By admin 
South Carolina conservation leaders are moving toward a deal to protect more than 700 acres of historic, ecologically significant land in lower Richland County for expansion of a nature preserve that overlooks the Wateree River.
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The Conservation Fund, an organization that preserves land from development, is seeking nearly $14 million from the state Conservation Bank to buy 736 acres of the old Goodwill Plantation.
If the money is approved, the Conservation Fund plans to acquire the land this year, then eventually turn it over to the state Department of Natural Resources to become part of the Wateree River Heritage Preserve, a 3,700-acre site with sweeping views of the river and surrounding land.
The Goodwill deal has not closed, however, and details remain to be worked out. The property has been advertised for $17.5 million. The state is looking at spending $13.8 million, according to the Conservation Fund’s grant request to the Conservation Bank. So questions about the price tag could surface.
The matter will be discussed at Wednesday’s Conservation Bank Board meeting, when the panel is expected to vote on awarding the $13.8 million to the Conservation Fund. If acquired, the 736 acres would fill a gap in some 14,000 acres of land that has been protected in the area.
“This is a high conservation priority,’’ Conservation Bank director Raleigh West said.
Organizations like the Conservation Fund are important to land protection because they often acquire property quicker than a state agency, such as the Department of Natural Resources. The property is then privately owned until the government can take control, a tactic that prevents the land from being sold off for development.
In the Goodwill case, the Conservation Fund says the property is vulnerable to development if not preserved for public use. The application says the property already has two high-end homes on it and could be “developed into significantly more’’ than 22 lots that have previously been planned for development.
The DNR-owned Wateree preserve – which would include the 736 acres if approved – features Cook’s Mountain, a nearly 400-foot high land formation that is taller than most other natural areas in Richland County. High bluffs also are found on the property. Both Cook’s Mountain and the Wateree bluffs, provide expansive views of the flat land below.
The state preserve was established more than 10 years ago as compensation for environmental damage at the Haile Gold Mine, a massive operation north of Camden in Lancaster County. To get permits for the mine, the operators provided most of the old Goodwill Plantation property and Cook’s Mountain to the state. Left out of the deal was the 736 acres.
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European ownership of the Goodwill plantation property dates to the 1700s, and many old structures remain on the 736 acres, including a grist mill, a home owned by a former S.C. governor’s family, slave cabins, a blacksmith shop and remnants of a 1700s era settlement, records show. Duncan Heyward, the governor from 1903 to 1907, was born on the property.
An unusual part of Goodwill’s history is its association with the circus. In 1888, circus entrepreneur P.T. Barnum acquired the land for his granddaughter and used it for six years to keep circus animals during the winter, according to the Conservation Fund’s application for funding.
Of particular interest to people like state Sen. Darrell Jackson is its history before and during the Civil War. The plantation is one of the few in central South Carolina that grew rice, which was more common in the Lowcountry, he said.
“This is a huge deal,’’ said Jackson, D-Richland, of the potential acquisition. “It will prevent this from falling into private hands of either developers or some rich billionaire who wants to buy it for a private playground. I want it so the public can have access to it. There are slave cabins on it and there aren’t many places in Richland County where you have that kind of history.’’
Many descendants of slaves who worked on the property visit the site each year for reunions, the application says.
In addition to its history, the Goodwill property being looked at for acquisition includes wetlands, breeding grounds for birds, forests and a 35-acre lake. A major stream, Colonel’s Creek, runs through the Goodwill land, where ducks, deer and other wildlife congregate. Various types of colorful birds, including the pileated woodpecker and indigo bunting, have been found there, as has the South Carolina state bird, the Carolina Wren.
Larry Faulkenberry, who has owned the 736 acres since the 1990s, said his land has features the public should enjoy.
“It’s a whole lot bigger than me; it just needs to be preserved here so generations can go up there and learn from it,’’ Faulkenberry said, noting that he often accommodates people wanting to see the property, including school children.
Wateree River Heritage Preserve is about 17 miles southeast of Columbia off U.S. 378 near the Richland-Sumter county line.
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