Construction is officially underway at Latta Place, beginning a new chapter for a historic Huntersville site that has been closed since 2021.

Mecklenburg County marked the start of work this week with a groundbreaking and libation ceremony attended by county leaders, community partners and people with family connections to the property.

The redevelopment is designed to change how the 16-acre historic site tells its story.

County plans call for interpretation that includes Indigenous people, more than 65 enslaved men, women and children, tenant farmers, artisans, historic landowners and later stewards of the property.

That broader approach is central to the project.

Before closing, Latta Place operated largely as a circa-1800 living-history museum and farm.

The site became the center of public controversy in 2021, prompting a multi-year community process to reconsider how its history should be interpreted.

The current redevelopment is expected to cost about $11.2 million.

Rather than returning to the old model, the county says the rebuilt site should confront the legacies of the plantation economy while creating space for reflection and healing.

Latta Place is currently expected to reopen to the public in 2027, subject to the construction schedule.