The Beginning
Litchfield Plantation’s earliest owner on record was the early Waccamaw Neck settler, Peter Simons. On November 10, 1794, Simons died and divided his 2,000 acre property between his two sons, Peter Jr. and John. John received the 966 acre Litchfield, and Peter inherited Willbrook Plantation. When John Simons inherited Litchfield, the property was the southern, narrow portion of the original property that stretched to the seashore.
Perhaps the most well known owner of Litchfield Plantation was the Tucker family. Three generations lived on the plantation from 1796 to 1897, ending with Dr. Henry Tucker, a prominent Georgetown County physician.
Louis Claude Lachicotte, part of Breslauer, Lachicotte and Company, bought Litchfield Plantation from Dr. Tucker. Lachicotte started South Carolina’s first canning factory and packed vegetables and seafood here.
Updating Litchfield Plantation
In 1911, Joshua John Ward of Brookgreen and Arthur Herbert Lachicotte of Waverly bought the plantation and held it until 1926 when they sold it to Dr. Henry Norris. A noted physician, Dr. Norris restored the plantation and became a generous benefactor to the Waccamaw community. He repaired and enlarged the Litchfield Plantation house, keeping old architecture the same but adding a wing on each side. Norris landscaped the grounds by erecting the impressive wrought iron and English brick gateway at the entrance.
Later Sumter owners, the Parkers and J.P. Booth continued and extended Norris’s vision by landscaping the old street north of the house- once the site of Negro cabins. In addition, banks of azaleas were added to line the avenue of oaks and reflection pools on the front lawn.
Litchfield Plantation, the Community
Litchfield Plantation’s modern history began in 1969 when the plantation was selected to become an upscale, gated neighborhood community. Between 1969 and 1980, (when development stopped) 30 villas, seven condominiums and 13 single-family homes were constructed.
That changed in January 2005, when Litchfield Plantation Company entered into an exclusive marketing agreement with Waverly Creek Realty, LLC. Waverly Creek markets all properties offered by Litchfield Plantation Company, as well as two new developments, Tucker’s Woods Townhouses and Legacy Place, both within Litchfield Plantation.
In 2008, The Scott Trotter Company negotiated an agreement to buy all existing property inside Litchfield Plantation. As the future developer, Scott Trotter plans to unlock the plantation’s value through establishing a new masterplan, which lowers the total density from 575 to no more than 300. Trotter also plans to upgrade and add new amenities to distinguish Litchfield Plantation as the premier exclusive community in Pawleys Island.