Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – In an effort to provide historical information and acknowledge the stories of the past, a symposium will be held this fall at Lakeport Plantation Museum (LPM) in Lake Village.
The museum will host its first symposium, “The Mississippi in American Memory,” from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9.
The museum is an Arkansas State University Heritage Site. Events such as this one can provide a glimpse into the past so that one may better understand the present.
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“Guest speakers will present on a wide range of topics related to the Mississippi River, from Indigenous peoples to plantation agriculture to archival resources to folklore in recognition of America 250,” said Ruth O’Loughlin, site director at LPM.
Speakers will share a variety of topics throughout the day. Attendees can hear from speakers from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 until 5:30 p.m. A local food truck, River Bend BBQ, Seafood and Steaks, will be on-site from noon to 1:30 p.m. with a limited menu.
“Retired Mississippi River boat captain and author Lee Hendrix will close the day with stories from his time on the Mississippi,” O’Loughlin added. “Hendrix started working on the mighty Mississippi in 1972 and received his first license in 1975. He has worked on towboats, casino boats, and retired from the U.S. Army Corps as captain in 2018.”
His 2024 book “Peep Light: Stories of a Mississippi River Boat Captain” will be available for sale.
The Mississippi River Symposium is free to the public, but registration is highly encouraged to reserve a seat. To learn more information and reserve your spot at the symposium, click here.
For additional information, you can email O’Loughlin at roloughlin@AState.edu or call 870-265-6031.
Constructed in 1859, Lakeport is one of Arkansas’s premier historic structures and still retains many of its original finishes and architectural details. Open to the public since 2007, LPM researches and interprets the people and cultures that shaped plantation life in the Mississippi River Delta, focusing on the Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction Periods.
LPM is located at 601 Highway 142 in Lake Village. More details can be found here.
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