BACKSTORY (July 17, 1955–1962): Sponsored by Swift’s Premium Meats, the Chicken Plantation Restaurant (also known as the Plantation House) served up Fried Chicken Dinners along the Rivers of America. The front of the restaurant resembled an old antebellum plantation home; the backside had more of a Mexican adobe styling to it. Blogger Mike Cozart told me that John Hench once mentioned that shortly after the park opened the Southwestern theme side of the Chicken Plantation structure was remodeled a bit to feature some fancier Western details like shutters and other decorations to fancy it up a bit because Swift Company reps thought it looked like a mud hovel and not very enticing to potential guests viewing from the train.The restaurant was closed and cleared in 1962 to make way for New Orleans Square. Temporarily, there was a smaller version (pictured in a 1962 photo below) that operated out of a pass-through window from a construction fence.
