This is an 1,800-acre cotton farm and museum whose history stretches back to circa 1815. Built near Native American mounds in the fertile Mississippi Delta, Frogmore's guides take visitors through the plantation's wild backstory, from its heyday as a stop along the Natchez-to-Natchitoches wagon trail, to its prominence as a Civil War encampment, to its present life as a working cotton operation.
The fact that Frogmore continues to be farmed after 200 years makes it unique among plantation museums. "There’s no other cotton plantation in the South that is a museum and is actively being farmed," Lynette Tanner, owner of Frogmore Plantation said.
Frogmore Plantation's history is mysterious as it is fascinating.
Native Americans and the Mysterious Mounds
Tribes arrived here long before French moved into the region during the 1700s—700 years earlier, in fact. Ancient Native American farmers built hundreds of mounds throughout the state, the most famous collections being at Poverty Point and Marksville. At Frogmore, you’ll see one that measures 14 feet high and 200 feet long. The Frogmore mound was built over a walled structure whose use is unclear, leaving more questions than answers about the people who built it. Today, it is one of the 39 mounds along the state’s Ancient Mounds Heritage Area and Trails.