Echoes of Ford: Hyundai Drives a New Chapter in Bryan County

By Gail Parsons

A century ago, one of America's most famous industrialists turned his eyes to a quiet corner of coastal Georgia. Today, that same region—Bryan County—is once again in the spotlight, this time with a different kind of automotive vision.

Henry Ford, the legendary founder of the Ford Motor Company, discovered something special in what was then known as Ways Station, Georgia. Drawn by the region's abundant land and potential for agricultural experimentation, Ford and his wife Clara arrived in 1925 and quietly set about transforming the rural community. Now, nearly a century later, global auto giant Hyundai is bringing its own brand of transformation to the region, signaling a new chapter in Bryan County's evolving identity.

Ford's Vision Takes Root

When Henry and Clara first visited southeast Georgia, they weren't looking to expand an empire. They were searching for a location suitable for rubber-producing plants and building a winter home, said Christy Sherman, executive director of the Richmond Hill Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"They lived in Michigan and had a winter home in Fort Myers, Florida, where they lived right next door to Thomas Edison," Sherman said. "But they only had five acres of land. They were looking for a new place to build a winter home."

Ford, Edison and Harvey Firestone—fellow members of the so-called "Vagabonds"—were also experimenting with rubber-producing plants at the time. A naturalist friend, John Burroughs, pointed them to coastal Georgia, where defunct rice plantations offered ample acreage and the promise of a warm winter retreat.

They found what they were looking for, and much more.

"They amended the soil, brought in chemists and experts, and experimented with thousands of different species of plants in hopes of growing rubber to produce tires and other automobile parts domestically," Sherman said. "That didn't work out very well. But in the meantime, he began experimenting with a lot of different agricultural crops and giving people employment opportunities here. They kind of inadvertently found out that iceberg lettuce grew very well here, so they were employing a lot of people growing lettuce and shipping it all over the Southeast."

Between 1925 and the early 1940s, Ford quietly purchased over 85,000 acres of land. Although his early trials with rubber plants proved unsuccessful, his impact on the community was just beginning.

Transforming a Community

At the time, Bryan County was one of the most impoverished areas in Georgia. Once wealthy thanks to antebellum rice plantations, the region suffered economic ruin following the Civil War, a series of devastating hurricanes, and the Great Depression. Malaria and hookworm were rampant. Many residents had little access to formal education, and unemployment was high.

"He just saw it as a place that he really believed in," Sherman said. "He started investing in the community. He built schools, a medical clinic, a community house, a bakery, a commissary, and housing for his workers. They started at kindergarten, which today houses the Richmond Hill History Museum."

They also started the George Washington Carver School for African American students, named for Ford's friend and collaborator.

Clara Ford, deeply passionate about education and health, championed many of these efforts. She established home economics programs for local girls and supported community wellness initiatives. They brought in nurses and doctors to treat malaria with Atabrine, a then-experimental drug that helped eradicate the disease in the region.

The End of One Era

Ford's influence in Bryan County lasted roughly 25 years. After his death in 1947, followed by Clara's in 1950, their vast holdings were sold to International Paper. While the company didn't continue Ford's social programs, it did provide jobs and preserved much of the land until the late 20th century.

"They did not sell to developers until the late '70s and 1980s," Sherman said. "By them holding on to that land and not selling a parcel here, a parcel there, it helped preserve the lands for a number of years."

In 1958, the company donated the Fort McAllister portion of the land to the state.

With the passing of the Fords, the community was left to rebuild. Many job opportunities came to an end, and people went to work for International Paper or found other employment. The paper company owned their homes, although those who could afford it were able to buy them. Some people moved away, most stayed—the population, which reached 7,584 in 1950, dropped to 6,226 just 10 years later.

"The saving grace was that, for all of that time, he gave them a foundation," Sherman said. "Especially for the children. They had a really good education system during those years. And the adults and children were taught job skills like woodworking and iron working and farming. Everyone was taught about good nutrition and health. I feel like those skills helped them to make better lives after the Fords."

The Start of a New Era

In the decades following the Ford years, Bryan County settled into the comfortable role of bedroom community with nominal but steady growth over the years—until recently.

While growth began nearly a decade ago, it accelerated dramatically in the last four years. The game changer? Hyundai.

"This is a very exciting time for Bryan County," said Ryan Purvis, chief executive officer of the Development Authority of Bryan County. "Eight to 10 years ago, we were considered a community that most people lived in and maybe even retired at, but the idea was that they were going to have to travel outside of Bryan County to work. We've seen a big change for the positive with jobs here. We've got some great industries, with the school system, with Fort Stewart, with our new manufacturing jobs with Hyundai. But we also have had some really good foundational companies like Daniel Defense and ORAFOL and many other manufacturing companies that still have a foundation here."

Just as Henry Ford saw something special about the little coastal community, so did Hyundai.

"They chose the state of Georgia first, because we're a business-friendly state," Purvis said. "There's a lot of things that Governor Kemp and others have done to really encourage high-quality companies to set up shop here."

They also needed a large tract of land, which existed in Bryan County. The proximity to the ports, the interstate system, the railroad system, and the Atlanta airport also played an important role.

"Hyundai and LG wanted to be near great four-year colleges and technical colleges," he said. "They wanted to be close to a strong workforce development region that had the type of people that they could tap into. They wanted to be close to schools like Georgia Tech to capture some of the top-quality engineers, as well as Georgia Southern and Savannah State and Savannah College of Art and Design. Bryan County kind of checked the boxes for all of those different areas."

Growing Without Losing Soul

Growth, of course, doesn't come without challenges—it can be scary because of the unknown, he said. However, there has to be a balance between growth and maintaining a community's heritage, culture, and vibe.

"We believe that it is possible to grow without losing your soul," Purvis said. "If someone has a child or a grandchild, the first question that I ask is, 'Do you want opportunities for that child to exist in the county, to work, grow a family, have a career and retire in your community?' More times than not, people say yes. And the reality is that's highly unlikely without a diverse industry base. Our community has many great industries."

Bryan County has worked to create that possibility.

"Our public school system is now ranked sixth in the state, which we're incredibly proud of," Purvis said. "Pair that with the new job opportunities being created, and we're building a future where a student can graduate high school and realistically envision building a full life right here—from their first job to retirement."

He points to Pembroke as a powerful example of this change. In 2022, the average annual income there was about $27,000. With Hyundai's arrival, the average salary for their jobs will be around $58,000—more than double.

That kind of economic shift is a generational game-changer, and it will transform the lives of countless families in much the same way Ford changed lives 100 years ago.

Past Meets Future

"Ford was at the forefront of innovation," Purvis said. "Fast forward, now you have the forefront of electric vehicle innovation here at the state-of-the-art facility at the Metaplant, which happens to be the largest single private project in the history of the state of Georgia. It's pretty amazing to see how the past is now kind of touching the future, all within Bryan County."

Henry Ford was also a strong advocate for fair wages. He believed in raising average salaries to improve quality of life, and his efforts helped elevate income levels across the board.

Purvis said he believes Hyundai will bring the same kind of impact as Ford did a century ago—transforming not just the economic landscape, but the very soul of Bryan County for generations to come.