Richmond Hill Convention & Visitor Bureau

Discover the legacy given by Henry and Clara Ford, who transformed
Richmond Hill during the 1920s and beyond.

Rev up and get ready for a Southern, self-guided motoring tour along the Coastal Bryan Heritage Trail in Richmond Hill.

Just minutes south of Savannah, you’ll find a rich collection of historic homes, the Civil War fortress of Fort McAllister, churches, cemeteries, and sites along picturesque landscapes as you sip a Coca-Cola and roll the windows down for the winds of history to whip by.

Are you wondering if it’s that Henry of the Ford Motor Company? Yes, indeed. The automobile industrialist and his wife Clara made Richmond Hill their Southern home while they escaped cold Michigan winters from 1925 to 1947. They set out to grow rubber plants but ended up growing an entire community. Along the driving tour you’ll learn how the Fords improved education, healthcare, and career opportunities for area people – even eradicating malaria.

Put the pedal to the metal and see Richmond Hill’s beginnings. Here are a few of some of the beautiful places and sites you can see:

Stop 19A: Fort McAllister

3894 Fort McAllister Road

See the best-preserved earthworks of the Confederacy at Fort McAllister, the “Guardian of Savannah” during the Civil War and the end of Sherman’s March to the Sea. Henry Ford purchased and restored the abandoned property in the 1930s, later opening it as a historic site – now a Georgia State Park & Historic Site.

• Insider’s Tip: Make reservations to camp, stay in a cabin, or bring the RV to stay at Fort McAllister and experience its interpretive programs, tours, boating, fishing and hiking along the Great Ogeechee River and its lands.

Stop 3: Ford Community House

10512 Ford Avenue

The Community House was a busy gathering place when its doors opened in 1936. It was also constructed by Henry and Clara Ford. Students learned the basics in home economics and social folkways and mores with cooking, sewing, dancing, and polishing social graces.

Stop 4: Martha-Mary Chapel

10550 Ford Avenue

Henry and Clara Ford built the chapel in 1937 and named it for Henry Ford’s mother, Mary, and Clara Ford’s mother, Martha. This chapel is one of six that the Fords built around the country and furnished with locally handcrafted furniture and comforts. The pews and tables were built at the local plantation carpentry shop.

Stops 11-13: Burnt Church Cemetery

16214-16218 Highway 144

Burnt Church Cemetery holds some of the graves of the founding planter families of the area, such as the Clays, McAllisters, and Maxwells. They were members of the Bryan Neck Presbyterian Church established in 1830, which makes it the oldest congregation in Bryan County. The original church burned and was rebuilt down the road from the original site in 1885.

Make Mile Marker Memories! Look for several antique Ford vehicles parked in front of select Ford-era buildings. Share on social #FordSouthernTown.

Eat, play and stay! If you downloaded the App, you are on the way to finding our hotspots. We hope you enjoy your historic driving tour.