Cries from the Cotton Field

Graphic featuring an image of a man with short, curly hair in a priest’s outfit standing in front of a cotton field with someone standing in the middle of it and pointing up to a partly cloudy sky that features the words, “Cries from the Cotton Field, a film by Larry Foley.”Friday, November 15, 2024
6:30 p.m.
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, 118 W. Johnson Ave., Springdale, AR 72764
Option to view live online is also available

For November’s installment of the Shiloh Museum’s Not Strictly History series, film director and University of Arkansas journalism professor Larry Foley will  present his award-winning documentary, Cries from the Cotton Field, which explores the rich history of the Washington County town, Tontitown, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, November 15.

After the Civil War, Southern plantation owners faced a labor shortage. An Eastern speculator bought Sunnyside Plantation in Arkansas and devised a plan to import Italian farmers as sharecroppers. Dozens of families were recruited from Italy, blessed by the Pope, and sent to America.

The harsh conditions at Sunnyside led to illness and death among the immigrants. About 125 died from diseases and poor sanitation. A federal investigation was launched but suppressed.

In 1898, 40 families followed Father Pietro Bandini to the Arkansas Ozarks, where the climate and agriculture were similar to their Italian homeland. They established farms growing vegetables, grapes, and fruit. Their descendants still live in Tontitown, Northwest Arkansas, today.

The presentation is sponsored by KUAF 91.3 Public Radio.

Register here to view the presentation online:

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