The City of Richmond  Hill, Richmond Hill Convention and Visitors Bureau,  and the Richmond Hill  Historical Society  recently dedicated two historical markers as new additions to the  Coastal Bryan Heritage Trail.

The markers dedicated are for the following historical buildings:

Ford Plantation Bakery

Henry Ford implemented the construction of the bakery building in 1941 to provide fresh baked goods for the employees of his Richmond Hill Plantation. The bakery was operated in tandem with the adjacent commissary and post office buildings, thus providing convenient shopping access for Ford employees and other area residents. Ira S. Womble, Sr. managed the bakery during the Ford era at Richmond Hill. A unique aspect of the bakery operation was that soybean flour was provided for experimental purposes by well-known agriculturist and Ford friend George Washington Carver of Tuskegee Institute.  Also, in 1941, a building adjacent to the bakery was refurbished to serve as the new post office for the community renamed that year as Richmond Hill.

Ford Plantation Commissary

The Commissary building and complex was built by Henry Ford in 1941 to serve the local community and the employees of Ford’s Richmond Hill Plantation. It sold groceries, dry goods and general merchandise at reasonable prices and specialized in fresh meats and vegetables. Also here was the Bakery, familiarly known to locals as the "Sweet Shop", and operated for a number of years by Ira S. Womble. In 1941 a building adjacent to the Bakery was refurbished to serve as the new post office for the community renamed that year as Richmond Hill.

Today, the bakery is now the Richmond Hill Convention & Visitors Bureau and the commissary is now Coastal Community Christian Church.