Conservation partners unite to protect Blessing Plantation, forever

Lowcountry Land Trust is honored to celebrate Berkeley County, the Open Space Institute (OSI), and the des Francs family in permanently protecting the entirety of Blessing Plantation, a 628-acre historic property along French Quarter Creek in Huger. With this milestone, one more essential piece of the Cooper River landscape is protected forever, and conservation partners hope that this project will serve as a springboard for preserving the last few remaining parcels.

This historic corridor is one of the most intact cultural and ecological landscapes on the East Coast, and has been a conservation priority for over three decades. Nearly 60,000 acres along the Cooper River are already protected, forming a rare, largely unbroken 30-mile stretch of conserved wetlands, forests, historic sites, and working lands on both sides of the East and West branches of the river.

Map Credit: Open Space Institute

Blessing Plantation has long been recognized as one of the largest remaining unprotected properties critical to the integrity of this landscape. In 1998, the des Francs family asked Lowcountry Land Trust to place a conservation easement on nearly 200 acres of the property, marking the first step toward its long-term protection. That early partnership, along with Lowcuntry Land Trust’s $2,000,000 financial contribution to support Berkeley County and OSI’s recent acquisition of the property, laid the groundwork for the larger conservation celebration that took place this week. Details of the public celebration can be found here.

“Providing financial support for this project was a priority for Lowcountry Land Trust because it builds momentum for the greater initiative,” said Matt Williams, president and CEO. “Helping connect the historic Cooper River corridor’s protected landscapes through Blessing strengthens biodiversity of habitat and public access to ecological and historical places.

The des Francs family, who stewarded Blessing Plantation for nearly 40 years while simultaneously building a conservation portfolio of approximately 10,000 acres, played a crucial role in making this project possible. Their profound legacy and willingness to first pursue a conservation easement in the nineties, and now a bargain sale to trustworthy public organizations, ensure that the land will be protected and accessible for generations.

“The des Francs family bought Blessing Plantation in 1987, initially as a timberland investment. Our late mother, Louise Carton Colas des Francs, chose to turn the property into a family home where, over the years, we have enjoyed family gatherings, holidays, weddings, christenings, and a celebration of her life,” said Edouard Des Francs. “We are delighted that the land will now be open for recreation and enjoyment by the public.”

Thanks to the leadership of Berkeley County and OSI, the nearly 630-acre property will ultimately become a new county park, offering long-desired public access to fishing, kayaking, learning, and a one-of-a-kind experience on a former colonial rice plantation. With a mile of waterfront, an existing dock, historic structures, forests, and an African American cemetery, Blessing Plantation offers an authentic window into the Lowcountry’s cultural and ecological story.

The project is being funded by the Berkeley County Greenbelt Program, established through the One Cent Sales Tax referendum voters approved in November 2022, along with the following additional partners:

• South Carolina Conservation Bank/Open Space Institute: $7,400,000
• Berkeley County Greenbelt Program: $5,800,000
• Lowcountry Land Trust: $2,000,000
• Donated value/bargain sale offered by the des Francs family: $5,220,000

As the master plan for the park is developed, the property will continue to reflect the shared goal that guided this project from the beginning: protecting the irreplaceable character of the historic Cooper River corridor while opening the door for people to experience it firsthand. Blessing Plantation’s protection reinforces what community partners have long believed: that enduring conservation requires collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to safeguarding the landscapes and waterways that define the Lowcountry.