Delta Empire: Lee Wilson and the Transformation of Agriculture in the New South

Making the Modern South

by Jeannie M. Whayne

In Delta Lee Wilson and the Transformation of Agriculture in the New South Jeannie Whayne employs the fascinating history of a powerful plantation owner in the Arkansas delta to recount the evolution of southern agriculture from the late nineteenth century through World War II.

After his father’s death in 1870, Robert E. “Lee” Wilson inherited 400 acres of land in Mississippi County, Arkansas. Over his lifetime, he transformed that inheritance into a 50,000-acre lumber operation and cotton plantation. Early on, Wilson saw an opportunity in the swampy local terrain, which sold for as little as fifty cents an acre, to satisfy an expanding national market for Arkansas forest reserves. He also led the fundamental transformation of the landscape, involving the drainage of tens of thousands of acres of land, in order to create the vast agricultural empire he envisioned.

A consummate manager, Wilson employed the tenancy and sharecropping system to his advantage while earning a reputation for fair treatment of laborers, a reputation―Whayne suggests―not entirely deserved. He cultivated a cadre of relatives and employees from whom he expected absolute devotion. Leveraging every asset during his life and often deeply in debt, Wilson saved his company from bankruptcy several times, leaving it to the next generation to successfully steer the business through the challenges of the 1930s and World War II.

Delta Empire traces the transition from the labor-intensive sharecropping and tenancy system to the capital-intensive neo-plantations of the post–World War II era to the portfolio plantation model. Through Wilson’s story Whayne provides a compelling case study of strategic innovation and the changing economy of the South in the late nineteenth century.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 2011

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whayne has produced a great work of social history. As a delta resident, I was woefully ignorant about the Wilson empire in my own backyard. Whayne is able to take what could be a dry topic - a corporate history, and makes it compelling. This is a great story, well written.

[ashlyn compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

so many details about little things

[Morandia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I learned quite a bit about the area I live in and it's history. While Robert E "Lee" Wilson is portrayed in a positive light, I do question if he was truly as progressive as he was made out to be or if it was all motivated by his desire to gain dominance. He did create schools for African Americans, but they were geared primarily to train them for positions in his empire. He provided a relatively safe place for them to work, and provided steady work, but again, was this benevolent or self-serving? Or was it both? it is based on the company papers, so we have no real insight to his motives. The fact that tenant farmers stayed in debt because they were pretty much forced to use the company store reflects badly on him. Again, a very informative book and a good read.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I skimmed the book and took notes for research on the Arkansas town in Mississippi County. I have a plan to write a magazine article on the future of Wilson, AR. Through the work of Gaylon Lawrence,Jr. and his purchase of the former Lee Wilson and Company town, many of us are watching for a boon to the area. The book I just finished is an unkind history of the Wilson and Company heritage with an equally negative light shining on Mississippi County. I plan to acknowledge the history, but my interest is on the future.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!!! Very academic in style but a fascinating story!

[Joe Edd Morris]

Interesting and informative. Helpful with another writing project that takes place in the Delta.