Huntersville plantation changes name to ‘Latta Place’

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — A plantation in Mecklenburg County is getting a new name. The Historic Latta Plantation will now be called “Latta Place.”

That Huntersville site has been closed to the public since last year after a Juneteenth event promised to tell stories about freed slaves from the perspective of a slave master.

A group is creating a master plan for the site, which is expected to be ready by fall.

The plantation closed its doors in June 2020 “until further notice” days after receiving backlash over the controversial Juneteenth event. The event, called “Kingdom Coming,” was canceled after county and Huntersville town leaders quickly expressed their disapproval.

The town of Huntersville said in June that funding for the facility was on hold, pending more investigation into the incident.

Mecklenburg County had an agreement to manage the Latta Plantation since the mid-70s. That agreement came to end on June 30, 2020.

“It brings back a lot of hurt and rubs us the wrong way,” said Commissioner Vilma Leake, D-District 2 in a June meeting. “And in so rubbing us the wrong way, you want us to be right, and I want everyone to be treated fairly.”

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