Simsbury, Oct 12 (AP) A plot of land in Connecticut, once a thriving tobacco farm where Martin Luther King Jr worked as a college student in the 1940s, will be protected for its historic and cultural significance to the state's civil rights history.

Last month's finalized sale of the 288-acre parcel of land was announced Friday. The non-profit Trust for Public Land and the town of Simsbury plan to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony October 16 for the Meadowood site.

Also Read | Tropical Storm Pamela To Strengthen Into Major Hurricane Before Hitting Shore Near Mazatlan Port in Mexico.

Nearly 130 acres of the land will be set aside for recreational access and roughly 120 acres for working farmland. The rest will be saved for future needs of the town of Simsbury while two acres will be kept for historic preservation purposes to tell the history of the property.

“The permanent protection of this historic site, including prime and important farmland soils, is a testament to collaboration among partners at the local, state, and federal level,” Connecticut Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt said in a statement.

Also Read | Nobel Prize in Economics 2021: David Card, Joshua D Angrist and Guido W Imbens Win Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences for Societal Research.

“Together we will ensure that a cornerstone of Connecticut's agricultural and cultural legacy remains intact.”

In what began as a citizens' petition drive, Simsbury voters in May overwhelmingly authorized USD2.5 million to purchase the property.

Various state agencies, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the George Dudley Seymour Trust, individuals and foundations have provided an additional USD4 million in funding for the site.

Historians believe King's experiences in Connecticut influenced his decision to become a minister and civil rights leader. He was among a group of students from Atlanta's Morehouse College who were recruited by tobacco growers in Connecticut to work in the fields so they could earn money for tuition.

“On our way here, we saw some things I had never anticipated to see,” King wrote his father in June 1944.

“After we passed Washington there was no discrimination at all. The white people here are very nice. We go to any place we want to and sit anywhere we want to.”

In his later application to Crozer Theological Seminary, King wrote that he made the decision that summer “when I felt an inescapable urge to serve society. In short, I felt a sense of responsibility which I could not escape.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)