Camden, SC (Kershaw County)

The 2,695? acre Knights Hill Plantation is located on the Wateree River, about 6 miles northwest of Camden, SC, home of the Carolina Cup Steeplechase Horse Race series. The property's ownership history dates back to pre- American Revolutionary War to John Chesnut, who assembled four plantations in the Camden area, including Knights Hill. John Chesnut's grandson, James Chesnut, Jr ., was a United States Senator from South Carolina (1851-1861) and an aide to Jefferson Davis and a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. James's wife, Mary Chesnut, was a South Carolina author noted for her diary, A Diary from Dixie, describing life during the American Civil War, re-published as Mary Chesnut's Civil War, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1982. The Chesnut family cemetery is located on Knights Hill Plantation.

The property is accessed from paved public roads through two gated entrances - one entrance is located at the south end of the property accessed from Knights Hill Road, while the northern access is from Hazelwood Drive near Highway 97. The property has several miles of strategically located, crowned and ditched, interior roads that provide access to food plots, Wateree River, Sanders Creek, and many other scenic areas the property has to offer. Several miles of established trails branching from the main roads offer additional access opportunities throughout the property.

The Wateree River forms the western boundary, providing almost 2.6 miles of river frontage. From the river, the land rises to steep bluffs towards the flat sandy top of "Knights Hill." The property's rolling topography provides long-range panoramic views of Lake Wateree, natural longleaf and loblolly pine forests, hardwood vistas, and managed pine plantations. Sanders Creek offers additional diversity flowing east/west through the property before flowing into the Wateree River.

While formerly managed as a timber-growing plantation, management constraints focusing on recreation and development opportunities have preserved the higher and better use of the property while providing significant timber revenue potential. Currently, there are approximately 1,415 acres of natural pine and hardwood forests, 1,000 acres of loblolly pine plantation and 248 acres of open land.

Rich in American Plantation Era history and family heritage, Knights Hill Plantation is truly a unique property. The unusual topography, water features and diverse land types set this property apart to create a setting with unlimited possibilities.