Henry Farm

Date Protected: October 25, 2021
Partners: Beaufort County Rural and Critical Lands Program, South Carolina Conservation Bank, Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation

On October 25, Beaufort County’s Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program protected 88 acres of prime agricultural land on St. Helena island forever. The conservation easement off Tom Fripp Road along Eddings Creek permanently restricts residential development and protects agricultural soils and water frontage along Eddings Creek. This protection adds to over 1,700 acres of protected land on St Helena, including the nearby Henry Farms. Begun in 2019, this land protection effort is a result of a partnership to buy and protect the property in a competitive real estate market before it was lost to a non–conservation use. Total project cost was $700,000. Beaufort County Rural and Critical Lands Preservation Program contributed $325,000 to purchase the development rights and conservation easement. The South Carolina Conservation Bank also contributed $325,000 and the Open Land Trust contributed $50,000 in funding and will hold the conservation easement. The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation™ will actively manage the property as a demonstration site with educational offerings for landowners and youth. Their partnership ensures public access on the property in some form. “St. Helena Island is such a unique and historic part of South Carolina, and the Conservation Bank is proud to partner with Beaufort County, the Open Land Trust and The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation™ to protect important farms and other family–owned land there,” added Raleigh West, executive director, South Carolina Conservation Bank.