Visitors to the Plantation Agriculture Museum in Scott often spend hours browsing historical exhibits chock-full of artifacts from bygone days.
Plantation Agriculture Museum State Park The community of Scott on the Pulaski-Lonoke county line was named for the Scott family whose ancestors settled there in the early 1800s. The family owned a 2,000-acre plantation, plus a general store that opened in 1912. When the store closed in the 1960s, Robert Dortch and his daughter Floride Dortch Rebsamen bought the building and turned it into a museum commemorating Arkansas plantation life. The museum eventually grew to include thousands of artifacts, ranging from blacksmith tools and kitchen appliances to a pair of huge steam engines. Unfortunately, it closed in 1978, six years after Robert Dortch’s death, and fell into a state of disrepair. In 1985, the state Legislature approved funding to buy and renovate the property. Four years later, the museum reopened under the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism as the Plantation Agriculture Museum, with a new mission to “collect, preserve, record and interpret the history of cotton agriculture, with an emphasis on plantations.”
Today, the museum houses more than 10,000 artifacts. Exhibits take visitors “from the field to the gin,” explaining how cotton was grown and harvested in the pre-mechanized era. The life and culture of people from slaves to sharecroppers to plantation owners are explored in the museum’s exhibits. Don’t miss!: The gin and seed warehouse. You can spend hours browsing exhibits inside the museum, but be sure you allow time for a walking tour of the Dortch Gin and Seed Warehouse No. 5. The 1920s cotton gin has been authentically preserved by ginning experts. The 10,000-square-foot seed warehouse was used to store and distribute cotton, soybean and rice seeds. You’ll also find outside a diverse collection of antique tractors and farm implements. Plantation Agriculture Museum is in Scott at the junction of U.S. 165 and Ark. 161. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. There is no admission charge. For more information, phone 501-961-1409 or visit www. arkansasstateparks.com/plantationagriculturemuseum/ continued on page 8
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Arkansas Agriculture