ACE Basin of the SC Lowcountry

One of the largest undeveloped freshwater estuaries on the east coast, the ACE Basin encompasses the lower ends of the Ashepoo River, Combahee River, and Edisto River - three black, tea-stained rivers that wind through historic plantations, rice fields, cypress swamps, and brackish tidal marshes - that converge at the exquisite St. Helena Sound.

Formed in 1990, the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge was a joint project among the government, conservation groups, and area landowners to preserve all the historic rice plantations in the area. Covering nearly 350,000 acres, the ACE Basin boasts the largest concentration of traditional historic plantations in South Carolina that are still intact. Thanks to the project, the ACE Basin enjoys complete absence of real estate development. Ospreys, egrets, songbirds, alligators, deer, blue herons, ducks, wood storks, snakes, quail, and bald eagles call ACE Basin their home, while cypress, chestnut oaks, magnolias, and river birch trees are abundant.

The ACE Basin is located in Colleton County, South Carolina and includes the quaint towns of Jacksonboro, Green Pond, Bennetts Point, Cottageville, and Walterboro, as well as the historic Willtown and Grove Plantation. Founded in 1735, Jacksonboro is situated on the Edisto River between the cities of Charleston and Beaufort, with a population of about 100. On the Ashepoo River rests Green Pond, a picturesque community favored by boaters and hunters with a population of approximately 2,000. Walterboro, the county seat and largest city in Colleton County, has a population of about 5,100, and Willtown, the jewel of the ACE Basin, was the first settlement in Colleton County.

With ample forests and water, both hunting and fishing are popular recreational activities for locals. Available land parcels range from 50 to 12,000 acres and are ideal for buyers looking to live the rural life entrenched in natural beauty.