a second floor was added to the house in 1840 along with four fluted Doric columns. The house at Orton Plantation and 12 acres around it are on the National Registry of Historic Places. Orton Plantation is located at 5600 Orton Road, Southport, NC 28461. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. I had so looked forward to visiting this beautiful plantation! Orton Plantation is located in Brunswick County, North Carolina. In the early 1800s, Orton Plantation was one of the largest slave-holding plantations in North Carolina. All rights reserved. Orton Plantation has not produced rice since 1931. Today, the plantation house and grounds are open for tours, and the plantation hosts a variety of events throughout the year. Orton Plantation Wedding Orton Plantation is a beautiful setting for a wedding. I had so looked forward to visiting this beautiful plantation! Orton Plantation Garden is located at 9149 Orton Rd SE, Winnabow, NC 28479. BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) - The Orton Plantation in Brunswick County is coming full circle. Despite the strong resistance of the Moore family to English rule, King George II was unable to keep them at bay. 9149 Orton Rd. Happy to respond.Daryl. 94% of travellers recommend this experience. The barley, meanwhile, will be tested to see if can be fed to horses. The chapel on the grounds was used in the movie "A Walk to Remember" as the wedding scene. Epp uses the same system to bring water into the field, flooding the established rice so that just a few inches of the plants remain above water. Does anyone know when it will be available to the public again?? Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page. Hurry to see this incredible place while this years gardens are still available to you! The Orton Plantation is a historic plantation house in the Smithville Township of Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Happy to respond.Daryl. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our. The Orton Plantation sale, for a variety of reasons, is extremely important. The slaves at Orton Plantation were treated relatively well compared to slaves at other plantations. No date for reopening at present time, but when it does, it will be spectacular! This organization has been in operation for 74 years, according to reports. During the Civil War, the plantation served as a military hospital for Union soldiers. I have not heard that it will be "permanently" closed to the public. The Orton sale provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about one of the earliest and most important antebellum homes in the Lowcountry. Slightly off the beaten path, but so well worth it. The cemetery contains the graves of enslaved Africans who worked on the plantation, as well as the graves of free blacks who lived in the area. Maurice named the property for Cole Orton Hall, in Leicester, England, the site of a battle during the English Civil War in which the Royalists were victorious. We do not have any. " this is no longer open to the public " Nov 2017 Since the new ownership of Orton Plantation it has been closed to the public. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Vsitors are welcome to stop by and observe the archaeological excavations being conducted on the site of the original Brunswick Town, which was burned by the British during the Revolutiinary War, and brought about the permanent demise of the town, though a vestige of it remains to this day in the form of the county's name where it is located: Brunswick. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. So, heart breaking. Except for the automobiles, everything else has a nostalgic touch of the past. make your trip both authentic and unforgettable. The first home at Orton was built in 1725, but it was destroyed a few years later by local American Indians. No. The property was purchased by a physician, Frederick Jones Hill, in 1826. A place with one star is worth a lookafter all, it made the list. No date given for that as yet.The new owner, a descendant of the original 19th century developer, has publicly pledged to spend whatever it takes to modernize the house without impinging on the historical beauty of it. According to a landscape architect, it is a miracle that the fields are still standing. It was a stunning display of camellias and azaleas in early April. It was bought by a decendent of the original builder & owner (1700's) and his vision is to restore it back to a rice plantation. Visitors flock to see the gardens, which begin blooming in late winter and reach their height in spring, when camellias, azaleas, pansies, and flowering trees burst into bloom. History [ edit] In 1725, Roger Moore, son of Governor James Moore and grandson of Irish nobleman Sir Rory Moore, and his family moved from the Province of South Carolina to an area of land known as Orton in southeastern North Carolina. I am glad to hear that it is being restored, and I hope that in the future it will once again welcome visitors to some of the beautiful gardens. Should I Form A Corporation For My Lawn Mowing Company? Buyer beware and remember to check Trip Adviser before traveling. Many years ago people would have weddings here because it is so Enchanting. The staff is professional and accommodating, and they will work with you to create the perfect wedding day. Weddings, family reunions, corporate events, and school fieldtrips took place at the property and the gift shop and ticket office were located in Sunnyside, a playhouse built in the 1890s for James and Luola's daughter, Marion. Although the home is privately owned and closed to the public, the Orton Plantation Gardens and family-owned chapel have become a tourist destination in Southeastern North Carolina, attracting thousands of visitors each year. The Moores, as Royalists, were most likely at the center of the battle. of NC 1530 and 1529. But the house is off-limits. The plantation has been closed since then. The project area lies within the Pleasant Oaks Plantation which is a former rice plantation developed around 1725, located north of the historic Orton Plantation. Orton was offered to Woodrow Wilson by Sprunt after Wilson was nominated for the presidency in 1912. The Carolinas produce only 800 to 900 acres of rice, with the majority of it grown in South Carolina. This location is located in Brunswick County, as well as parts of the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-NC Metropolitan Area. Slaves built dikes to keep out the salty river water and turned the wetlands into fields that could be drained to plant rice in spring and then carefully flooded with fresh water from man-made Orton Lake as the rice grew during the summer and into fall. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. The Civil War ended large-scale rice production in this area. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Unfortunately because the public is no longer allowed on the grounds, you will have to look at this through pictures, videos and the many motion pictures that were made on location at Orton Plantation. When Is The Best Time To Start Mowing Your Lawn In Sioux Falls South Dakota? [2], Similar to the house, Luola's Chapel is a white brick structure with four Doric columns. If some one can confirm that would be greatthanks! The road off Route 133 is 1533 Orton Road SE. Check with local authorities to determine the full extent of public access. The grounds are gorgeous, there are beautiful lakes and streams full of wildlife, the azaleas are vibrant and large, and the oak trees are so amazing. We visited there with our girls some time ago but we were enchanted with its natural beauty! It fits almost everyones image of a prototypical antebellum southern mansion. With the 2010 sale of Orton Plantation to Louis Moore Bacon, a hedge fund manager and direct descendent of Roger Moore, builder of the original Orton plantation house in 1725, the situation regarding public access may have changed. Does anyone know when it will be available to the public again?? The plantation was owned by the Orton family until 1859, when it was sold to the Bellamy family. The house, which was completed with an island flair, was renamed Castle Dobbs after a small castle in Carrickfergus, Ireland, where Governor Arthur Dobbs lived for a few years. Orton Plantation is located at 5600 Orton Road, Southport, NC 28461. I believe the entire ORTON PLANTATION is currently CLOSED & I haven't been able to find out when or if it will be re-opening. Please inform me if you find out anything & THANK YOU for your ? Glad to be of help..>Daryl, Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Historic Sites Points of Interest & Landmarks. In the 1930s, James Laurence Sprunt and his second wife Annie enlarged the garden to its current size of 20 acres (8.1ha), with some of the landscape design done by Robert Sturtevant. In 1954, the Sprunt family donated 114.5 acres (46.3ha) of the Orton Plantation to establish the Brunswick Town State Historic Site. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Orton Plantation is closed because it is no longer a functioning plantation. If some one can confirm that would be greatthanks! 98% of travellers recommend this experience. Today it is run by a man who is working on bringing back its original form, creating a natural environment for wildlife, and all that used to be. But he makes one concession to modernity at harvest time: He uses mechanical pumps to drain the water away, so the fields can more quickly get dry enough to support a John Deere tractor, something earlier planters didnt need to worry about. Orton Plantation is currently owned by the Orton family. The grounds and the home are well-kept; it's not too expensive, and well worth your time. If you were planning to visit Orton we apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you visiting our website. Bacon, a Raleigh native, is a direct descendent on his mothers side of King Roger Moore, the man who established the plantation in 1725 and developed the fields Bacon now hopes to restore. He had apparently purchased the plantation and the slaves thereon from Dr. Hill. The plantation was once an exclusive event space rented out for movies and weddings until 2010 when billionaire Louis Moore Bacon, an NC local, bought the mansion and its surrounding 8,500+ acres . Glad to be of help..>Daryl, Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Historic Sites Points of Interest & Landmarks, Orton Plantation, Wilmington: Address, Orton Plantation Reviews: 4/5. The est time involved will be 3-4 years, but I believe the new owner plans to reopen the plantation once everything has been completed. The cemetery is one of the few remaining reminders of the plantations history. The plantation went through several owners throughout . The Russellborough monument was dedicated in 1909 and was made from stones from the houses foundation. Buyer beware and remember to check Trip Adviser before traveling. It was at one time a rice plantation. The entire plantation is currently under renovation by a decendant of the original builder & owner in the 1700's. I believe the entire ORTON PLANTATION is currently CLOSED & I haven't been able to find out when or if it will be re-opening. The project area is adjacent to the Cape Fear River and is protected from the main Cape Fear River channel by Campbell Island, which is located to the east. Louis Bacon's restoration efforts at Orton Plantation are helping to conserve this historical landmark for years to come. The chapel on the grounds was used in the movie "A Walk to Remember" as the wedding scene. Very disappointed after having found this place on the map and driving a good distance out of our way to find that this place no longer exists. thanks! You should e able to visit this real plantation restored by a new owner to reflect what things were like. Bacon bought Orton and 8,500 surrounding acres in 2010 for a reported $45 million. The plantation was established in 1735 by Royal Governor Gabriel Johnston and was later owned by the Swann family. You could score a free Bojangles biscuit almost every day for a week. One of the world's leading conservationists, the billionaire is a descendant of the original owners of the site. March 2, with crews expected to burn approximately 500 acres. Dr. Laurence Sprunt spun yarn for a group of Delawareans whose family trees contained tartans. The Sprunts constructed a family chapel in 1915, and when his wife died the following year from scarlet fever,[7] James renamed the building to Luola's Chapel in her honor. Not only is Orton Plantation historic; it's so well-preserved, and so beautiful. It was horrible. Grrr. The cemetery is located on the grounds of Orton Plantation, a former rice plantation. The plantation house, built in 1735, is set among live oaks and Spanish moss and overlooks the Cape Fear River. Governor Arthur Dobbs made the house look more like an island by adding a splash of island flair, and he renamed it Castle Dobbs after his small castle in Carrickfergus, Ireland. of Orton Plantation," Star News, Wilmington, NC, May 6, 2010). Exploring The Pros And Cons, Exploring The Pros And Cons Of Adding Carb Cleaner To A Gasoline-Powered Lawn Mower Fuel System. Bacon wants to expand the designation to include the rice fields, 465 acres in all.