Historic Latta Plantation, Bringing History to Life...
Support our Capital Campaign to Preserve a Piece of Mecklenburg’s Past
Upcoming Fundraiser-
October 11th, 2008 (5-8pm) Celtic Music Night Fundraiser!
Bring a chair or blanket and listen to live Celtic music by the carriage barn, brought to you by 'Drums and Drones' and 'The Celtic Folkers.' Purchase a hot meal from the food vendor, shop at the silent auction, win raffle prizes, and more! All proceeds benefit the Capital Campaign. Tickets are $12 per person.
About Historic Latta Plantation
Historic Latta Plantation is the only surviving Catawba River Plantation open to the public. Founded in 1972, Latta Place, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation that seeks to preserve, educate, and promote the history of the greater Charlotte area. Gifts to Latta are tax deductible. As a living history farm, Latta provides a unique educational opportunity for students and visitors.
Latta welcomes over 35,000 visitors yearly, 12,000 of whom are students from public and private schools, as well as home school groups. We strive to bring history to life through daily guided tours, special events, school programs, living history demonstrations, historic breeds of rare and endangered livestock, a period kitchen garden, and short-staple cotton crops.
As both rural life and historic structures continue to rapidly disappear from the county, Historic Latta Plantation fills a critical need to preserve the story of Catawba River plantation life, including the lives of enslaved African Americans.
Latta has experienced incredible growth over the past several years and is at an important crossroads. To advance our mission and growth in the community, we plan further site restoration efforts, allowing us to continue the expansion of educational programming. Latta believes that understanding our past is the key to improving our future.
Saving Mecklenburg's Oldest Log Cabins
Alexander Cabin
Built between 1760 and 1790, the Ezekiel Alexander Cabin was built off North Tryon Street in Charlotte, near the headwaters of Sugaw Creek and Mallard Creek. Inhabited through the early 20th century, the cabin opens a unique window into Charlotte’s past. Unfortunately, the cabin is deteriorating rapidly, and according to its latest structural evaluation, will not be salvageable without emergency restoration work.
The cabin’s restoration will breathe life into the story of Mecklenburg’s past through a new educational program, Centuries in Time. As participants walk through the three cabin rooms, they will witness how daily life progressed through the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. This program will be featured for school children of all ages, as well as, daily visitors
.
Backcountry Carolina Cabin
This 1770s cabin, built by John Cathey, was originally located in southwestern Mecklenburg County. Its restoration will serve thousands of school children annually through our Life on the Farm program. This program introduces elementary school students to Mecklenburg’s farming past through learning about an arduous day in the working life a yeoman farmer and his family in the early 19th century North Carolina Piedmont.
Latta House Paint Restoration Efforts
The circa 1800 home of James Latta is one of the most historically significant structures remaining within Mecklenburg County. An excellent example of Federal period architecture, the home has been structurally restored twice, and most of the interior woodwork is original.
In 2006 Hager Smith Design, PA conducted a detailed paint analysis and was able to determine the original paint scheme of the home’s interior. The findings include faux mahogany finishes, marbling, figural paintings, and more. In 2007 the paint restoration in the downstairs of the home was completed, but funding is needed to complete work in the upstairs of the home, including a hallway and three bedrooms. Each room contains a different paint scheme, with the children’s room boasting the most intricate design, a patriotic Eagle over the mantle.
In addition to restoring the original paint scheme, reproduction bed hangings and coverlets are needed for the master and children’s bedrooms. This will allow original coverlets to be removed from the house and preserved in collections.
Giving Opportunities
Bringing Mecklenburg’s Past to Life!
Historic Latta Plantation is raising $400,000 in gifts to complete restoration work on the Alexander and Cathey cabins, as well as the paint scheme in the upstairs of the Latta home. Successful completion of this campaign will enable Latta to preserve history in a rapidly growing urban area and to educate thousands of visitors each year about the North Carolina Piedmont’s rich cultural heritage.
All donations towards the $400,000 capital campaign are tax deductible.
James Latta Society– Gift of $100,000 +
William Sample Society– Gift of $50,000 +
Ezekiel Alexander Society– Gift of $25,000 +
John Cathey Society- Gift of $10,000 +
Moses Hayes Society– Gift of $5,000+
Friends of Latta– all other gifts
All donors will be recognized on a plaque in the Jean Boggs Heritage Center.
Gifts may be paid over a two year period.
Historic Latta Plantation
5225 Sample Road, Huntersville, NC 28078
704-875-2312