Plantation Pastimes

Plantation Pastimes. . , Recreational opportunities were abundant for those living on the plantation in the 1800s. Planter Ambrose LeComte was known for his fine racehorses Horse racing remained popular in the 20th century and most plantations including Magnolia had tracks. Races were also held on temporary tracks laid out in harvested cotton fields., Baseball was a major pastime for all ages during the mid 20th century. Plantations sponsored local teams such as the Magnolia Giants and Melrose Pecans. While several talented Cane River players were recruited by the Negro League, for most people ballgames provided a fun distraction to the struggles of sharecropping., Despite Jim Crow, outdoor activities such as ballgames and horseraces were open to everyone's participation. Class and color lines tended to relax, and people of different ethnic backgrounds might play on the same or opposing teams, ride in the same races, or sit nearby in the same bleachers., "They even had ballgames there on Sunday. Mr. Matt (Hertzog) would have ice cream and cake." , Lizzie Johnson Oral History Interview, 1996