Boynton House is an abandoned and desolate house in the ACE Basin's remote Donnelley Wildlife Management Area. It used to be the main house on a large rice plantation. The wooden filigree is now falling apart, and bat guano has infiltrated several of the rooms.

Rice Plantation of the century

Just like many other houses and cabins at the site that have since collapsed, Boynton House was one of the main houses for those who called the largest rice plantation in Donnelley Dr, their home. In the late 1800s, Colleton county, South Carolina was already engaging in rice farming but not on a large scale. The beginning of 1900 however changed all these when the county began offering grants to local farmers to boost their farming businesses. This was the beginning of the largest rice plantation in the state, the Donnelley Dr rice plantation. The plantation which was started by an individual produces the largest amount of produce in the whole of Colleton and South Carolina. It employed over 500 local residents and others from neighboring counties and states.

The Great Depression

In the 1930s when the great economic depression hit America and the world, many of the industries and plantations were affected. Donnelley Dr rice plantation was one of the affected plantations that prompted it to shut down. Most of the residents and workers of the town therefore sought employment in other industries that were at least not much affected in neighboring counties and states. This left the vast paddy without any resident or worker to maintain and watch over it. Efforts to revive the plantation were met with various financial obstacles that the county and the State of Carolina wsd not ready to deal with. The plantation, houses, and other residential cabins were left to decay in the surplus water of the paddy.

Forgotten Plantation

Boynton House and the vast plantation are currently ruins having been abandoned for over five decades. Boynton House over the years has been dilapidated beyond restoration. The Windows and doors have all been broken by vandals who have managed to loot all the valuables from the house. The wooden walls of the house which still stand are covered by graffiti and “Do not Enter” signs that seem not to be working as expected.  Around the house, a dense forest engulfs it making it difficult to see from a distance. The paddies which are currently filled with dirty and contaminated water harbor various wild animals including crocodiles. The area around the plantation has trails and is open for tourists to tour at their own expense for safety. For the Boynton House and surrounding buildings, they are out of bounds for civilians as they may collapse at any given time.