Orton Plantation is being sold to billionaire Louis Moore Bacon. Bacon, ranked one of the richest people in the world, is a descendant of Roger Moore who built the original Orton residence in 1725.

About 5,000 acres of Orton Plantation in Brunswick County is being sold to Bacon, according to general manager David Sprunt, whose family has owned the property for 126 years. The sales price was not disclosed.

“A great buyer came to us and it was a wonderful opportunity to continue the historical preservation and conservation efforts that we have done ourselves,” Sprunt said.

In a press release, Sprunt said that Bacon has a history with Orton Plantation including distant family relatives to the Hill family that bought Orton in 1826. Also, Bacon’s grandfather, Louis Toomer Moore, is an author and historian from Wilmington.

Bacon was recently ranked as the 655th richest person in the world, according to a March 2010 article from Forbes magazine. His net worth was estimated to be $1.5 billion. He first launched Moore Capital Management in the 1980s and currently works in London, according to the Forbes profile. Calls to Moore Capital were not immediately returned.

Due to the sale, Orton Plantation will be closed indefinitely beginning June 1 for restoration of the Orton house and renovations. Four staff member jobs will be eliminated including three part-time ticket sales staff members and the office manager, Sprunt said.

He said that the Sprunt family will maintain land around Orton Pond and land south and southwest of Orton Pond.

Several parcels of land owned by Orton Longleaf LLC match the address of the Orton Plantation at 9149 Orton Road SE in Winnabow. The assessed values of those parcels include a 3.24-acre parcel at $74,360, a 4,910.65-acre parcel at $20.8 million and a 960.06-acre parcel at $1.2 million, according to the Brunswick County tax records.

Another parcel owned by Orton Longleaf LLC is at 9174 Orton Road SE and is assessed at $17.2 million at 9174 Orton Road.

Orton Plantation LLC is listed as owner of a 381-acre parcel at 9149 Orton Road valued at $2.8 million, according to tax records.

An additional parcel located at 5560 Plantation Road is assessed at $67,840.