Latta Place redevelopment includes historical inclusion

HERBERT L. WHITE | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Mecklenburg County officials and local stakeholders broke ground on new construction at Latta Place in Huntersville on Oct. 12, 2026. The historic site will include a more inclusive story of enslaved and Indigenous people in addition to stewards of the former plantation.

HUNTERSVILLE – Latta Place’s future includes a more accurate and inclusive history.

Monday’s ceremonial groundbreaking of new construction at the 16-acre Mecklenburg County-owned site includes reflection on its links to slavery as well as the stewardship of Indigenous people and landowners. Latta Place, a former plantation that has been closed since 2021, is scheduled to reopen to the public next year. 

“This is not a return to the past but a step toward a more honest, just and hopeful future for our beloved community and beyond,” County Manager Mike Bryant said. “Mecklenburg County acknowledges that history does not belong to one particular group over another; it is shared. However, as we share this history, we all have a moral obligation and duty to share it in a way that is honest, sensitive, and unbiased. It is about long-term impact and benefits that this space will have for generations to come.” 

Mecklenburg ended its contract with Historic Latta Planation’s nonprofit operator five years when a Juneteenth event listing at the 19th century home site stirred condemnation across Mecklenburg. The listing for an event called “Kingdom Coming” drew rebukes for language the contractor used to describe stories from “the massa himself,” “white refugees” and Confederate soldiers while downplaying the suffering of enslaved people.

The redeveloped property will tell a more inclusive story of people and cultures that shaped Latta Place – slaves, native peoples as well as tenant farmers, and plantation owners. When it reopens, the site will include an interpretive trail, new visitor center and upgraded farmhouse. The county is collaborating with experts in historical interpretation to develop exhibits and programs. A steering committee of community leaders, historians, scholars, museum professionals, and Latta Place descendants, advised the county’s redesign and a master plan was approved in 2023.   

“Our hope is that Latta Place will be a transformational destination — an educational experience that gives voice to the historical perspectives of all who lived on the site,?bridges past and present, provides space for reflection, and is welcoming to all,” Deputy County Manager Leslie Johnson said. “We are here to turn the pages, from visioning and imagining to breaking ground for the cultivation of a new iteration of this historic cultural resource.” 

Said Bryant: “The true measure of this moment will not bear fruit at the end of today’s event, nor will it be realized with the official reopening. As a community, we must remember that the true measure of today will be exhibited in actions of those that visit this space.

“It will be realized when our community has learned enough to ensure the dark history that was cultivated on this site and many other sites like it is never repeated.”

On the Net:

Latta.MeckNC.gov

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