Latta Place | Library of Congress

March 13. Latta Place, the former Huntersville plantation that became the subject of controversy in 2021, will reopen to the public in 2026 after being redeveloped during the winter of 2024-2025.

Background

“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.

Slave history

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

Latta Place is situated on 16 acres within the Latta Nature Preserve.  Before its closure nearly three years ago, the circa-1800 living history museum and farm gave visitors glimpses into 19th century life in the Carolina backcountry.

Changing times

In the years since it closed the site, Mecklenburg County has embarked on a community-driven process—a community grounding—to start a new chapter in Latta Place’s history.

‘Community Grounding’ details

A Community Grounding Event will take place on April 6 from 11 am to 2 pm at David B. Waymer Recreation and Senior Center in Huntersville.

Panel discussion

There will also be a panel discussion from 11 am to noon.

Kofi Boone, University Faculty Scholar and a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at NC State University’s College of Design, will moderate. Boone’s work focuses on the overlap of landscape architecture and environmental justice. Other panelists include:

—Wali Cathcart, a former Negro League baseball player, a gardener and a descendant of people who were enslaved in Brattonsville, South Carolina.

—Delphine Sellars, executive director of Urban Community AgriNomics, a Durham-based nonprofit focused on agriculture and access to fresh food.

From noon to 2 pm, the community is invited to participate in engagement and feedback activities for all ages.