See Rock City

See Rock City

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Robert E. Lee Wilson


Robert Edward Lee Wilson (March 5, 1865 – September 27, 1933) was the creator and owner of Lee Wilson and Company, a group of large cotton plantations in Mississippi County,Arkansas.

Acquiring much of his father's former swamplands, Wilson formed a logging and farming business that would become one of the largest and most successful in the United States. Wilson founded many company towns for his workers, including Armorel, Marie, Victoria, and Wilson, and was one of the most influential Arkansans of his time. A period company brochure claims the Wilson & Company grounds to be the world's largest plantation.

Robert Edward Lee Wilson
Born Robert Edward Lee Wilson
March 5, 1865
Frenchman's Bayou, Mississippi County, Arkansas
Died September 27, 1933 (aged 68)
Resting place
Wilson town square
35°34′7″N 90°2′33″W
Other names R. E. L. Wilson, Lee Wilson
Occupation Owner of Lee Wilson & Company, plantation owner, railroad builder, logger
Years active 1886–1933
Known for Lee Wilson & Company
Home town Wilson, Arkansas
Successor Robert E. Lee Wilson Jr, James H. Crain
Board member of
Arkansas State Highway Commission, Arkansas State University
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Beall
Parents Josiah Wilson and Martha Parsons Wilson

Source: Wikipedia