Chelsea Plantation, a 5,892-acre South Carolina estate owned by heirs to two American business empires, is on the market for $32.775 million.
In 1937, Marshall Field III, an heir to the Marshall Field department store fortune who became a major publisher, bought the property and built a grand, 7,700-square-foot main house with six bedrooms. He died in 1956.
In 1994, Nelson Doubleday Jr., of the Doubleday publishing family, who served as president of Doubleday and Company and later was co-owner of the New York Mets, bought a 43.75% share in the plantation. He built a 3,300-square-foot, three-bedroom house in 2004.
Mr. Doubleday Jr. was a longtime friend of the Field family, and the two families shared everything on the plantation, down to the shotguns, said Mr. Field V, a grandson of Mr. Field III who bought the estate in 1989. They came during bird hunting season, from November to March, and shot quail, duck, dove and turkey, Mr. Field V said.
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Mr. Doubleday Jr. “was an avid shooter and a very good shot,” said Mr. Doubleday’s Jr.’s son-in-law John Havens.
Between Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., the plantation includes 7.5 miles of river-and-marshfront and lies about a 45-minute boat ride from the Atlantic Ocean, said listing agent Chip Hall of Plantation Services in Charleston and Albany, Ga. The property includes a manager’s house, eight workman’s houses, stables, a farm office and equipment sheds.
The 5,892-acre estate, located between Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., includes 7.5 miles of river-and-marshfront.
PHOTO: JOHN ENGLEMr. Doubleday Jr.’s death last year precipitated the sale, said Mr. Havens. Mr. Field V, 75, said he has opted to sell in accordance with the Doubleday family wishes, though he would consider taking on a new partner “if we could find someone suitable.” In that case, the Doubleday portion would be sold for 43.75% of the list price, he said.
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“I’m sad to let it go,” Mr. Field V said. “But our relationship was so good for so long and [Mr. Doubleday Jr.] was such a great partner, that I made up my mind a long time ago that I would do whatever they wanted,” he said.