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Situated on 500 acres, Breeze Hill Plantation is owned by the Woolsey/Fliflet family and operated by ACK Farm Management, LLC. In its 150 year history, the farm has operated primarily as a cattle farm, with a focus also on cotton and sweet potatoes in the first half of the last century. Today the farm has transitioned from cattle to horse boarding with about half the farm planted in timber. The farm was acquired by William W. Woolsey in 1871. Our great grandfather came to Aiken from New York for his health, as Aiken had earned a reputation for having an ideal climate for those suffering from tuberculosis. In addition to cotton, the farm raised standard bred horses during this period. Our grandfather, Convers B. Woolsey operated the plantation from about 1905 to his death in 1951. He is credited with introducing the first Polled Hereford cattle into the state in 1920 and also developed the Woolsey/Cleveland strain of cotton. For his “Distinguished Services to the Agricultural Development of South Carolina,” “C.B.” received a testimonial from Clemson Agricultural College in 1925. During this time, as many as 20 African-American families lived and worked on the farm. The Cullum and Seymore families helped us for multiple generations. Our uncle, Convers K. Woolsey managed the farm with his father and later in partnership with his sisters and brother for over sixty years until his death in 1996. Prior to 1950, “Uncle Con” introduced and ran the sweet potato operation; later the plantation focused exclusively on cattle. In the early 1970’s, the farm acquired 150 head of Hereford cattle from Cain Hoy Plantation near Charleston. These cows were the foundation of a Simmental cross breeding operation, the purpose of which was to develop a herd of 7/8 “American Purebred” Simmental cattle. Because of restrictions on the importation of Simmental cattle from Switzerland and other parts of Europe, this breeding program was accomplished through artificial insemination. The last remnants of the herd were dispersed in early 2005. We, the present owners, Arne Woolsey Fliflet, Charles R. Fliflet, Katharine E. Fliflet-Mirkin, and our families are the proud stewards of this legacy. We hope this website will help you learn more about our current operation and opportunities. |
