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The Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Historic Site is often sought after for its large plantation home and historic vessels that still linger on the property, which invite visitors to delve into what plantation life was like pre- and post-Civil War. Just a short drive from Fort King George, another well-known Georgia State Historic Site, Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation sits upon the edge of the Altamaha River and the site of where acres of the plantation's famed rice plots once grew.
But beyond the tall, white plantation home and the Spanish moss-covered trees, lay a deep human history -- one shaped by African American communities whose lives were closely tied to Georgia's coastal waterways.
During its plantation era, many West Africans were enslaved along the Georgia coast. West Africans from regions along the coasts of present-day Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, etc., were brought to the Americas in large numbers due to their extensive knowledge of coastal farming and fishing. Enslaved people were often separated from their homelands, families and cultural practices, resulting in the loss or suppression of languages, stories and traditions. However, individuals from these West African farming communities were often purchased and worked together due to their scarce rice cultivation skills, allowing aspects of their cultural knowledge and ways of life to persevere.
Overtime, these communities remained connected, developing a unique way of life that worked with Georgia's natural marsh-like ecosystems, rather than against them. This group of people would later become the Gullah Geechee. Their English-based Creole language contains African loanwords and reflects African grammar and sentence structure. Today, Gullah Geechee language, culture and traditions continue to be preserved, protected and taught. One great example of this preservation is reflected in the Broadfield Cemetery, which is a stone's throw away from the plantation.
After a construction request prompted a land survey, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ archeologists, naturalists, rangers and some volunteers worked to uncover some lands near the plantation. During this survey, it was discovered to be the site of cemetery, that is-- a slave cemetery. Crews began the gentle work of recovering headstones, finding some that were well-preserved and others that were worn by decay, dirt and trash dumping. After research and reaching out to the local Gullah Geechee, the rangers and descendants were able to put together a general list of those buried on the site.
"It's estimated to have over 200 dead buried in this cemetery," Andrea Deck, the site's Interpretive Ranger, stated. "However, it is really hard to tell. Over time, the bodies have decayed so much that it's hard to tell if there was a body there or not." Throughout the cemetery, various colored flags paint the bleak land as a marker for visitors.
"The flags mark where a potential headstone or grave may be. We mark these areas to protect visitors that have access to the cemetery. It's been known that people can fall through graves when walking through sites like these," Deck states as she walks through the site with some visitors.
To honor the Gullah Geechee, the DNR placed a tall, gated fence around the perimeter of the cemetery to protect and preserve those buried there and has granted exclusive access to researchers and the descendants of the Gullah Geechee. In fact, one family of descendants, the Polites, still use the cemetery today, burying their dead alongside the very ancestors that were brought from their homes in Africa.
Another example of how the site works to preserve, protect and teach about the Gullah Geechee are Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation's event programs. On February 8, 2026, during Super Museum Sunday, the site hosted the famed Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters, a group of Gullah Geechee descendants that use traditional dances, songs, and more to bring entertainment, education and healing to their audiences.
Just 10 minutes south, in Darien, where the oldest recording of the popular "Kumbaya" took place, was performed by the Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters. This song, along with poems, stories and more were expressed throughout the afternoon at the plantation. It was a spectacle as all seats were filled, the salt air blew through the Spanish moss and the breeze carried their drifting voices throughout the plantation for what seemed the rest of the park's evening until closing time.
While many visit Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation to soak in the sight of the plantation home (both inside and out) the looming oak trees, and the plaques of historical and natural facts, it is crucial to also remember the history of the Gullah Geechee and acknowledge their legacy which remains alive and well. While 200 years have passed since Africans were trafficked to the Americas, the impact of such actions remains forever trickling down lineages-- like the people of this community-- a history that has passed and gone but never forgotten.
By preserving the plantation, protecting the land and educating its visitors, this unique Black History Gem on the east coast of Georgia remains to be an everlasting legacy.
