Located in Scott, Plantation Agriculture Museum helps tell the story of Arkansas’ farming heritage. 

“Agriculture is, and historically has been, the largest industry in Arkansas,” said Monica Fuller, park superintendent at Plantation Agriculture Museum and Lower White River Museum State Park. “From cotton to rice and soybeans, farming has been a major component of our state’s economy and culture. The State Seal of Arkansas includes a plow, beehive, and sheaf of wheat, showing the statewide significance of agriculture.”

The museum has information on a range of agricultural history and a broad timeline that spans from when Arkansas became a state through World War II. A focus is on cotton farming. 

“I hope that visitors learn about the significance of farming in our history, but also what life was like for tenant farmers and sharecroppers,” said Fuller. “We also present temporary exhibits twice per year that focus on different aspects of farming or the contributions of a different culture to Arkansas farming.”

The museum highlights a time in history that saw a lot of challenges and changes in agricultural practices. For instance there was the Great Flood of 1927, the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Dust Bowl, changes in how agricultural labor was done ( from hand to machine), labor shortages during both world wars, and more. 

A good place to start exploring the museum is at their visitor center, which is housed in the Steel-Dortch Store Museum Building. This building was originally built in 1912 as a general store. During the 1960s Robert Dortch and his daughter opened a local museum here. Dortch had an impact on the area and agriculture in Arkansas.

“Robert Dortch attended the University of Georgia, where he was introduced to experimental agriculture,” said Fuller. “He brought what he had learned back to his family’s land in the Scott area and worked with a botanist to develop new strains of soybeans, cotton, corn, and small grains. Many of these strains dominated the market with cotton grown from Dortch seeds traded as far away as the UK. In his retirement, Dortch and his daughter bought the general store in Scott and opened the Plantation Museum, which presented Arkansas plantation life. That general store building and museum collection were acquired by the state and became Plantation Agriculture Museum.”

Onsite at the park for visitors to see are other buildings with ties to Dortch. These include the Dortch Gin Building, which includes a restored ginning system that was operated by the Dortch Gin Company, and Seed Warehouse No. 5, which was built in the late 1940s and used for Robert L. Dortch Seed Farms. The warehouse, which is located at its original location, is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is entered via a boxcar. 

Also at the park is an outdoor tractor exhibit that has vintage tractors and more. Tractors had a monumental impact on farming. “Mechanization allowed farmers to cultivate more land with fewer laborers," said Fuller. “This led to the creation of larger, more profitable farms. However, the use of tractors also led to fewer jobs in rural, agricultural areas, driving many people to move to larger towns.” 

Events at the park include the Annual Antique Tractor and Engine Show, exhibit openings, and interpretive programs and workshops. Check the Arkansas State Parks calendar of events for details.