Print PageThe History Of Pebble Hill Plantation
The area that came to be known as Southwest Georgia was a wilderness of tall pines and red hills in the early 1820s. One of the first of the settlers to come to this strange frontier was an enterprising young man who would later play a key role in the development of Thomas County and Pebble Hill Plantation. Thomas Jefferson Johnson was only 25 years old when he arrived on the scene.
He acquired the initial Pebble Hill acreage in 1825 and built the first house on the property in 1827. He continued to add to his land holdings and was recognized as a very successful planter in the area. During this time, Johnson also wrote the bill to create Thomas County.
Johnson and his first wife had three children, but only one survived to adulthood. When Johnson died in 1847, his daughter, Julia Ann, inherited Pebble Hill. She was 21 years old at that time. She married John William Henry Mitchell in 1849 and together they continued to operate Pebble Hill as a successful working farm. In 1850, they replaced the original residence with one designed by English architect, John Wind. When Mitchell died in 1865, the strong-willed Julia Ann determined to continue the farming operations on Pebble Hill. She struggled in the throes of the post-war depression and died in 1881. Not surprisingly, by this time Pebble Hill was in a serious state of disrepair.
About that same time, the late 1880s, Thomasville was enjoying popularity as a major winter resort. Many wealthy northerners were coming by private rail car to spend the winter months in this little South Georgia community. Visitors were attracted to the area for its good climate, abundant hunting, and accessibility by rail. Thomasville was progressive in its thinking and built large hotels to accommodate the winter visitors who numbered some 12,000 to 15,000 a year. While many of these visitors stayed in the hotels, many others purchased available properties. Most of the plantations that had been working farms owned by southerners then sold to the northerners, and Thomasville's history was changed forever. The plantations were saved. The northerners changed them into winter residences, and the community benefited greatly from this transition - socially, culturally, and economically.
More than 71 plantations exist today in the area that includes Thomas and Grady counties in Georgia and Leon and Jefferson counties in Florida. Together these properties cover some 300,000 acres of land. Many of these plantations have only been owned by two families: the original southern families and later, the northern owners whose families still own them today.
Pebble Hill sold in 1896 to Howard Melville Hanna of Cleveland, Ohio. He was a brother to Marc Hanna, the Ohio senator who guided McKinley to the U. S. Presidency. Hanna gave the Pebble Hill property to his daughter, Kate Benedict Hanna Ireland, in 1901.
Kate was married twice. Her first husband, with whom she had two children, was Robert Livingston Ireland. Their children were Robert Livingston "Liv" Ireland, Jr. and Elisabeth "Pansy" Ireland. Her second marriage was in 1923 to Perry Williams Harvey.
Kate was mistress of Pebble Hill until her death in 1936. She made major improvements on the plantation, expanded the acreage, and filled the house with guests throughout each winter season. Most of the present-day buildings were constructed during the time that Kate owned the property. She worked with architect Abram Garfield, son of President James Garfield, to do her design work.
The first structure Kate added was the Log Cabin which was built in 1901. It served as a school where Kate's children and children of her guests were tutored.
Kate started the Pebble Hill Jersey herd in 1920 and developed it into one of the finest herds in the country, winning numerous ribbons and trophies at state fairs and other competitions. The Cow Barn, patterned after the architecture of the University of Virginia, was built in 1928 to accommodate the Jerseys.
Tragedy struck in 1934 when the 1850 portion of the Main House was destroyed by fire. The Loggia wing, added in 1914, was saved from the fire and was included in the plans for the new house. The new house was constructed in the following 18 months and was completed in January, 1936. Kate died in May of 1936, and her daughter, Pansy, became Pebble Hill's mistress.
Pansy preserved what her mother had created and enjoyed Pebble Hill as her main residence until her death in 1978, continuing many traditions established by her mother such as Easter celebrations and Christmas parties at Piney Grove Church for the staff.
A great animal lover and an inveterate collector, Pansy amassed numerous collections that all point to her passion for the sporting life. She was an accomplished horsewoman and became one of the country's outstanding polo players. She converted her mother's Jersey barn into stables as she brought her horses to Pebble Hill.
Pansy was married in 1946 to Parker Poe. They did not have children, but she was always very close to her brother's four children. She did have children of the four-legged variety. A sign she placed on the main drive still stands to show that her concern for her animals was always uppermost in her mind.
Like her mother, Pansy was a very generous person. She was deeply involved in the community, giving funding, land, and buildings for various noteworthy causes. And like her mother, she was a gracious hostess and entertained regularly at Pebble Hill. Many of Kate's guests continued to be invited to the plantation during Pansy's tenure. President Dwight Eisenhower and Mrs. Eisenhower were guests on several occasions. Jimmy Carter was an overnight guest during the time that he was Governor of Georgia. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor were among other notable visitors.
In the 1950s, Pansy established the Pebble Hill Foundation, a private foundation which she endowed. At her death, her will dictated that the Pebble Hill property would go to the Foundation and that Pebble Hill would become a museum open to the public. Her desire was to share the Pebble Hill she loved so dearly and to preserve it as a tangible glimpse into the lifestyle that her family once enjoyed.
Pebble Hill was first opened as a museum in October 1983. Visitors come from around the world to marvel at the wonderful main house furnished entirely with Hanna family furnishings, to be amazed at the stately architecture, to see the collection of vintage automobiles and carriages, and to enjoy the serenity of the beautiful grounds. Pebble Hill maintains 3,000 acres, 77 of which are open for the public to explore.
