Cypress Grove Plantation

The Cypress Grove Plantation was a Southern plantation owned by President Zachary Taylor near Rodney, Mississippi. Later, it was also known as Buena Vista Plantation.^[1]

Location

The plantation bordered Ashland Plantation and the Mississippi River.^[1] It was near the Ashland community, and Ashland's port was sometimes used by Cypress Grove Plantation.^[2] The plantation was also located on the Mississippi River ten miles below Rodney,^[1] a small town on the Mississippi River in Jefferson County, Mississippi.^[3][4] It was north of Natchez.^[5]

History

The plantation was purchased by General Zachary Taylor in 1840.^[3] The land spanned 1,923 acres.^[3][5] Previously, it was purchased from David Hunt and others by John Hagan of New Orleans, and then sold to Taylor for $95,000.^[1] The property came with eighty-one enslaved African or African-Americans - "servants," as Taylor called them, and with horses, mules, cattle and equipment.^[3][1] Taylor and his wife, Margaret Taylor, often visited the plantation until he was elected President of the United States in 1848.^[3] Indeed, she spent most of her time at the plantation while he was serving in the Mexican–American War.^[3][5] Though Taylor won many battles in the war, the Battle of Buena Vista was his last victory in 1847.^[1] The plantation became known as Buena Vista when Taylor returned from the war.^[1]

Taylor's parents, Colonel Richard and Sara Strother Taylor, raised him on their plantation, so he had experience running a plantation.^[1] Cotton, tobacco, corn and wheat were grown, and hogs, sheep, cattle and poultry were raised on his plantation.^[3] He grew potatoes and peas in his garden.^[3] His home on the plantation was made of timber and included a large library.^[3][5] He also had a sawmill on this plantation.^[3]

Taylor first hired a cousin of his wife, Damascus Thornton, as the first overseer.^[6] He later hired another cousin, James Thornton, until the latter resigned in 1845.^[5] The third overseer was Thomas W. Ringgold.^[3] Taylor corresponded with Ringgold from Corpus Christi, Texas and Mexico during the Mexican-American War.^[7] According to biographer K. Jack Bauer, his slaves were treated well, well-fed and even received Christmas presents each year.^[3][5] On top of picking cotton and other crops, they built levees on the Mississippi River and on an adjacent creek.^[3] Later, Taylor's son, General Richard Taylor, helped manage the plantation.^[3]

Mississippi River travelers could cut ten miles from their trip by going through Gillam's Shute which flowed between Buena Vista Island and Taylor's plantation.^[1] Thus, the plantation was well known to river travelers.^[1] Taylor died on July 9, 1850.^[1] Taylor's widow, Margaret, and the other heirs sold the plantation land in 1850 to Charles B. New for $20,000.^[1] Most of the land has since eroded away into the Mississippi River.^[1]

References

31°46′30″N 91°17′17″W / 31.775080°N 91.288021°W / 31.775080; -91.288021

This page was last edited on 22 December 2023, at 04:29