Orton Plantation Back In Rice Production Again?

Plantation

In the 18th century the now fallow fields of the Orton Plantation were once filled with rice, producing tonnes each year, that was until the civil war...

Now that the transformation project is underway Orton may become the largest rice grower in North Carolina once again, that is if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approve his permit application. According to a landscape architect, it's a miracle the original field structure still exists. When the house was first built slaves worked the fields, building dikes to keep the salty river water at bay and subsequently transformed the wetlands into drainable fields which could then be flooded with fresh water from the man-made Orton Lake as the summer season started. Over the years the dikes have eroded and various measures were put in place to prevent them from disappearing completely, but the nearby ship channel now sends waves over the disorganized concrete and rocks.

Steel sheets will need to be sunk into the base of the original dikes, and rocks careful built up to break the waves before they hit the structure, limiting the ongoing damage and preserving the fields. Should the permit be granted then Louis Bacon plans to be growing rice at Orton again by 2014.

Steeped in history the restoration of the rice fields will be a celebration of the hard work gone into these fields over the years. It's important to acknowledge the slavery aspect of it also, despite the negativity surrounding the former owners having slaves, it happened and is a part of the history. Also the men who built these dikes all those years ago deserve to have their work restored and their achievements celebrated as there still remains the fact that man worked hard over the last 280 years to keep these fields going, even though rice hasn't grown on the site since 1931.

In order to honor the men who worked in these fields Bacon has hired researchers to document the history of Orton Plantation, the remnants of the old slave village foundations have been found on site. Bacon wants to acknowledge the contributions of these people who made it possible for Orton to be what is was, and what it will be.

Although not all the fields will be operational at first, to have working fields ready in 2 years is nothing short of phenomenal. The end goal is to have the plantation back working to full capacity by 2025, which will be the 300th anniversary of the Orton Plantation's first build. Bacon is also trying to extend the plantation's place on the National Registry of Historic Places by including the fields.

In addition to the rice fields, Bacon (an avid conservationist) will be inviting various horticulture, agriculture and wildlife groups to study the property during the restoration, and although there are no plans to ever reopen it to the public again like it was before, Bacon is keen to keep his new neighbors involved in the restoration process
Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/07/28/3413625/closed-to-public-orton-plantation.html