Frogmore Plantation

About 20 minutes across the river from Natchez is Frogmore Plantation one of eight plantations originally owned by the wealthy Natchez planter, John Gillespie. Over the years, the current owners have painstakingly endeavored to recreate the setting of an early 19th century cotton plantation, complete with a steam gin and a house of worship.  The 1815 raised plantation house sits right off the highway, and beyond the modern day tennis court, is a typical 1800’s slave compound, which is bordered by hundreds of acres of cotton.  You can even drag a sack and pick a little.  If you're wondering where the name Frogmore came from, check out Frogmore, England,  but others testify to just have a seat on the porch one evening as the sun begins to set and the bullfrogs begin to croak.  Just across the road from the plantation is a swampy bayou (pronounced bi-ah in these parts), loaded with giant bullfrogs and tiny tree frogs.The plantation is an 1800 acre working plantation, and on its Eastern edge, is the only computerized cotton gin in the nation which processes cotton with many of the same principles as the old days.  The plantation is open to visitors from March to November (please visit the website for the exact dates), and you'll walk away with an experience to share with your children and grandchildren, along with first hand knowledge of the changes on a cotton plantation from the late 1700’s through today.