The Lattas

James Latta was a Scot who came to America from Ireland in 1785 to settle his father's estate. Having a good head for business and seeing a ripe opportunity in this burgeoning republic, he became a merchant. He traveled to Philadelphia and Charleston to buy his wares, then sold  them from the back of his Conestoga wagon to Piedmont Carolina farmers and villagers. Imagine the excitement of local folks to see Latta's peddler wagon coming down the road with his muffin tins, muslin, needles, salt and sugar, toothbrushes, tea, bridle bits and curry combs, tinware, cast iron pots - even English china and fine silks!

James Latta was first married to Elizabeth Houston in Ireland. She died, leaving her husband and two sons, William and Robert. By 1796, James Latta had married Jane Knox of nearby Lincoln County and purchased land that would eventually total 742 acres. He then started construction of his white, two-story Federal style house, assumed to be based on homes he had admired in Philadelphia.

Latta's entrepreneurial spirit and advancing age soon led him into cotton farming. By 1825, he hired an overseer to manage the plantation and his slaves. Being a prudent Scot, in later years he had no urge to build a more grandiose house; he simply invested or banked his money. He died a wealthy man in 1837.

Latta's oldest son William never lived at the plantation, since he was already on his own by the time the first land was purchased. Latta's second son Robert did live on the plantation for about five years and then moved to Yorkville, SC, and assumed responsibility for the mercantile business. He eventually bought out his father's interests. By the time of Robert's death, he was the wealthiest man in South Carolina and his obituary referred to him as "the Merchant Prince of South Carolina."

James and Jane had four children. Rich, attractive, cultured and naturally quite popular, daughters Betsy, Polly and Nancy were often called "the Belles of the Catawba." Their father intended that they marry well: perhaps he had the inside window cut from the parlor to the hall so he could keep an eye on gentlemen callers. Educated at Salem Academy, a girls' boarding school run by the Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, the daughters did, indeed, marry prominent local landholders from the Davidson, Reid, and Torrance families. The youngest child, Ezekiel, was sickly all his life and died at the age of ten.

James, Jane, and their children are buried in the family gravesite just down the road at Hopewell Presbyterian Church, the center of their social and community life.

The work of some 30 slaves, such as Suckey, the cook, and Peter, a field hand, made the plantation an economic success. Living in families and strengthened by religion, they maintained their humanity and sense of worth despite the effects of slavery. A replica of the kitchen house, where Suckey lived and worked, is a highlight of the tour. Plans are in place to use additional log cabins to more fully represent slave life.