The tainted history of rice in the South

photograph by @vincentjmusi Former Rice Field, Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, ACE Basin West African slaves cleared vast tidal swamps for the cultivation of rice in the 1700's. The work was monumental, transforming the coastal landscape through a series of impoundments where water could be held and drained through an elaborate system of dikes. These plantations were destroyed during the Civil War. Abandoned and in ruin, the fields began attracting a wealth of wildlife to the region. "Rice planters made royal fortunes here in centuries past. Now South Carolina's ACE Basin harbors a wealth of wildlife and history," from Lowcountry Legacy @natgeo #acebasin

A photo posted by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:39am PST

We’ve blogged on a couple of occasions about the history of rice in South Carolina, but I don’t think I’d ever seen the sort of place where it used to grow until I ran across this National Geographic image on Instagram. Very evocative.

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Published on September 30, 2026

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