Category: News

Nov062012November 6, 2012November 22, 2016by itswebteam

New Exhibits Installed at Lakeport

Posted in News

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.


Nov062012November 6, 2012November 19, 2014by itswebteam

Holiday Hours 2012-2013

Posted in News

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.


Aug282012August 28, 2012February 27, 2019by itswebteam

Press Release: Lakeport Plantation to Celebrate Fifth Anniversary

Posted in News
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.

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Aug082012August 8, 2012November 19, 2014by itswebteam

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

Posted in News

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


May312012May 31, 2012November 19, 2014by itswebteam

Saturday Hours — Summer 2012 — Closed July 4th

Posted in News

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.






Apr272012April 27, 2012November 19, 20146Commentsby itswebteam

Balusters Return to Lakeport!

Posted in News

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.


Apr192012April 19, 2012November 19, 2014by itswebteam

2012 Teacher Workshop

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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. 


Feb232012February 23, 2012January 9, 20181Commentby itswebteam

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

Posted in News
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


Feb222012February 22, 2012November 22, 20164Commentsby itswebteam

A Stroll through downtown Warren, Arkansas

Posted in history, News

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.

Feb162012February 16, 2012November 22, 20162Commentsby itswebteam

Courthouse Records: Lycurgus Johnson to Lydia Taylor

Posted in history, News

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.