Little Back River at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Dock near Limehouse

“Did rice really grow here?” a young voice chirped. We’re standing at the Little Back River, at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Dock near Limehouse. This area whispers tales of a bygone era, a time when the landscape looked vastly different. The Little Back River at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Dock near Limehouse is more than just a picturesque spot. It holds the remnants of a complicated past, a past intertwined with rice plantations and the forced labor that sustained them. Imagine the scene in the 1700s and 1800s. Thirteen rice plantations thrived within the present-day refuge boundaries, including the Laurel Hill and Recess Plantations. Enslaved people and Irish laborers transformed the cypress and gum swamps into meticulously engineered rice fields. They built dikes, impoundments, and water-control structures called “trunks.” These trunks, often made of cypress, regulated the flow of fresh water from the Little Back River into the rice paddies. The Savannah River, the lifeblood of this refuge, provided the necessary water. Today, remnants of these dikes still shape the landscape at the Little Back River at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Dock near Limehouse. You can still see the ingenuity of those who built them. The Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, accessible to visitors today, actually follows the paths of these old dikes. It’s a journey through time. Along the drive, you can even examine the rice field trunks. While most of the plantation structures have vanished, the cistern at Recess Plantation offers a tangible link to this past. It served as both a water collection point and a storage area for perishable foods. As you stand by the Little Back River at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Dock near Limehouse, remember the hands that shaped this land. The dikes under your feet, the quiet flow of the river, they all whisper stories of resilience, ingenuity, and a history that deserves to be remembered.