Working the Land: From Slavery to Sharecropping and Beyond in the Arkansas Delta

FAIN: CH-50229-05

Arkansas State University, Main Campus (Jonesboro, AR 72403-0600)
Ruth A. Hawkins (Project Director: November 2004 to May 2009)

Restoration of two historic sites: the 1858 Lakeport Plantation near Lake Village and the 1930s Mitchell-East Building in Tyronza.

Funding through this grant will complete restoration of two significant historic sites that are integrated with the university’s Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program and other humanities programming. These include an antebellum plantation near Lake Village, Arkansas, and the 1930s headquarters for the Southern Tenant Farmers Union formed in Tyronza, Arkansas. Both sites will provide an authentic historic context for understanding the agricultural heritage of the Lower Mississippi River Delta, an area with some of the richest land and some of the poorest people in the nation. Humanities programming at these sites will include interpretive exhibits and other multi-faceted educational opportunities for students, scholars and the general public.

Media Coverage

The Restoration of Lakeport Plantation (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Jan Fielder Ziegler
Publication: Rural Arkansas
Date: 1/1/2006
Abstract: Process involved in restoring the Lakeport Plantation, including its relationship to African American and agricultural heritage of the region, as indicated in NEH grant.

Preserving Our Heritage: Plantation Home Being Restored for Future Generations (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Elizabeth Sharp
Publication: Arkansas Life
Date: 11/18/2009
Abstract: Interviews with architect and restoration team related to issues in preserving the Lakeport Plantation
URL: http://www.arkansaslife.com/editions/?p=2729

Way Ahead of Its Time: Delta museum recounts reacially integrated union of the 1930s with women as leaders (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Jack Schnedler
Publication: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Date: 6/26/2011
Abstract: Comprehensive article on the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and the museum that has been developed to tell its story.
URL: http://arkansasonline.com

Associated Products

Lakeport Plantation (Building)
Name: Lakeport Plantation
Name: Lakeport Plantation Home
Abstract: The antebellum Lakeport Plantation, built ca. 1859, is the last remaining Arkansas plantation home on the Mississippi River and still retains many of its original finishes. It tells the stories of the people who lived and worked on the plantation, including the Johnson family, the African Americans who first worked the plantation as enslaved laborers and then as sharecroppers, the craftsmen who built the home and provided its original finishes, and the modern preservation techniques used in its restoration.
Abstract: The antebellum Lakeport Plantation, built ca. 1859, is the last remaining Arkansas plantation home on the Mississippi River and still retains many of its original finishes. The renovated home tells the stories of the people who lived and worked on the plantation, including the Johnson family, the African Americans who first worked the plantation as enslaved laborers and then as sharecroppers, the craftsmen who built the home and provided its original finishes, and the modern preservation techniques used in its restoration.
Director: Dr. Ruth A. Hawkins
Year: 2007
Address: 601 Highway 142 Lake Village, AR 71653
Primary URL: http://lakeport.astate.edu
Primary URL Description: Lakeport Plantation web site
Secondary URL: http://arkansasheritagesites.astate.edu/AHS
Secondary URL Description: Web Site for the Arkansas Heritage Sites program at Arkansas State University, which includes the Lakeport Plantation and other sites.

Prizes

Diamond Award
Date: 3/28/2008
Organization: Arkansas Historical Association
Abstract: To Arkansas Heritage Sites at Arkansas State University for its efforts in restoring, preserving and promoting the heritage of some of Arkansas's most significant historic sites, including the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum in Piggott, the Southern Tenant Farmers' Union Museum in Tyronza, and the Lakeport Plantation in Chicot County.

National Preservation Award
Date: 10/23/2008
Organization: National Trust for Historic Preservation
Abstract: To Arkansas State University's Arkansas Heritage Sites Program for commitment to the preservation of significant landmarks in the rural Arkansas Delta, influencing the economic revitalization of the region.

Arkansas Heritage Award
Date: 3/11/2008
Organization: Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department
Abstract: Presented during the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism to the Lakeport Plantation for significant contributions toward the preservation of Arkansas's cultural legacy.

Excellence in Preservation Through Restoration
Date: 1/15/2010
Organization: Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas
Abstract: Excellence in preserving the Lakeport Plantation using the highest levels of Secretary of Interior Standards

Southern Tenant Farmers Museum (Building)
Name: Southern Tenant Farmers Museum
Abstract: The building that once served as the headquarters for the Southern Tenant Farmers Union has been renovated to tell the story of this nationally significant union, established in 1934 to assist sharecroppers and tenant farmers in fighting abusive practices of landowners in carrying out the provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. It was the first agricultural union to include both black and white farmers in the same organization.
Director: Dr. Ruth Hawkins
Year: 2006
Address: 117 Main Street Tyronza, Arkansas 72386
Primary URL: http://stfm.astate.edu
Primary URL Description: Web Page for the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum
Secondary URL: http://arkansasheritagesites.astate.edu/AHS
Secondary URL Description: Arkansas Heritage Sites Web Page at Arkansas State University, which includes the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum and other heritage sites owned by the university.

Prizes

Cultural Heritage Award
Date: 1/25/2008
Organization: Arkansas Delta Byways
Abstract: Awarded for exemplary achievement in promoting the cultural heritage of the 15-county Arkansas Delta Byways region in Eastern Arkansas.

Finalist, Tourism Special Achievement Award
Date: 3/11/2008
Organization: Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Abstract: Awarded during the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism for special achievement in developing a new tourism destination for Arkansas.

Promotional Award
Date: 7/16/2010
Organization: Sunken Lands Regional Chamber of Commerce
Abstract: Awarded by the regional Chamber of Commerce for excellence in developing an annual quilt festival to promote the rural heritage of the region.

Lakeport Plantation Permanent Exhibits (Exhibition)
Title: Lakeport Plantation Permanent Exhibits
Curator: Dr. Blake Wintory
Curator: Dr. Ruth A. Hawkins
Abstract: Permanent exhibits for the Lakeport Plantation were developed working with Quatrefoil of Laurel, Maryland. Exhibits were designed with the understanding that the house itself is the major artifact, and nothing is to interfere with or overpower the architecture or craftsmanship of the house. Exhibits tell the story of the politically powerful Johnson family who owned Lakeport, the African Americans who lived and worked at Lakeport in evolving roles,the craftsmanship that went into building the house, and the processes involved in restoring the house.
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://lakeport.astate.edu
Primary URL Description: Main web site for the Lakeport Plantation
Secondary URL: http://quatrefoil.com
Secondary URL Description: Main web site for the exhibit designer

---