Prospect Hill Plantation facts for kids

The Prospect Hill Plantation was a very large farm, about 5,000 acres, located in Jefferson County, Mississippi. In the early 1800s, it was owned by a man named Isaac Ross. He forced many African American people into slavery to grow cotton, which was a "cash crop" (meaning it was grown to be sold for money).

In 1830, Isaac Ross and other large landowners helped start the Mississippi branch of the American Colonization Society. This group wanted to help enslaved people move to a colony in Africa called Mississippi-in-Africa, which later became part of the country of Liberia.

When Isaac Ross died in 1836, his will (his last wishes) said that the enslaved people on his plantation should be freed if they agreed to move to Mississippi-in-Africa. He also wanted his plantation sold to pay for their journey. However, his grandson tried to stop this plan in court. While the court case was happening, the grandson lived on the plantation.

The Mississippi Supreme Court finally said that Isaac Ross's will was valid in 1845. Sadly, that same year, the main house on the plantation burned down, and a young girl died in the fire. About a dozen enslaved people were wrongly accused and tragically killed. The plantation was eventually sold, and by 1848, about 300 enslaved people were freed and traveled to Mississippi-in-Africa. Their descendants became important leaders in Liberia for many years.

In the 1850s, Isaac Ross's grandson, Isaac Ross Wade, bought the Prospect Hill property again. He built a new main house in 1854. His family lived there until 1956, and other people lived there until 1968. The house is still standing today. In 2011, a group called the Archeological Conservancy bought the plantation and house to protect them. They hope to find old items that will help tell the story of slavery in the United States and African-American culture.

Where is Prospect Hill Plantation?

The plantation is in a countryside area near Lorman in Jefferson County, Mississippi. If you drive, it's about 15 minutes east of Lorman. It's also about 20 minutes from Port Gibson and 45 minutes from Natchez.

The Story of Prospect Hill

The plantation was built for Isaac Ross, who owned enslaved people in South Carolina. He moved to Mississippi in 1808 with some enslaved people and also some free Black people who had served with him in a war. He started the plantation to grow cotton and forced many more people into slavery to work there. Eventually, he enslaved almost 300 people and owned other plantations too.

There was a cemetery on the plantation where Isaac Ross and some of his family were buried. After his grandson, Isaac Ross Wade, bought the plantation back, this area became known as the Wade Family Cemetery. The main house and cemetery property that the Archeological Conservancy now owns covers 23 acres.

Family History at Prospect Hill

Isaac Ross died in 1836 and was buried in the plantation cemetery. The Mississippi Colonization Society, which he helped start, paid a lot of money (US$25,000) for a monument for him. They put it at his grave in 1838.

Ross's grandson, Isaac Ross Wade, tried to challenge the will in court. But the Mississippi Supreme Court said the will was legal in 1845. There were more legal delays, but during this time, the enslaved people stayed on the plantation and worked for Wade. They were technically supposed to be free under the will and should have been paid.

One night in April 1845, a fire destroyed the main house, and a six-year-old white girl died. A descendant of the Wade family believed it was a revolt by the enslaved people. Twelve people who were enslaved were quickly captured and tragically killed.

When the court case was finally settled, the enslaved people gained their freedom. The plantation was sold to pay for their journey to the colony in West Africa. The last group arrived there in 1848. They never received the pay they were owed for the three years they worked for Wade. The area near Monrovia where the freed enslaved people from Mississippi settled became known as Mississippi-in-Africa. It later became part of the country of Liberia.

Wade eventually bought the plantation property back and had a new, large house built in 1854. He and his family lived there for many years, staying in the family until the 1900s.

From the 1900s to Today

The last family members of Ross and Wade left the plantation in 1956. By then, other buildings like the kitchen, slave quarters, smokehouse, and barns had fallen apart. The main house at Prospect Hill Plantation is still standing, but it has become old and damaged because no one has lived there for decades. The roof was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In 2011, the Archeological Conservancy, a group that protects old sites, bought the property to save it. They have received money from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and private donations to help with preservation.

Experts plan to dig on the grounds to find important clues about the African-American culture of the enslaved people and their connection to the "diaspora" (people who have spread out from their original homeland). In 2014, the Archeological Conservancy held a special meeting at the plantation. It brought together descendants of the families who owned the plantation, descendants of the enslaved people who stayed in the area, and descendants of those who moved to Liberia.

Old papers from Prospect Hill Plantation, from 1873 to 1917, are kept at the library at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. These papers mainly include copies of contracts for people who rented land and letters from the family.