4,400 acres: The scale of the Cotton Kingdom at Lakeport Plantation

A Greek Revival mansion in Chicot County, Arkansas, stands as the only remaining plantation house in the state that still faces the Mississippi River.

Joel Johnson purchased land in the area in 1831 after selling his home and mill in Kentucky. By 1846, he owned approximately 95 enslaved people. His son, Lycurgus Johnson, inherited the bulk of the property and expanded the estate significantly during the cotton boom of the 1850s.

At the height of its operation, the plantation covered more than 4,400 acres and held 155 enslaved people. Lycurgus Johnson began construction of the current house late in that decade. The structure sits near an oxbow bend in the river and was named after a local steamboat landing. When built, the river was visible from the front porch, though a large earthen levee now blocks that view. Cotton fields still surround the property.

The 17-room house measures about 8,000 square feet and was built on elevated ground to protect it from flooding. Dwellings for enslaved people were located on the grounds near the main house. Construction finished just before the Civil War. Arkansas seceded from the Union on May 6, 1861. Confederate leaders believed that Britain and France would support the South due to their reliance on cotton, but both nations began importing from Egypt instead. Slavery was unpopular in those countries.

The Union Army focused on controlling the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy. They captured New Orleans and parts of western Tennessee. Two key ports, Helena in Phillips County and Vicksburg in Mississippi, became focal points for Confederate defense. Helena fell in July 1862. The siege of Vicksburg began in late May 1863. Confederate forces attacked nearby towns to relieve pressure on Vicksburg. On July 4, 1863, Vicksburg surrendered, giving the Union control of the river.

The fall of Vicksburg cut the South in half and caused economic turmoil. Union and Confederate armies foraged in Chicot County, while partisan bands roamed the countryside. Union soldiers arrived at Lakeport in 1863 or 1864 and took all the plantation's mules, horses, and cattle. A guerrilla war ravaged the area during this period.

Lycurgus Johnson retained his former enslaved people as workers after the war. By 1870, the plantation produced about 600 bales of cotton annually, half of its pre-war output, but remained profitable. The family owned the land until 1927, when Russian immigrant Sam Epstein bought the property for $30,000. The Epstein family expanded the acreage to 13,000 acres. However, the house was abandoned for more than 30 years. Epstein's grandson, Sam Epstein Angel, deemed renovation too costly. In 2001, he donated the house to Arkansas State University after visiting the Hemmingway-Pfeiffer House in Piggott.

The plantation reopened to the public in 2007 and now serves as a museum and heritage site. Museum Director Ruth O'Loughlin stated that active research continues to piece together the site's history. She noted that the names of everyone enslaved on the property are not yet known. The site attracts thousands of visitors each year. O'Loughlin described the ongoing work of adding to the history of the landmark as fascinating.