The property extends for more than 700 acres across a tributary of the Wateree River and into the forests, wetlands and meadows of eastern Richland County.

It dates from 1750, and over the centuries has been used a cotton plantation, a milling operation, a hunting and fishing preserve -- and even a refuge for circus animals.

The question, though, is what becomes of Goodwill Estate next.

The gated 736-acre property at 229 Joseph Kershaw Road near Eastover hit the market May 7 with a list price of $17.5 million. The sellers, Larry and Jerry Faulkenberry, acquired the property in 2005 and made countless enhancements -- including building two expansive homes, restoring the former grist mill and other historical structures on the property and even opening up the estate for occasional private tours.

The Faulkenberrys are selling the estate to move closer to family, said Tammra Granger of Premier Sotheby's International Realty in Charlotte, who is co-listing the property along with Julie Breedlove. There's a chance it could end up as a 22-lot development, or in the hands of the state of South Carolina. But the hope is to find a seller who will keep Goodwill Estate the natural haven it is today.

"Our first choice is to sell it in its entirety and have it be open to the public," Granger said.

Hunting, timber and Barnum

Once encompassing as much as 3,200 acres, Goodwill was one of the first places in the state where low-lying land was reclaimed for agricultural purposes, according to the estate's application for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, which was accepted in 1986. Crops were cultivated into the 1950s, while the grist mill operated into the 1940s. The grist mill was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo, Granger said, but the Faulkenberrys rebuilt it after finding the wheel in the property's lake.

The property, located 26 miles from Columbia, later became used for hunting and timber production -- and for one period was owned by the granddaughter of showman P.T. Barnum, who used it as a shelter for some of his off-duty circus animals. "He used a special barbed wire that wouldn't hurt the animals, but would still keep them enclosed," Granger said. "You can still find it in some of the trees."

The homes were both built by craftsman Billy Ray Caskey of Lancaster, one in 2009 and the other in 2010. The latter is now the main home, a four-bedroom, 8,407-square-foot brick edifice with custom trim work, mahogany doors and wide-plank flooring cut from trees on the property. The home is being sold furnished, with antiques that include 47 chandeliers converted from oil, gas or candle to electric and numerous pieces of furniture that date from the early 1800s.

"Every one of those bricks was handmade. And then to make the patio, they-hand sliced every one of the bricks. It's just super cool," Granger said. "It is the most well-built home I've ever been in, and I've been in a lot. I just love sitting on that porch looking at the birds, love the period pieces like the lamps and that chandelier. It's just absolutely incredible."

The second home has four bedrooms and 5,488 square feet, and shares many design characteristics with the primary residence. The property also features an updated hunting lodge originally constructed in 1910, and other historical structurers like a blacksmith shop, silo and a weatherboard home dating from 1858 that was restored in the early 2000s.

The property is largely surrounded by the 3,677-acre Wateree River Heritage Preserve Wildlife Area, which consists of a portion of the original Goodwill tract, and was transferred to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources in 2015. The estate teems with wildlife -- including eagles, fox, rabbit, ducks and quail, and is a seasonal rookery for egrets, cormorants and great blue herons.

It's a dizzying natural landscape, with an uncertain future. "The buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places, but that offers no protection. If someone wanted to come in and start from scratch, nothing would prevent them from tearing everything down if they wanted," Granger said. "We do have several people who have reached out and are interested in family compounds. So there's nothing to stop them from bulldozing the whole property if they wanted. I don't think that's going to happen, but there is nothing to protect it."

Selling to the state of SC?

With that in mind, the sellers have already had the property approved by Richland County for a 22-lot home development, featuring parcels that would range in size from five to 15 acres, and incorporate the current two houses. Many of those parcels would have water frontage on Goodwill Lake, while others would be wooded lots.

"We wanted to have options," Granger said. "As a matter of fact, we just right now we are finishing up the covenants and restrictions. Should that actually happen, it's not the first choice, but we do have a list of people who are interested in buying lots there."

There's another possibility as well: Granger said sellers' representatives are also in talks with the state of South Carolina about buying the property. The state took possession of the bulk of the former estate in creating the Wateree River Heritage Preserve Wildlife Area, which was purchased with funds paid by a former nearby gold mine to mitigate its impact on the natural environment.

"That could be a long process," Granger said. "It is very likely, but we are also plugging along with the alternative, which is having it divided. There's a lot going on right now, and nothing is for sure."