Two weeks ago, we encouraged you to take part in the World War II Living History Event, which took place at the Historic Latta Plantation. Historic Latta Plantation just also happens to be entry #17 in our Best of Charlotte series.
Located within the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve is the Historic Latta Plantation, which is a restored 19 th century federal-style home and is the last remaining Catawba River plantation open to the public. James Latta, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, built Latta Place in 1800. Mr Latta was a successful traveling merchant until 1820 when he retired and turned his property into a cotton plantation consisting of 742 acres and 34 enslaved people. After his death, the property changed hands several times until the home was abandoned in 1950s.
In the 1970s, a group of citizens recognized the structural and historical significance of Latta Place and formed a private non-profit entity, Latta Place, Inc., to save and restore the property. After securing funds from Mecklenburg County to restore the home, it was opened it to the public in the mid 1970s. The home and land were donated to Mecklenburg County and recommended that the county purchase the adjacent property to form what is now the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve.
Today, Historic Latta Plantation is still operated by Latta Place, Inc. In addition to daily tours, Latta offers 35 special events each year, five themed summer day camps, home school programs, workshops, educational field trips, and daily tours year-round. The 12,000 school children that visit the site annually are able to participate in unique interactive historical programming, visit rare and endangered breeds of historic livestock, see the process of growing short-staple cotton first hand, visit the honeybee exhibit, and much more!
Historic Latta Plantation is located 12 miles northwest of Charlotte at 5225 Sample Road, Huntersville, NC 28078. They are open Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm. Home to over 42,000 visitors per year; take some time to enjoy this local historical gem!
