Georgetown County · Marker 22-57
Hobcaw Barony
At the entrance to the Belle W. Baruch Foundation, Hobcaw Barony, U.S. Hwy. 17, 1 mi. N of Georgetown
Front inscription
In 1718 the Lords Proprietors granted 12,000 acres on Hobcaw Point, the southern portion of Waccamaw Neck, to John, Lord Carteret. The barony was subdivided beginning in 1766, creating several large rice plantations which flourished until the Civil War. In 1905-07 Bernard M. Baruch (1870-1965), Camden native and Wall Street financier, acquired these tracts for a winter retreat.
Hobcaw Barony
Bernard Baruch was an advisor to presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Harry S. Truman. Belle Baruch (1900-1965), the oldest of his three children, was a sailor, pilot, and equestrian who shared her father’s passion for the outdoors. She bought the property from him and created a trust devoted to research and education in forestry, wildlife, and marine biology by S.C. universities.