Ark plantation in surfside beach
You can be a long time visitor or even a resident and not know the fascinating history of Surfside Beach. It’s worth your time to learn about the history of Ark Plantation in Surfside Beach. We are no history experts so we’ll provide a summary and link out to a few resources for more reading.
brief history
Ark Plantation dates back to the late 1700s as an indigo and rice plantation. It spanned nearly 3,200 acres and operated as a working plantation for over 100 years. Many families are traced back to the home but the primary one is the Tillman family and specifically John Tillman. It was his father’s home and it passed to him and eventually ceased operation after his death in the 1860s.
It was sold several times and even became an inn at one point but it eventually was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the development of the Surfside Beach we know today. The town swooped in just in time to preserve the site of the old home from becoming new housing itself. The town of Surfside Beach and the Surfside Beach Historic Society rallied to perform a dig and collect the history we have on Ark Plantation.
where exactly to go & what to see
There are two main historic markers. There is one at the site of the main plantation house. I found it interesting that the house is described as being large for it’s time (that still means likely small compared to now) but nothing like the fancier plantation homes of the Brookgreen Plantations or those from Georgetown and into Charleston.
ARK PLANTATION HISTORIC MARKER | This is the site of Ark Plantation Park and it at 3rd Avenue South and Willow Drive. You can use 312 S Willow Drive in GPS and get close.
ARK CEMETERY | Just a short walk away is the marker for the Ark Plantation’s slave cemetery. There is nothing more here to see than the historic marker and a placard with a little more information. This area, like most of the rest of Surfside Beach, is now full of residential and rental homes. There is fascinating history on the cemetery here though. It’s thought that at least 49 people were buried here but death certificates are hard to find or trace from the 1800s.
There is a code on the placards that you can scan with your phone to access further reading about the historic site.
notes if you're taking kids
If you’re taking young kids then they’ll probably get bored quickly. It’s really just open space and some info on these placards. And if it’s hot and muggy then it’ll also be buggy so prepare for a short stay. Parking is just along the street and there is almost never anyone there.
This is something good to tack onto an existing trip and there is so much to do in Surfside that you shouldn’t have trouble finding an excuse to go! Surfside is small so nothing is too far…
When we went we’d also hit up Floral Lake Playground which is also walking distance to the Ark Cemetery site. The Surfside Library and Fuller Park are also close. For food we love Pizza Hyena and Gracious Pig is also good – both are kid friendly with plenty of outdoor seating.