Chinquapin
Thomas County, Georgia⁞1318± ACRES
Perhaps the Best Example of an Equally Balanced Plantation Designed for Entertainment and Outdoor Recreation
- 1,318+/- acre Thomasville Plantation
- 18,000 sq ft. House 7 BR, 6.5 Bath built in 1910 by Standard Oil heir John F. Archbold
- Exceptionally Maintained and Built Home
- Recently Renovated and Modernized
- 5.2+/- Miles on the Ochlocknee River
- GA State Record Buck Scored 202 3/8 B&C!
- Located Apx 4 Miles from Downtown Thomasville, Georgia
- Perhaps the Best Example of an Equally Balanced Plantation Designed for Entertainment and Outdoor Recreation
- A rare abundance of the area’s premiere pristine hardwoods
- Timber Above Average for Plantation
- Located Across from Greenwood Plantation and Bordered by Labrah Plantation
- Six Ponds
- 4,800 sq ft Managers House with Pool, recently renovated with new kitchen, light fixtures, etc
- Guest House by Main House
- Three Tenant Houses
- Plantation Office
- Pool House with Solar-Heated Saline Pool
- Four-Car Detached Garage
- Gate House, Equipment Barn, Wood Shed, Workshop, Pump House, & Carriage Barn
- Kennel
- Skeet Range
- Gazebo and Boardwalk on Pond
- 1.5+/- Miles on HWY 3 and Nearly 12Mile on HWY 84
- Wild Quail, excellent Deer & Turkey, Duck, & Dove
- Pristine Hardwood Drains
- Very Good Soil
- Incredible draws and Rolling Topography, “Spectacular Roll”
- Pine Savannah Hills are Exceptional
- Unmatched River Bluffs
- Eco-tones between the river & pine upland is unparalleled & exceptionally beautiful
- Fishing, Boating, and Family Recreation on the River!
- Opportunity to Retain Longstanding Management & Staff
- There is Currently no Conservation Easement on the Property
Thomasville Plantation With Unique 18,000 sq ft Architecturally Significant Home Built in 1910 by John Archbold, Designed for Entertaining and Recently Updated
Over 5 Miles on the Ochlocknee River Bluffs, and a Rare Abundance of the Area’s Premiere Pristine Hardwoods All within Less than Five Miles to Thomasville
Thoughts on the sale: Built in 1910 by one of the wealthiest industrialists in the world and coming in at 16,000 sq. ft. this home was certainly different! Sotheby’s couldn't sell it and referred it to us. We closed it in 2013. In 2019 we listed it again. Showed it twice the first day and put it under contract at full price to the fund of one of today’s wealthiest tech entrepreneurs and a household name.
Chinquapin Plantation is a 1,318 +/- acre historic Thomasville Plantation featuring a unique 18,000 square foot architecturally significant home built in 1910 by Standard Oil Company heir, John F. "Jack" Archbold, and designed by famous architect A.S. Bell of New York. The home is designed for entertaining and has been recently updated. This beautiful Red Hills Plantation is located in the most prestigious of neighborhoods only five minutes to downtown Thomasville, Georgia and bordered by and in a neighborhood of other plantations. Chinquapin boasts 5.2 miles on the Ockclocknee River with unmatched river bluffs, has a rare abundance of the area’s premiere pristine hardwoods, beautiful rolling topography, and the pine savannah hills are exceptional. The ecotone between the river and the pine uplands is unparalleled and exceptionally beautiful. The plantation has several ponds, giant old live oaks draped in moss, very good soils, pastoral fields, and exceptional timber. The topography at Chinquapin is much more dramatic than what one would expect in the Red Hills; it has incredible draws and rolling hills, a “spectacular roll”. There is wild quail, exceptional deer and turkey, ducks, and dove. With the close proximity to Thomasville, the ability to entertain at Chinquapin is unparalleled. Chinquapin is perhaps the best example of an equally balanced plantation designed for entertainment and outdoor recreation.
