Latta Place | Library of Congress

Feb. 25. Mecklenburg County will take a big step toward the reopening of historic Latta Place March 20 when the final design for the reimagined landscape and built environment will be unveiled.

Latta Place, formerly known as Latta Plantation, is situated on 16 acres within the Latta Nature Preserve. Before Mecklenburg County closed the site in 2021, Latta Place was a circa-1800 living history museum and farm that gave visitors partial glimpses into 19th century life in the Carolina backcountry.

It became the subject of controversy in 2021 when the former “Historic Latta Plantation” planned to hold a controversial Juneteenth event in 2021 but it resulted in the site’s closure as well as a name change.

The 2021 event “Kingdom Coming” was set to include stories told from the point of view of a slave owner and his newly freed slaves. It was canceled after county and Huntersville town leaders expressed their disapproval.

Slave history

The house’s original builder and owner, James Latta, enslaved 34 men, women and children on the property.

In the years since the site’s closure, Mecklenburg County embarked on a community-driven process to create a new chapter in Latta Place’s history — one that “represents truth, transparency, compassion, transformation and unity.”

Open invitation

The new design will be unveiled Thursday, March 20, at the North County Regional Library in Huntersville.

Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting, where they will see the design and site plans for the first time, hear about the robust community engagement and planning processes, and learn about the future of the project.

The meeting will take place from 5:30-7:30 pm in Community Rooms A and B on the library’s lower level. The library is located at 16500 Holly Crest Lane in Huntersville.

Visit the Historic Latta Reimagined Public Input page to register.

Quotable 

“We took our time to create a design and plan that reflects Latta Place’s full history with care and a deeper understanding of the strength and sacrifices of those who came before us. It is exciting to share with the community our plan for the site’s future, and to be moving into the next phase of redevelopment.”

—Dena R. Diorio, Mecklenburg County manager