Lake Hall Plantation, c. 1832 - 1929

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Lakehall, Chicot, Arkansas, United States
Surname/tag: Chicot_County, Davies, Gaines, Fry, Arkansas, Lake_Hall

Plantations Index

Introduction

Lake Hall was a plantation in Chicot County, Arkansas. The farm existed between 1832 - 1929 and was established by Anthony H. Davies, a planter, merchant, banker, and territory and state legislator in Arkansas. After his death and the close of the Civil War, his wife, Mildred (Gaines) Davies and one of their sons, Walter, ran the plantation and Vaucluse Plantation Store.

"Anthony H. Davies first came to Arkansas in 1829 or 1830 and acquired property on the east side of Old River Lake (now Lake Chicot) in 1832, by a deed of trust between him, a Harry Latting, and John Ingles. He settled the Plantation at Old River Lake, called Lakehall, (1836) of which he increased to encompass the majority of land situated between Whiskey Chute and the oxbow lake. He owned one-hundred and sixty slaves at this time. By the 1890's, the portions of Lakehall Plantation had been divided and sold from the Davies, but the largest percentage was still owned by A. H. Davies’ descendants. Davies was a resident of Chicot County for thirty years.In 1855, Davies and his wife, Mildred Pollard Gaines, mortgaged sections of the Lakehall Plantation to Benjamin P. Gaines and Richard M. Gaines. They agreed to repay the promissory notes each year on the first of January from 1855 to 1860 until they repaid the loan in full. According to Davies family papers, the ten thousand dollars was collected by the Arkansas government to relieve the debts incurred by the Arkansas Bank failures."^[1]

1855 - The mortgage agreement between Anthony H and Mildred P Davies' and Richard Gaines and others for real property of Lake Hall, included livestock, furnishings, slaves, etc. for $10,000 (presumably to pay back the state of Arkansas. See photocopy of section of mortgage deed listing names of enslaved people).

The name "Lake Hall" may have come into use after a ferry and post stop was established in the mid-19th century. "Lakehall" is the name of a locale in Chicot County, Arkansas and is also used for local route 71 on the east side of Lake Chicot.

The list of the 110 enslaved people on the photo document can be found here:

Space:The_Slaves_of_Anthony_H._Davies,_Chicot,_Arkansas

Research Note

Further research needs to be done to document the other 50 enslaved owned by the Davies. The two Slave schedules (1850 and 1860) have been added to this page and to the Slaves of Anthony H. Davies page.

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-register/davies-cemetery

• 1850 Census: "1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8055 #90893175 (accessed 27 June 2022)
  Anthony H Davies in Louisiana, Chicot, Arkansas, USA. (86 enslaved)
• 1860 Census: "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7668 #94363290 (accessed 27 June 2022)
  Anthony H Davies in Old River, Chicot, Arkansas, USA.(17 enslaved)