Chinquapin was originally established by philanthropist John F. Archbold, heir to the Standard Oil fortune, this estate was built as a testament to the wealth created during the industrial era. Located on a bluff overlooking the Ochlocknee River, the main house alone is nearly 18,000 square feet and is on equal footing with some of the nation's most prestigious houses. In 1910, Mr. Archbold built the house as a winter retreat where he could focus on writing and painting. He also loved to entertain. Just as importantly, this plantation has some of the last remaining examples of pre-Columbian untouched hardwood and pine bottoms as any property still in private hands today. In fact, the portion across the river is now owned by the State of Georgia and forever preserved!
For thirty years, Alexandra Kauka and the late Rolf Kauka, described as the "Walt Disney of Europe," improved and restored this well-adorned estate and were stewards of the vast untouched timber stands. Their wildlife program received accolades and they received numerous awards.
Read the testimonial from Georgia Governor, Sonny Perdue.
In 2012, Bob Dean, an architecture aficionada and a lover of history rich, historic homes and architecturally significant homes, purchased the plantation and for the last seven years, he and his wife Karen have updated the main house and been stewards of the plantation. They loved the balance of outdoor recreation, the architectural significance of the home, and the entertainment and social aspects of Thomasville. “Bob is one of the for most experts in early 1900’s architecture in the Southeast.” Jon Kohler. Mr. Dean has owned and renovated numerous architecturally significant homes and buildings from the 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Fun Fact: Chinquapin’s name is derived from the American chinkapin, a species of chestnut native to the United States, and more specifically Georgia.
Chinquapin is located in the world famous Red Hills Plantation Belt in the most prestigious of neighborhoods. It is perhaps the best example of an equally balanced plantation designed for entertainment and outdoor recreation; it has the location to be in Thomasville to entertain and also has enough acreage. Arguably, there is no better entertainment house on a plantation within five minutes of Downtown Thomasville than the Chinquapin house; it has had a long history of that from John Archibold on down. This architecturally significant main home boasts seven bedrooms, 6 full baths, two half baths, a grand foyer, large living room with fireplace, a billiard room, a women’s parlor, family room, a large, grand dining room, an office, and a game room tower on the third floor. There is a balcony off of the master bedroom as well as off of two guest rooms and there are large, wrap around porches all of which enjoy beautiful views of the property and river. Other improvements include a 4,800 sq ft recently updated managers house with pool, guest house, pool house with solar-heated saline pool, several tenant houses, plantation office, skeet range, and more.
Although in a region famous for its quail, Chinquapin and the hardwood bottoms on the property have attracted some of the largest bucks in the state. In fact, Rolf Kauka, the late owner, actually harvested a 202 3/8 B&C monster here; the record buck for that year in Georgia! There is also great turkey, wild quail, ducks, and dove.
Chinquapin consists of mature stands of timber, gorgeous hardwood bottoms along over five miles of the Ochlocknee River, several ponds, and pastoral fields. A large portion of the land consists of productive uplands. Stands of natural pine, located along expanses of rolling topography, surround open areas boasting beautiful vistas, fields, and food plots and there are also planted pines, mainly highly desired slash.
A Social Storm™ Property
Chinquapin Plantation is considered a Social Storm™ Property, a term we trademarked to identify unique properties that investors gravitate to for safety in bad times and buy for a recreation reward in good times. What makes a Social Storm™ Property so unique?
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From murky farm ponds to pristine glacier-cut lakes and everything in between, Knox Daniels’ expertise stems from a lifelong fascination of water and the creatures that live in and around it. He recognizes and helps clients appreciate the value water features bring to a property. “My goal is to help buyers realize and sellers maximize the value different water bodies bring to a property, not only in a recreational sense, but also for social storm reasons.” After extensively traveling the country for collegiate BASS fishing tournaments, Knox graduated and worked for the Southeast’s finest fisheries and wildlife biologist, Greg Grimes. With Grimes’ company, AES, Knox managed many of the southeast’s finest private lake estate/impoundment properties, and learned the intricacies of upscale property management. Learning from Greg and other biologists, Knox honed in on the specific conditions and habitat needed for optimal gamefish growth in private lakes. He has also worked as a property manager on several thousand acres and for a commercial developer, facilitating the dirt work and builds of several apartment complexes, but his true passion has always been in the outdoors. “I’ve always had an insatiable fascination with ponds/lakes and am grateful to be able to help to place clients on the properties of their dreams and make their personal fisheries/wildlife goals reality with JKA.” – Knox Daniels
Jason has been assisting landowners for the last 28 years in Georgia and South Carolina obtain achievements the owners did not realize were possible. His degree in Biology from Georgia Southern stemmed from the desire to know how things in nature work. His plantation roots began at just 16 years old outside of Albany, GA and the last 20 years were spent in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. His entire career has been spent developing a global approach to plantation management. That plan included sales. Sales is in Jason’s blood- his mom had a 45-year career as a real estate broker. After college, he chose to pursue his passion of making properties great. In 2011, Jason sold his first plantation. Since then, he has assisted buyers and sellers with over $20 million in sales while most of that time working as a full-time General Manager of a large Lowcountry plantation. Today, he is committed to using his unique skill set and experience to guide landowners through the many challenges of plantation ownership.
