Lakeport Plantation

Lakeport Legacies with LaRhonda Mangrum Recording the Cemeteries of Southeast Arkansas

2013-05-10T07:34:00.001-07:00

Join us for our first Lakeport Legacies!

Thursday, May 30, 2013 5:30 pm

History Written in Stone: Recording the Cemeteries of Southeast Arkansas with LaRhonda Mangrum

Hill Cemetery, Chicot County.
Courtesy LaRhonda Mangrum

Cemeteries are important landmarks for families and communities and essential resources for historians and genealogists. Some cemeteries are visible and well maintained, while many others have been forgotten or lost. On Thursday, May 30, at 5:30 pm LaRhonda Mangrum will discuss her work documenting cemeteries in southeast Arkansas for the Arkansas Gravestones Project. Mrs. Mangrum, a Chicot County native, is the coordinator for southeast Arkansas and the coordinator for Ashley, Chicot and Drew counties. The gravestone project’s mission is to "capture and archive digital images of our ancestors’ gravestones." She has been gravin’ since 2011 and has documented over 100 cemeteries for the Arkansas Gravestones Project. For more information about the project visit the http://www.arkansasgravestones.org/.

Lakeport Legacies is a new monthly history talk held on the last Thursday at the Lakeport Plantation. Each month we'll have a topic from the Delta region (AR, LA & MS). The event is free and open to the public. Lakeport Legacies will meet in the Dining Room of the Lakeport Plantation house. For more information, call or email Blake Wintory – 870.265.6031, lakeport.ar@gmail.com.

The Lakeport Plantation is an Arkansas State University Heritage Site. Constructed ca. 1859, it is Arkansas’s only remaining antebellum plantation home along the Mississippi River. The plantation was donated to Arkansas State University in 2001 by the Sam Epstein Angel family. After more than five years of restoration, the plantation opened as a museum and educational center in September 2007 and new permanent exhibits were unveiled in September 2012.

Flyer.pdf

Summer Hours 2013

2013-05-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday Summer Hours 2013

May 25 - July 27 (That's 10 Saturdays!)

Open 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

Lakeport will be closed

Memorial Day

Monday, May, 27, 2013

4th of July

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Regular Monday thru Friday Hours

Tours

10:00 am
2:00 pm

Japanese American Internment Commemoration ceremonies to be held April 16

2013-04-08T11:54:00.003-07:00

Japanese American internment in Arkansas during World War II will be commemorated through two ceremonies in Desha County on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.

Events include dedication and opening of the World War II Japanese American Internment Museum at 1 p.m. in McGehee, sponsored by the McGehee Industrial Development Foundation, and a 3:30 p.m. unveiling of outdoor exhibits developed through Arkansas State University at the Rohwer Relocation Center. Both projects were initiated through grants from the Japanese American Confinement Sites Program at the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Actor George Takei, who portrayed Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu on the original Star Trek television series, will be a special guest at both events. Takei was interned as a young boy with his family at Rohwer. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe also has been invited to make remarks.

In 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the federal government forced Japanese American citizens to leave the West Coast, out of fears for national security. They were imprisoned during the war at ten relocation centers, mostly in western states, with two in Arkansas – at Rohwer just north of McGehee and at Jerome just south of McGehee. These towns were the temporary homes for more than 17,000 incarcerated Japanese Americans.

The new commemorative museum, housed in McGehee’s historic train depot at 100 South Railroad Street, will serve as the Jerome-Rohwer Interpretive and Visitor Center. Opening ceremonies will be followed by a reception and tours of the featured exhibit, “Against Their Will: The Japanese American Experience in World War II Arkansas,” until 3 p.m.

“Communicating with former internees and their children has been so meaningful and educational,” said Cindy Smith of McGehee, who is coordinating the day’s events and currently serves as chair of the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission. “It is a pleasure for the city of McGehee to help preserve this history.”

The outdoor interpretive exhibits at the Rohwer site include a series of kiosks and wayside panels, with audio components narrated by Takei. Researched by students in the Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program at Arkansas State University and designed for the university by the 106 Group of Minneapolis/St. Paul, the exhibits provide a glimpse into the lives of Japanese Americans once interned there. The exhibits will be maintained by Desha County.

