Getting Here

The Coalson Plantation's legacy was born when Paul Coalson purchased 750 acres of land for one dollar an acre in 1825. It is believed that Mr. Coalson built the original antebellum main house, which is the core of the main house and inn at Coalson Plantation Resort.

The land was expanded after Mr. Coalson's death in 1835, and served as a cotton plantation under a rotating number of owners during the Civil War. The plantation began to realize its true calling, however, in 1901 when new owner Howard Melville Hanna renamed the plantation “Melrose” and transformed the failing cotton farm to a hunting resort. Hanna, future owner of over 14,000 acres of land in the area, is credited for greatly expanding the main house, and setting a precedent of growth and prosperity.

Upon Hanna's death in 1923, the plantation was sold to Howard Melville Hanna Jr., who successfully followed in his father's footsteps. Hanna Jr. quickly added many additions to the property, and in 1934 the two most impressive additions to the property were made: the Showboat Theatre and Pool House.

The Showboat, designed to resemble the stage of the eponymous Broadway musical, was the site for the first private screening of the world famous movie, Gone With the Wind, due to the relationship of the Hanna's and Metro Media owner, Mr. John Hay Whitney.

The late twentieth century unfortunately saw the dispersion of the estate that had taken two generations to create, as the two daughters of Hanna Jr. divided the grounds into two parts known as Sinkola Plantation and Melrose. The main house and surrounding acreage was then purchased in 1986 as the site for a plastic surgery clinic.

The purchase of the Sinkola and Melrose portions in 1994 and 1996, respectively, marked the first time in over 40 years that one owner had reunited the entire estate. The beautifully restored plantation offers its guests a taste of an era of luxury long past. Visitors to Coalson will be overwhelmed by the peaceful elegance of this historic plantation, now reborn as a unique plantation resort.

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Call (229) 226-2290 or
toll free (888) 920-3030.