Property Description

Willtown (Knox) has been a high conservation priority of the ACE Basin Task Force for decades. Its protection will fill a gap in a largely protected landscape and create a continuous 26-mile corridor of private and public lands. It shares a southern boundary with the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge for 1.3 miles. The property lies approximately one-half mile from the Edisto River and within the St. Helena Estuary watershed. The ACE Basin, a public-private collaborative conservation effort with over 30 years of history, contains over 16 publicly accessible sites which are enhanced by the surrounding privately conserved lands. 
With its well-managed longleaf pine forests and bottomland hardwood forests, Willtown has abundant game and non-game wildlife species. At over 2,000 acres it is one of the largest remaining tracts of unprotected land in Charleston County, and its prime agricultural soils support a diverse and productive forest. It has one of the largest stands of mature longleaf pine in the ACE Basin. Longleaf pine, a native forest type historic to the Southeast region, has greatly diminished its range, and preservation of properties that can sustain this forest type is critical for the survival of the many species which depend on this habitat. 
In addition to its conservation values, the property is significant in its history. Willtown Plantation was the site of the New Willtown Presbyterian Church (c. 1750s) which branched off from the nearby Willtown Bluff community. On the property is a historic cemetery that dates to the origin of the church as well as the foundation of the old parsonage house.  

Property Map

A map for Willtown has been provided in Google Map format.