“Arkansas State University is grateful to be a partner with so many others in these commemorative efforts,” said Dr. Ruth Hawkins, director of Arkansas Heritage Sites at ASU. “This is a painful chapter in our nation’s history that must not be forgotten.”

A National Historic Landmark, the Rohwer site today includes only the Japanese American cemetery and the remains of the camp’s hospital smokestack. Preservation work at the cemetery is expected to begin later this spring under the leadership of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

Matching funds and support for the McGehee museum grant were provided by the McGehee Industrial Foundation, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the Arkansas Department of Rural Services, Clearwater Paper Corporation, and the Joseph F. Wallace Trust. The featured exhibit, created through the University of Arkansas-Little Rock Public History Program, is on loan from the Delta Cultural Center in Helena.

Matching grant funds for the Rohwer exhibits were provided by Arkansas State University, with support from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Desha County, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

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New Year's Open House -- January 26, 2013

2013-01-15T10:33:00.001-08:00

Start 2013 with Lakeport Plantation's new exhibits and hot cocoa. Come join us for our New Year's Open House from 12 pm to 3 pm on Saturday January 26.

Built in 1859, Lakeport is the last antebellum plantation home along the Mississippi River in Arkansas. New exhibits installed throughout the house are based on years of restoration and research in family records, archives and oral histories. On display are artifacts found during restoration and original items donated back to Lakeport.

All are welcome to this free event.

Gifts of 2012

2012-12-18T14:48:00.001-08:00

The Season of giving is the perfect time to reflect on the gifts Lakeport has received in 2012.

In April Lakeport received nineteen of the original balusters that had been removed and placed in Helen Epstein Kantor's Greenville home ca 1950. Read more about the balusters in the post: Balusters Return to Lakeport!

Balusters in Kantor house, 2008

In June Richard M. Johnson, brought Lakeport a number of goodies for a long-term loan. We received several books; Two books, from the 1830s, belonged to Richard's great-grandfather Lycurgus L. Johnson; the remainder of the books belonged to Richard's grandfather, Dr. Victor M. Johnson and included medical texts, a bee keeping manual, and literary volumes. Richard also brought Lakeport his grandmother Martha Johnson's beaten biscuit maker, his grandfather's bee foundation maker, and a cradle that was in use in the family from the 1870s into the 1970s. Richard also donated a love seat which needs restoration.

In September, during the opening of our exhibits, we received several donations.

Cat Johnson Pearsall, daughter of Robley Johnson, donated her father's baby book, family newspaper clippings and her father's final written memories of Lakeport. Inside her father's baby book we found a lock of young Robley's hair and his first photo from Thanksgiving Day 1908 in Greenville, Mississippi.

Victor & Martha Johnson with son Robley, Thanksgiving Day, 1908, Greenville, Miss.

The 1908 photo's location in Greenville has proved a bit of a mystery. There seems to be an iconic rose window in the background that might be a church. Victor and Martha were introduced at the First Christian Church in Greenville, a church his sisters Linnie Johnson and Annie Johnson Starling founded. But the structure in the background doesn't seem to resemble known images of the Christian Church (like this one at the Mississippi Department of Archives & History) or any other turn of the century church in Greenville.

Bill Gamble, a Greenville resident and a descendant of Lyne Starling, donated Lyne's 1871 Yale Yearbook. The Starlings, led by William Starling, purchased Sunnyside Plantation in 1868. Lyne's brother Charles also attended Yale that year and married Annie Johnson at Lakeport in 1878. You can read about their sister Lollie's memories of Lakeport in the post Laura (Lollie) P. Starling (1854-1946).

On a related note: Ben & Phyllis Starling, residents of Botha, Alberta and descendants of Charles Starling, donated William Starling's Civil War notebook and surveyor's hand level (ca. 1863).

Finally, two portraits were shared with Lakeport. One is a portrait of Sam Epstein, who bought Lakeport in 1927 from Victor Johnson. It is on loan to Lakeport from Lynda Festinger White, grand daughter of Mr. Epstein.

