For more than two centuries, people around Savannah, Georgia have lived, worked and played in the place we now call Rice Hope. This expansive property lies within Chatham County, Georgia. Chatham County was established just one year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Inspired perhaps by that brave new era, early settlers named their county after the Earl of Chatham. The Earl was considered a supporter of America's independence.
Because the Savannah, Georgia region was well-suited for growing rice and indigo, several settlements dotted this rich coastal plain located along the Ogeechee River. The area's earliest inhabitants, the Native Americans, first grew indigo as a source of blue dye. The Europeans who settled here followed this practice.
Savannah, Georgia history tells us four plantations - Richmond, Kew, Morton Hall, and New Settlement (later called Oakgrove) - were established on these lands. In the 1880s, another, known as Rice Hope Plantation, emerged. The Houston Cemetery, located near our Main Street area, is a silent reminder of the past. In the 1930s, Dr. Julian Chisholm, a notable member of Savannah society, took ownership of the plantation. Dr. Chisholm's love of hunting and the outdoors inspired him to transform the former Chatham County plantation into a retreat.
The settlements of Chatham County grew against the illustrious backdrop of Savannah, Georgia's First City.
Founded in 1733 by English General James Edward Oglethorpe, Savannah became a prosperous port city and the social, cultural and economic star of the Georgia Colony. Oglethorpe's legacy of a gracious city laid out in a perfect grid lingers today in this well-preserved colonial coastal village. Enjoy a piece of Savannah, Georgia history by making your home in Rice Hope.
