The plantation where Michelle Obama's great-great-grandfather lived is tucked behind the tyre stores and veterinary clinics of Highway 521.
But its history and grounds have been meticulously preserved, down to the dykes that controlled the flow of water into its expansive rice fields.
Little is known about Jim Robinson, however, including how or when he came to Friendfield, as the property is still called. But records show he was born about 1850 and lived, at least until the Civil War, as a slave. His family believes he worked at Friendfield all his life and was buried there in an unmarked grave.