Sam Epstein, ca. 1940

Ed Warren, grand nephew of Frank H. Dantzler, Jr. donated the portrait of Mr. Dantzler's mother, Julia Drake Dantzler. The portrait hung at Lakeport while Mr. Dantlzer managed Lakeport from 1927-1950 (Dantzler partly owned Lakeport between 1927-1940).

Julia Drake Dantzler, mother of Frank Dantzler, Jr., ca. 1880

Thank you to all the donors in 2012 and years past! Donations deepen our understanding of Lakeport's history and create a richer experience for visitors.

New Exhibits Installed at Lakeport

2012-11-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Lakeport has entered a new phase with the installation of permanent exhibits. Designed in collaboration with Quatrefoil Associates in Laurel, Maryland, the exhibits are based on years of restoration and research in family records, archives and oral histories. The exhibits tell the stories of the house, the restoration, and the people who lived and worked at Lakeport. Yet, they are designed to be unobtrusive, blending in with the main exhibit--the Lakeport house. On display now are artifacts found during restoration and original items donated back to the house.

Holiday Hours 2012-2013

2012-11-06T08:17:00.001-08:00

Lakeport will be

Closed:

November 22-23, 2012 for Thanksgiving
December 19, 2012-January 1, 2013 for Christmas & New Year's Day

We'll resume regular hours on January 2, 2013.

Press Release: Lakeport Plantation to Celebrate Fifth Anniversary

2012-08-28T11:47:00.002-07:00

For release: August 27, 2012

Lakeport Plantation to Celebrate Fifth Anniversary

The Lakeport Plantation will celebrate its Fifth Anniversary Sept. 28-30, 2012. The three-day event will include restoration team presentations, guided tours, opening of new permanent exhibits, and a Lakeport Family Reunion.

The plantation home is an Arkansas State University Heritage Site, built ca. 1859 for the Johnson family of Kentucky. One of Arkansas’s premiere historic structures; it has changed little since its original construction and is the last antebellum plantation home in Arkansas on the Mississippi River. The Sam Epstein Angel family of Lake Village deeded the house to the university in 2001. Restoration began in 2002, using the highest level of U. S. Department of Interior standards for rehabilitation, and the restored home opened to the public in 2007.

Since its opening, thousands of visitors from all over Arkansas, the United States, and the globe have toured the plantation. Lakeport now enters a new phase with the installation of permanent exhibits, designed in collaboration with Quatrefoil Associates in Laurel, Maryland. Exhibits are based on years of restoration and research in family records, archives and oral histories.

“The house itself will always be our major exhibit,” stated Dr. Ruth Hawkins, executive director of Arkansas Heritage Sites at ASU. “We wanted to enhance the visitor experience, however, with unobtrusive exhibits that tell the stories of the house, the restoration, and the people who lived and worked at Lakeport.”

New exhibits also will display artifacts found during restoration and original items donated back to the house. Dr. Blake Wintory, director of Lakeport Plantation, said his personal favorite is a case full of artifacts, dating between 1860 and 1970, which were found behind mantels during restoration. “From the time the Johnsons moved into the house in 1860, people began losing pictures, letters, business cards and other objects behind the mantels,” Wintory said. “These lost and found artifacts are a fascinating record of their lives.”

The Lakeport Family Reunion will include descendants of the Johnson family, other residents of Lakeport, and descendants of African Americans who lived and worked at Lakeport as enslaved laborers and later as tenant farmers.

Early registration will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28 at the Guachoya Cultural Arts Center in Lake Village. Permanent exhibits will be unveiled at the plantation house at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, followed by presentations related to new discoveries at Lakeport from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the Lakeport lawn.

Saturday afternoon events will include a 2 p.m. tour of the Epstein Cotton Gin in Lake Village, led by Sammy E. Angel, and a 3:30 p.m. guided walking tour of downtown Lake Village by Rachel Silva of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. A social hour at the restored historic Tushek Building begins at 5 p.m., followed by a Homemade Spaghetti Dinner at 6 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Parish Hall. The dinner will include a presentation by community historian Libby Borgognoni on Chicot County’s Italian history.

