Located near Wilmington in Pender County, Poplar Grove Plantation is one of the oldest surviving peanut plantations in North Carolina. The manor house has been preserved as a museum since 1980.
The property is also a popular place for weddings and engagement sessions, with beautiful natural colors and textures to create a unique setting for your photos. Read this first!
History
One of the oldest peanut plantations in the state, Poplar Grove offers visitors a glimpse into a bygone era of southern history. Located north of Wilmington along US 17, the sprawling complex is operated by a non-profit foundation and listed on the National Register of Historic Homes.
The manor house and surrounding structures are the focus of a range of tours and events, from blacksmithing to basket weaving. The property is also part of the National Park Service’s Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
Purchased in 1795 by the Foy family of New Bern, the estate remained in the family for six generations until it was turned into a museum. The Foys and the enslaved people they owned played a significant role in eastern North Carolina’s agricultural development, as well as participated in the Revolutionary War.
Tours
Poplar Grove is one of the oldest peanut plantations in the state and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded as a museum in 1980, the manor house and grounds are maintained by a non-profit organization, supported through admissions, fundraisers, facilities rentals, tour revenue, and donation.
The site is a living history museum, offering daily tours of the Manor House to explore the cultural and economic structure of enslavement on coastal plantations as part of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. The property includes a kitchen building, slave cabins, a blacksmith shop, weaving and basket studios, farm animals, exhibits, and an onsite gift shop.
The property also hosts a weekly farmers market, is dog friendly, and features 67 acres of dog-friendly high and low walks. It is also gaining popularity for weddings, with rustic farm doors on the lawn that can be closed for an amazing entrance. A must-see!
Events
Located at 10200 US 17 North, Scotts Hill, Wilmington, NC, Poplar Grove Plantation is the site of one of the oldest peanut plantations in the nation. It is part of the National Park Service’s Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor and features a manor house museum as well as a wide array of historically relevant outbuildings representing a southeastern North Carolina working farm.
Take a guided tour of the manor house and explore the grounds, which include a blacksmith shop, basket weaving workshop, kitchen garden and servants quarters, animal sanctuary, and stables. The property is also a popular wedding venue.
The foundation’s mission is to initiate a meaningful dialogue that honors the descendants of this pre-Revolutionary War planter family and the enslaved people who worked on their tobacco, sweet potato, cotton, peanut, and rice plantations. It seeks to foster a sense of community through education and the cultivation of values including respect, empathy, diversity, and democratic principles.
Admission
Winner of Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence, Poplar Grove Plantation is where Southern charm meets history. The Manor House Museum features exhibits and thousands of artifacts and antiques. Guests can also stroll through the beautifully restored kitchen building, servant’s quarters, blacksmith shop, and basket weaving room on the property as well as the animal sanctuary and stables.
Located by the Topsail Sound in Scotts Hill and Pender County, this historic home was purchased after the Revolutionary War by James Foy of New Bern, NC, from the widow of Cornelius Harnett, a prominent Revolutionary North Carolinian politician. Foy and the enslaved people who worked his land grew sugar cane, tobacco, cotton, and peanuts at this coastal farm.
Today, the farm still produces peanuts, a crop important to the region and the nation, serving as an example of how a product can transcend racial barriers during peak production periods. Poplar Grove Plantation also strives to bridge social ties in the community through its mission of conservation, education, and preservation. Next article.
Driving Directions from Cape Fear Pro Wash to Poplar Grove Plantation
Driving Directions from Poplar Grove Plantation to Ogden Park
