Built in 1859, a few years prior to the Civil War, Lakeport Plantation is the only remaining Arkansas antebellum plantation along the Mississippi River. The plantation house was donated to Arkansas State University, and they’ve worked hard to restore it. A far cry from when slaves picked cotton on the plantation, this restored home now serves as a place where the public can learn about the history of the once-massive working plantation.
You’ll find the plantation at 601 AR-142 in Lake Village. Directions are here.
This is what the plantation house looked like in 1940, long before it was restored.
The restoration of Lakeport began in January of 2003.
This photo is pre-restoration.
The restoration was finished in the span of four years. The plantation opened to the public in 2007 as a museum.
You’ll find cotton growing near Lakeport.
Actually, you’ll find quite a lot of cotton.
The methods of harvesting the cotton there today are much more humane.
Thanks, technology.
The interior was restored with an eye toward the details of its condition before it fell into disrepair.
Though the plantation once encompassed more than 4,000 acres, the portion of the plantation that was donated to Arkansas State University isn’t quite that massive...
...but it's still a good sized parcel of land.
The stately plantation house is a wonderful place to learn about the history of plantation life and Arkansas’s once booming cotton industry.
If you're looking for more places in the Natural State where you can find history, click here. To read one of the most tragic stories you'll ever hear about, check out this article.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!