On Sunday, Sept. 30, a panel of Johnson descendants will present “Memories of the Family” at 10 a.m., followed by “Memories of the Community” featuring Lakeport area residents at 11 a.m. A noon barbeque lunch will end the celebration.

The three-day event is open to the public, but registration is required by Sept. 14 and there is a charge for the meals. For information on registration, visit http ://lakeport .astate .edu, call 870.265.6031, or email lakeport .ar @gmail .com.

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Lakeport closed 9/6-9/28, 2012 for Exhibit Installation

2012-08-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Special Announcement:

The Lakeport Plantation will be closed to visitors September 6th through September 21 28, 2012 while exhibits are installed. We plan to reopen with regular hours on Monday, September 24th.

We will also be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 3.

Our new exhibits will focus on Architecture and Craftsmanship, Restoration Science, History of the Johnson Family, and African American Heritage.

Design Development: North Parlor

Design Development: Dining Room & Master Bedroom

Saturday Hours -- Summer 2012 -- Closed July 4th

2012-05-31T14:31:00.001-07:00

June 2, 2012 - July 28, 2012.

Lakeport will be open this summer on Saturdays from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.

Closed, Wednesday, July 4.

Open, July 5, 6, & 7.

Balusters Return to Lakeport!

2012-04-27T15:18:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week, I received a phone call from Realtor, Dottie Collins in Greenville, Mississippi. "Blake," she said, "your Lakeport balusters are ready to be picked up." She was referring to the 19 Lakeport balusters, which made up the front porch balustrade, that had been in a Greenville, Mississippi home since 1953. The house had just sold and the new owner was gutting the house. Dottie informed the new owner that the balusters had come from Lakeport and he saved them. I called the new owner and rushed over to the house and found them waiting for me in a large garbage bag.

Original Lakeport balusters salvaged in 2012 from a home in Greenville, Mississippi

Here's the back story:

May 26, 1953, The Delta Democrat Times

Back in 2008, while searching for information about Lakeport in Greenville's The Delta Democrat Times, I came across an article from May 26,1953 about the new home of Mrs. Harold Kantor in the Wilzin Park neighborhood. The article recounts Mrs. Kantor's collection of old Americana to decorate her "Early American-French provincial" home. Mrs. Kantor's collection included "the banister posts, which are from Mrs. Kantor's fine old home on Lake Port Plantation in Arkansas." In two photos that accompany the article, you can clearly see the balusters referred to in the article. From the photos, they looked a lot like Lakeport's originals.

Close-up of balusters in Kantor home, 1953

It turns out that Mrs. Harold Kantor was Helen Epstein Kantor, one of Sam Epstein's three daughters. Sam Epstein purchased Lakeport from the original Johnson family in 1927 and, it seems, Mrs. Kantor took a number of the balusters from Lakeport for her new home in 1953.

Inside the Kantor home, Wilzin Park, November 2008

After a little research, I figured out the address of the home and saw that it was for sale through Collins Real Estate. After learning the balusters were still in the house, I was able to meet with the owner and take several pictures documenting the 19 balusters.

Original baluster found in Lakeport's commissary

Before the restoration of Lakeport, it was thought that all the balusters were missing. However, two turned up on a top shelf of the commissary. These two were used to recreate the balustrade during restoration. Now with the donation of the Kantor balusters, we now have almost 30% of the originals. These won't ever be put back on the house, but will be kept as artifacts for display and references in case we need to make any replacements.

2012 Teacher Workshop

2012-04-19T11:14:00.002-07:00

The Arkansas Heritage Sites at Arkansas State University will host a free professional development workshop this summer at Lakeport Plantation. The restored Lakeport Plantation home, built ca. 1859, is the only remaining antebellum Arkansas plantation home along the Mississippi River. The workshop will provide six hours of in-service credit. All workshop themes and activities fit into the Arkansas Social Studies Curriculum Frameworks. The workshop is designed to feature the multi-topic and interdisciplinary educational opportunities available through a great and unique Arkansas Delta site.

