Originally spanning across 1,500 acres of red hill country, in 1825, as the Coalson Plantation, South Eden has gracefully taken root in the history of the South. Following the civil war, the surrounding territory transformed into several hunting resorts and private plantations, as each owner built upon and made the land their own.

By 1896, the Coalson was renamed the Melrose, as the Hanna family passed the land down for a few generations. Before long, it became known as the Melhana Plantation with the family’s descendants constructing two of the most famous additions in 1934 – The Showboat Theatre, designed like the musical broadway stages in New York City, and the luxurious, indoor Pool House with its own private garden.

Eventually torn by sibling rivalry, the land was split into two separate Melrose/Melhana and Sinkola plantations, in 1953. Come 2009, a new vision for the remnant 38 acres of the Melhana portion was born. After nearly five years of delicate and extraordinary renovation, the land has been uncovered and opened to the public with the name of South Eden Plantation.