Slave Cabin	Rice Trunk	Brick-lined Canal	Ricefields

The slave cabin (ca. 1830) at Keithfield is significant as one of the few known extant slave cabins in Georgetown County. The agricultural features are significant as exceptionally intact examples of historic ricefields, canals, dikes, and trunks. Both are significant for their association with Keithfield, which was one of several productive rice plantations on the Black River. The property was named after one of its early owners, John Keith, who served in the South Carolina Senate and as a militia officer in the War of 1812. James Heyward Trapier bought it in 1853. In 1860, the plantation produced 315,000 pounds of rice with 81 slaves. At the outbreak of the Civil War Trapier helped develop the defenses of Charleston Harbor, and for this service was promoted to brigadier general. After service in Florida and Mississippi he returned to Georgetown as commander of the Military District of Georgetown. Keithfield was held by his estate after his death in December 1865. One of the most serious of the postwar uprisings led by freedmen on Georgetown County rice plantations occurred there in the spring of 1866. Upon acquisition in 1885, John P. Hazzard planted rice on the property until a series of storms forced him to stop growing commercially in 1906. Rice continued to be planted by blacks renting portions of the plantation from Hazzard and selling their rice to merchants in Georgetown until ca.1920. The original main house burned in the mid-twentieth century. Listed in the National Register October 3, 1988.

View the complete text of the nomination form for this National Register property. In addition, the Historic Resources of the Georgetown County Rice Culture, ca. 1750-ca. 1910 includes historical background information for this and other related National Register properties.

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