June 13, 2012, 9-3 PM: Lakeport Plantation, Lake Village. Theme: "African Americans and the Civil War in Arkansas"

This workshop will focus on the role of African Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction in Arkansas. Guest lectures will be as follows:

Mark Christ, Community Outreach Director at the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and author of Civil War Arkansas, 1863: The Battle for a State, will discuss African American regiments in Arkansas during the Civil War.

Rhonda Stewart, Genealogy and Local History Specialist for the Central Arkansas Library System's Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, will present "The Legacy of Richard Toombs, United States Colored Troops: From the Civil War to Central High to the White House."

Blake Wintory, Ph.D., Assistant Director at the Lakeport Plantation, will discuss the history of Reconstruction and Redemption in Arkansas and Chicot County and the role African American legislators played during that tumultuous and interesting time.

For a full agenda, click here.

For those who are interested in registering for the workshop, registration is available through the Arkansas Heritage Sites website on either the home page or the education page (the registration tool is located in the left hand side link menu): http://arkansasheritagesites.astate.edu/AHS/ OR interested individuals can register for the workshop by contacting Rachel Miller:rachel.miller@smail.astate.edu.

Lakeport Plantation Presents Author: Dr. Robert Patrick Bender, March 17, 2012

2012-02-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 17, 2012, 2:00 pm — 3:30 pm

Dr. Robert Patrick Bender will be at the Lakeport Plantation to discuss the life and career Lake Village's Confederate Brigadier General Daniel Harris Reynolds. Dr. Bender is the editor of Worthy of The Cause for Which They Fight: The Civil War Diary of Brigadier General Daniel Harris Reynolds, 1861-1865 (University of Arkansas Press, 2011). A book signing will follow Dr. Bender's talk.

Reynolds, a lawyer at the onset of the Civil War, raised "The Chicot Rangers," who fought in both the Trans-Mississippi West and in the East. Reynolds' diary covers the entirety of the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 and consistently documents the harsh realities of battle, the shifting fortunes of war, the personal conflicts that sometimes divided the soldiers, and a committed Southerner coming to grips with the realities of defeat. He resided in Lake Village from 1858 until his death in 1902.

Books will available for purchase at $35.00 (cash or check only please). Call or email to reserve a book — 870 265 6031 or lakeport.ar at gmail.com

All are welcome to this free event.

This event is an official event of the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Commission

A Stroll through downtown Warren, Arkansas

2012-02-22T14:56:00.001-08:00

After a meeting in Warren (Bradley County), I had the chance to stroll around downtown Warren. I was impressed with how much of its historic fabric is still intact.

The courthouse is an impressive two-story structure designed in 1903 by Little Rock architect Frank W. Gibb. The National Register form on AHPP's website describes the building as :
an impressive two-story brick structure with towers. Distinctive features of the building include brick quoins arched windows with keystones, gauged brick voussoirs, denticulated cornices, and the usage of two colors of brick. A cut-stone water table extends around the entire building. The most distinctive feature of the building is the clock tower located on the southwest corner. The main body of the tower is two-and-one-half stories with a four-faced clock located atop. Centered above the clock is a cupola featuring archways, denticulated cornice and a hexagonal roof.

Near the courthouse are two Art Deco style buildings, the 1931 Warren Municipal Building and the 1948 Warren YMCA (now the Donald W. Reynolds YMCA after a 2005 remodeling and expansion).

Warren Municipal Building

Warren YMCA / Donald W. Reynolds YMCA

Two other bulding that caught my eye were the First State Bank of Warren (1927) and the Bailey House (ca. 1900). The Bailey house, built for a local druggist, has a unique cupola and other Victorian features. AHPP's description of the Bailey house claims it "is one of the most architecturally interesting residential structures in south Arkansas." The First State Bank of Warren struck me with its proportioned neo-classical architecture and the watchful eagle perched atop the building. First State Bank does not appear to be on the National Register.

Bailey House

First State Bank of Warren

There are many other historic buildings in downtown Warren. AHPP's website lists 13 buildings that are on the National Register, so you can explore more there. Luckily, in July 2012, AHPP will hold a Walks in History Tour and we'll be able to learn more.

