North of here stood a plantation owned by Hezekiah Maham (1739-1789). A legislator, soldier, and planter, Maham owned 500 acres in St. Stephen’s Parish by 1771 and eventually held dozens of enslaved people who grew rice in fields between here and the Santee River. He also laid out a horse racing track east of this site later known as the St. Stephen’s Course, and he is buried approximately 1 mile north. During the American Revolution, Maham served in the S.C. militia and took part in a number of actions from 1776 to 1782. He became closely identified with the Maham Tower, a tall log structure built at his suggestion to capture British-held Fort Watson in 1781. He ultimately attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was given command of a battalion of light dragoons known as Maham’s Legion.