Levi Jordan Plantation Site
Levi Jordan and his son-in-law James McNeill established the Jordan Plantation in 1848 when they purchased the land from Samuel M. Williams of Galveston, brining 9-12 people they held enslaved into Brazoria County. They oversaw the establishment of a sugar and cotton plantation on the San Bernard River and expanded their ownership of captive humans to 144. Following emancipation it seems that most of these people continued to live at Jordan Plantation, working as sharecroppers until 1887. The main house and surrounding property was donated to the state in the 20th century, while descendants of Jordan continue to occupy neighboring parcels today.
At Levi Jordan Plantation, the Texas Historical Commission built a visitor center and educational facility in 2022. The visitor center includes a small museum space with exhibits focusing on the lives of the enslaved, as well as a public archaeology laboratory. The educational facility has a dormitory for visiting researchers, and a dining facility which also serves as a lecture hall. Plans are underway for a museum to be built on-site. Plans here involve expanding African diaspora themed programming through public history and archaeology.