Walks in History Tour sponsored by Arkansas Historic Preservation Program

July 14, 2012 - Historic Downtown Warren

Historic Downtown Warren. In 1880 Warren, the Bradley County seat, became the western terminus of the Ouachita Division of the Little Rock, Mississippi River & Texas Railroad, providing a reliable means of transportation for the town’s vast timber resources. A multitude of small lumber mills operated in Warren and Bradley County in the 1880s, but the industry was later dominated by large mills like the Southern Lumber Company and the Arkansas Lumber Company. The aforementioned companies partnered in 1899 to build the short-line Warren & Ouachita Valley Railroad from Warren to Banks to aid in the shipping of timber. Warren is also the self-proclaimed “Pink Tomato Capital of the World,” hosting the Pink Tomato Festival each June. The tour group will meet at the Dr. John Wilson Martin House at 200 Ash St. Co-sponsored by the Bradley County Historical Museum.

Courthouse Records: Lycurgus Johnson to Lydia Taylor

2012-02-16T10:52:00.002-08:00

The marriage of Lycurgus Johnson, age 24, and Lydia Taylor, age 19, on June 13, 1842 is recorded in county records at the Chicot County Courthouse. The marriage was officiated by Lycurgus' uncle, Benjamin Johnson, who was the Federal Judge for the District of Arkansas.

Lydia Taylor was the daughter of Col. Benjamin Taylor. Col. Taylor was among the Kentucky kinsmen who began buying Arkansas land in the 1830s. He had four daughters, Ann Taylor Johnson Worthington (widow of Lycurgus' uncle James Johnson before marrying Isaac Worthington), Mary Jane Taylor Cable, Lydia Taylor Johnson, and Theodosia Taylor Sessions. Col. Taylor died in 1850 when he and his horse were swept away and drowned during a rainstorm. He is buried in Lexington Cemetery.

Lycurgus and Lydia had twelve children during their marriage:

1. Joel Johnson, born May 16, 1843, died Dec. 30, 1847
2. Benjamin Taylor Johnson, born March 25, 1845, died Jan. 8, 1848
3. John Henry Johnson, born Oct. 23, 1846, died Dec. 20, 1847

4. Mary J. Johnson, born October 21, 1848
5. Linnie Johnson, born September 12, 1850

6. Theodore Johnson, born May 6, 1852

7. Annie Johnson, born April 25, 1854

8. Cave J. Johnson, born February 13, 1856

9. Walter L. Johnson, born January 8, 1858

10. Julia J. Johnson, born July 12, 1860, died November 1, 1869

11. Victor M. Johnson, born February 17, 1863

12. Cable Johnson, born March 15, 1865, died August 5, 1867

Except for one, all the children, were born in Chicot County, Arkansas at the Florence Plantation or Lakeport Plantation. Linnie Johnson was born in Lexington, Kentucky in September, where the family spent their summers. The couple's first three children died within three weeks of each other at the Florence Plantation in Arkansas. Mostly likely the cause of their early deaths was a cholera, yellow fever or influenza epidemic. Those three children are buried at the Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky. The two children who died at Lakeport Plantation after the Civil War, Cable (d. 1867) and Julia (d. 1869) are buried at Lakeport. Lydia and Lycurgus are both buried in the Frankfort Cemetery near Lycurgus' father, Joel. It is unclear where Lycurgus' mother, Verlinda Claggett Offutt (1795-1868), is buried. There is no marker for her at Frankfort Cemetery and she's not listed on Joel's obelisk marker.

Lakeport Christmas Ornament

2011-12-07T08:23:00.001-08:00

We commissioned a Lakeport Christmas ornament this year. The ornaments are two-sided with the house one one side and the Lakeport cotton logo on the other. If you are interested call or email to reserve one for your tree. The cost is $12 for the ornament.

Holiday Hours 2011-2012

2011-12-07T08:09:00.001-08:00

Open limited hours on December 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 and 30

(Staff will be on-site for tours at 10 am until 12 pm);

Closed December 22-26 and December 30-January 2;

Resume regular hours on January 3.

Lakeport's 3rd Annual Holiday Open House

2011-11-18T07:59:00.001-08:00

Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Come join us for Lakeport's 3rd Annual Holiday Open House on December 3 from 11 am to 2 pm. Celebrate the start of the Season with tradition, history & classic holiday arts & crafts for the kids.

