In 1905 Baruch bought a large tract of land called the Hobcaw Barony in South Carolina, which he called “a veritable Shangri-La in my native South Carolina.” Baruch considered it of great importance to have a place where he could go to reflect, and Hobcaw was like “having an oasis of serenity in which one could take refuge.” After spending time in Hobcaw, he would come back recharged and ready to tackle any problem that might present itself. In fact, Hobcaw became a popular place for politicians and other well known people spend time, Jack London and Winston Churchill among them.

FDR visited Hobcaw in April 1944 for an intended two week visit but ended up staying a month:

He had come to Hobcaw tired and with a cough. He left tanned and in better health, as Admiral Ross McIntire, his physician, told me, than in many a year (My Own Story, 272).

Hunting in Hobcaw 

To the eastward, as the sun rose, one could see tens of thousands of ducks. At times they appeared like bees pouring out of a huge bottle. Their numbers were so great that you had to blink your eyes to be sure that you were not suffering from some illusion. As the sun mounted above the horizon, flock after flock would break away from the swamps and the rice fields and come down to the marshes, flying in V formation (My Own Story, 282-283).

Possibly the greatest pastime in Hobcaw was duck hunting. Baruch considered that there was no better place to hunt ducks than on that property.

Other Recreational Activities