Bruce Ratliff is a retired elected official (Property Appraiser Taylor County). Bruce brings years of experience in ad valorem tax knowledge. His property tax background gives JKA Associates & clients a unique insight into the complicated tax process. Bruce held several positions in the Florida Association of Property Appraisers, including member of the Board of Directors, President, Vice-President and Secretary, and served on the Agricultural & Legislative Committees for the Association. The real estate business has been part of Bruce’s life since childhood. His mother, Shirley Ratliff owned Professional Realty of Perry, Florida and his father, Buster owned Ratliff Land Surveying which Bruce was General Manager of before his political career.
Hailing from a long line of outdoorsmen, Tim learned a great deal from his father and grandfather. He saw first-hand what it means to be a good land steward. He believes land is so much more than a place to hunt, fish, and grow timber or crops. “It’s an identity, a resting place, a safe haven and a way of life, said Tim.” Tim’s family ties to Alabama run deep. During his grandfather’s first term, Governor James was responsible for signing into law Alabama’s first state duck stamp which helped to ensure funding for the procurement, development, and preservation of wetlands for migratory waterfowl habitat. He also established Alabama’s lifetime hunting license, so it is no surprise that Tim is an avid outdoorsman with a keen eye as to how best to improve habitat for the greater good of its wildlife.
With Madison County roots, Lori grew up on her family farm at Pettis Springs along the historic Aucilla River. A love of the land was instilled in Lori very early on by her father who was a local farmer. Lori understands the importance of good land stewardship and has witnessed first-hand how her own father, a former 2-term member of the Florida House of Representatives whose district encompassed many rural counties of the Red Hills Plantation Region, with a little bit of sweat equity, so lovingly worked their own family land. These are core values she carries with her today, and nothing gives her more personal satisfaction than to represent some of the south’s best land stewards.
Cole’s dedication to land management lies in his family roots. As a fourth-generation timber expert, Cole’s earliest memories were spent with his father managing timber investments. With a degree in Food Resource Economics from the University of Florida, Cole is the epitome of an up-and-coming leader. He grew up with a hands-on approach to learning land management and conservation and has spent the last 15 years learning every angle of the real estate and forest industry. Cole is a member of the Florida Forestry Association, Red Hills Quail Forever, Southeastern Wood Producers Association and he uses this platform as an advocate for landowners and their land investments. His family has dedicated the past 60 years to providing landowners in North Florida and South Georgia with professional land management services focused on improving and protecting one’s forestland and wildlife investment. In fact, their family business, M.A. Rigoni, Inc., was one of the first to introduce whole tree chipping to the Red Hills Region.
As a landowner of his own family farm, Lick Skillet, along with family land that has been passed down and enjoyed together at Keaton Beach for 40 years, Jon knows what it means to be a steward of the last best places. As a third-generation land broker with more than 30 years of experience in advising landowners in this niche, Jon is known for his innate ability to harvest a land’s unique intrinsic value. Touting several notable sales under his belt, Jon personally closed Rock Creek/Molpus – 124,000 acres of premium timberland at $142,000,000 – which was known as the largest timberland land sale in the Southeast for eight years running. He is a co-founding member of LandLeader and achieved the real estate industry’s highest honor, “2022 National Broker of the Year – Recreational Land Sales,” by the Realtors® Land Institute.