Schedule:

11 am -- Guided Tour of the Lakeport Home
12 pm -- Story time
1 pm -- Santa arrives (bring your own camera for pictures)
1:45 pm -- Reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas

There will also be ornament making in the house and historic games throughout the day.

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event.

Call us at 870-265-6031 for questions and volunteer opportunities.

Lakeport Plantation is an Arkansas State University Heritage Site.

Thanks to everyone who came out!

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours 2011

2011-11-11T12:51:00.001-08:00

2011 Thanksgiving Holiday

Limited Hours on November 23 (Day before Thanksgiving). Staff will be onsite for tours at 10 a.m. until Noon.

Closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday - November 24 and 25; Resume regular hours on November 28th.

Closed Labor Day 2011

2011-09-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Lakeport will be closed on Labor Day -- Monday, September 5

Lakeport will resume regular hours on Tuesday, September 6.

Lakeport is Open Year-Around

Monday-Friday Tours at 10 am & 2pm

Saturdays -- By appointment

Sundays -- Closed

Historic Preservation in Lake Village: Remembering, Tearing Down, and Preserving History

2011-08-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Back in April the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program focused on downtown Lake Village for their "Walks Through History Tour." In February, Lake Village's downtown was added to the National Register for its local significance under Criterion A (economic development of the city) and C (mid 20th century architecture). According to AHPP "The Lake Village Commercial Historic District exemplifies the growth of the city through its peak in the 1950s. The period of significance extends from 1906 to 1960."

The script for the AHPP tour, given and researched by Rachel Silva, is now available on AHPP's website as a pdf file. My Pictures of the tour are below:

This August one of the buildings discussed in the tour, the Dixie Queen, was torn down. The tour script says, "Not in district—built about 1935 as a filling station. Later became the Dixie Queen Dairy Bar, a popular hangout for Lake Village youth in its heyday."

Dixie Queen, April 2011

Dixie Queen, August 3, 2011. Photo by Ned McAffry.

Slab on N. Lakeshore Dr., August 8, 2011

While the loss of the 1935 Dixie Queen / filing station leaves a hole in the city's historic fabric and an empty lot along the lake front, the city of Lake Village continues with its plans to restore the historic Tushek Building for city offices.

Tushek Building, April 2011

The 1906 Tushek Builing is described in the National Register nomination as the "finest example of a commercial building designed in the Beaux Arts style in the county seat of Lake Village." The earliest known photo of the building is from a 1908 postcard:

1908 Postcard of Lake Village (corner of Main & Court Streets). Courtesy of Blake Wintory

Meanwhile, over in Monticello (Drew County), the city celebrated the dedication of the rehabilitated Ridgeway Hotel Historic District (includes H. M. Wilson Building). The Ridgeway, a 1930 hotel and a 1912 hardware store, have been rehabed into senior living apartments. The historic district was added to the National Register in 2009.

1935 Lake Chicot Garden Club Visits Lakeport

2011-06-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

While doing research at the Arkansas History Commission in the Clara B. Eno Collection, which contains the source material for her 1939 book, Historic Places in Arkansas, I found a June 1935 article about the Lake Chicot Garden Club's visit to Lakeport.

By 1935 Lakeport had been vacated by the Johnsons, who moved to Greenville, Mississippi, and sold to Sam Epstein. Frank Dantzler and his wife, Fannie (both originally from Macon, Mississippi), occupied the home and ran the plantation for Mr. Epstein. Mrs. Dantzler died in 1936 and Mr. Dantzler continued to operate the plantation until 1950. He died in 1952. Both are buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Macon.

The article describes the house (not always accurately) as having a "spacious front lawn filled with oaks and magnolias," "wrought iron balconies, 12-foot tall mahogany doors, arched doorways, winding stairs and beautiful coped ceilings." Outside the house, the ladies of the club found "old slave quarters, dairies and outdoor kitchen still in perfect condition."

