Design&Build Magazine July/Aug 2015

InspiringPlacesBeautifulSpaces
Where Q uail is King
Seminole Plantation is a treasured
part of the family of Rankin Smith, Sr.
who purchased it in 1979. This idyllic
retreat is nestled in the Red Hills
region of south Georgia just slightly
east of Thomasville, amongst majestic,
old-growth, longleaf pines, and
magnolias. Here, the Bobwhite is
king and wild coveys are plentiful.
O
Our caravan is traveling down the Monticello-Boston
road, a long, flat ribbon of asphalt cutting through the sparsely populated,
south Georgia piney woods. We are passing picture-book
scenery in search of Seminole Plantation, a quail hunting preserve
that dates to the late 1850s. Today, the privately owned plantation
remains intact as a country getaway, where family and friends
gather to relax and enjoy the sporting life. Bryan Knox, the grandson
of Rankin Smith, Sr. considers Seminole a special part of his
heritage, earning a degree in Forestry from the Warnell School of
Forestry and Natural Resources at University of Georgia to assist
in overseeing the management of the 9000 acre plantation. The
Red Hills region of Georgia is home to the largest stand of old
growth, long leaf pine trees in the country, so the importance of
management is understandable.
The history of Seminole Plantation dates back to the mid-
1800’s. According to Ann Harrington of the Thomasville History
Museum, the land was acquired by Major Josiah Jefferson Everitt,
who moved to Thomas County in 1839. Everitt and his wife,
Harriet Ann Archer, named their plantation Ashland. The house is
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JUL/AUG 2015 • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE