Membership Picnic

About Springwood Plantation

Springwood Plantation was constructed in 1916 by Charles Thorne, co-founder of Montgomery Ward, a nationally recognized retail company. The Thorne family erected Springwood’s 1-story main house, constructing parallel, 1-story wings to the rear of the dwelling. The resulting loggia frames an interior courtyard whose swimming pool was designed to meet the needs of the Thorne’s invalid daughter. The property’s exterior walls are covered in heart cypress. Decorative lattice, located on the building’s façade porch and rear loggia, are distinctive design elements.

In the 1870s and 1880s, land extending between Thomasville and Tallahassee remained undeveloped. A stagecoach stop, whose proximity between the two communities was erected on what later became Springwood’s grounds, allowed passengers a break from travel while the coach’s team of horses were changed. The property was originally named “Springwood” by antebellum planter Lucian H. Raines.

New Yorker Percy Chubb, co-founder of marine underwriter Chubb and Son, acquired Springwood in 1922. Percy Chubb retained ownership until 1930, when his brother Hendon Chubb inherited the property. Ten years later, Percy Chubb’s son Thomas Caldecott Chubb II, a poet and biographer of national reputation, inherited Springwood whose acreage had expanded to 13,000 acres.

Today, Springwood is owned by Mrs. Russell Chubb and is managed by the Chubb family. Landmarks is grateful to the Chubbs for their generosity in providing Springwood as venue to Landmarks’ 2024 Membership Picnic.