Commentary: The ornamental iron is cast iron, the doors are 10' 8" pine with a faux grain in oak and rosewood, and there is only one arch in the house. There was probably only one dairy and the "outdoor kitchen" was likely the smokehouse, since the kitchen, with a built in cast iron stove, is attached to the house. I'm very curious about the "old slave quarters"; is it the collection of building north of the house captured in a 1927 photo during the flood? We have since decided these buildings date to after 1870, probably to the time Victor Johnson ran the plantation.

Eno listed 11 historic places in the Chicot County (vs. 34 in her home county of Crawford).

Eno's Historic Places in Chicot County (1939)

1. Battlefield of Dutch [sic Ditch] Bayou.

2. A Skirmish during the War between States occurred on the Tecumseh Plantation.

3. Confederate Monument at Lake Village, erected by the Capt. McConnel Chapter of Lake Village, George K. Cracraft Chapter of Eudora, and the citizens of Chicot County. It stands on the Court House lawn on the lake front.

4. Site of the Corneil Warfield home on Grand Lake on Highway 65 just beyond Eudora. It contains secret closets.

5. Home of Lycurgus Johnson, a noted family.

6. The John Saunder home, occupied as a hospital during the War between the States. Now the home of Judge Harry C. Cook.

7. Lewellen [sic Llewellyn] Place 12 miles above Luna Landing.

8. Luna Landing in the northern part of the county on the Mississippi river, where the inhabitants of the nearby county received their supplies from 1840 to 1903. From the Steamboat Landing on Grand Lake, those in the southern part were supplied.

9. A monument marks the sight where Lindbergh made his first night flight in 1923. This is on Highway No. 2, two miles north of Lake Village. Marked by the Delphian Club.

10. Indian Mounds, Mt. Tecumseh, about 50 feet high.

11. Lake Village County Seat, marked by Centennial Commission.

I plan on visiting Eno's sites and updating their description. Check back for more information.

Saturday Hours -- Summer 2011

2011-06-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

Good News:

Lakeport will be open this summer on Saturdays from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.

Saturday Hours began June 4, 2011 and will continue until ~~September 3~~ August 27, 2011.

Rows of Cotton, June 7, 2011

Snow at Lakeport, February 11, 2011

Help a Friend -- Johnny Cash Boyhood Home & ASU

2011-06-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Updated: June 10, 2011

Cash home in its current condition

ASU Staff in front of Johnny Cash's boyhood home in Dyess

Friends & Johnny Cash fans -- Help Arkansas State University and the City of Dyess preserve and open the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home to the public. Vote to help us win $25,000 to go towards the restoration of the house that inspired and cultivated Johnny's songwriting and music.

ASU and the City of Dyess were chosen from a national pool of applicants to be one of 100 historic "places that matter" who are eligible to win $25,000 to go towards the restoration of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home. We are competing for votes with 99 other sites, so we're trying to get our name and link our there as much as possible – please pass on to friends and family.

A quick one-time vote and a valid email address is all it takes for you to support the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home project. Contest ends June 30th. VOTE TODAY! (registration required to vote)

http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/this-place-matters/community-challenge/places/arkansas.html

A little more info:

ASU has recently purchased the boyhood home of Johnny Cash in Dyess. As one way to fund the restoration, we have been selected to compete for the “This Place Matters” grant through the National Trust for Historic Preservation for this site. It is a popularity contest to see how many votes each entry can receive. The first place prize is $25,000.

Here is where you can help. If you will take a few minutes to go to: www.preservationnation.org/communitychallenge and register to vote for Arkansas State University and the City of Dyess, you can help us secure first place and stay there. It only takes a few minutes. You can only vote one time per email account but if you have more than one email, I would encourage you to vote with each account. As of today we keep moving from first to third and then back.

Every day, visitors from around the world come to see the place where he grew up. But this is not the house that JC Cash lived in. His house was new, freshly-painted inside and out, and a dream-come-true for his family. We want to restore it back to the original and we can with your help.

You have a little bit of time – until June 30^th, so please vote.

If you have already voted, thank you. I knew you would do it.

And if you haven’t bought your tickets for the Johnny Cash Music Festival on August 4^th, consider this your reminder, too.

Lakeport Technical Reports

2011-05-26T18:27:00.000-07:00