Plantation

This experience was profound, moving and emotional. I'm finding it difficult to put into words. Whitney's Plantation offers visitors a guided tour from the perspective of the slaves. Our tour guide had brown skin which added another dimension to the tour. He was a very good communicator even if I wish I would have counted how many times he said y'all. 

He told us so much but one thing I remember is how he pointed out that slavery has been around as long as war. It doesn't have do with color of skin, but with power, economics and greed. It happened that people with Africa could withstand malaria and smallpox and had the skill set to work in fields the heat and humidity of the south.

There were memorials for slaves from Africa, for slaves traded domestically and for children. Estimated thousands of names are unknown and missing.

We toured slave housing, discussed how sugar cane is grown and processed into sugar, saw holding cells used for slave trade, and saw the kitchen. Pictures were allowed and even encouraged, but it didn't seem right. There are pictures on the website I linked to at the beginning of the post.

Slaves this far south in Louisiana could not escape. Sure, they tried daily. The Mississippi River was on one side and there was no escaping "up the river". Just past the fields are swamps. The life expectancy on this plantation was 10 years from arrival. It didn't matter  how old you were when you arrived. The house cooked for the slaves that wasn't a courtesy--that just made sure the women worked more hours in the field. A slave could be worth as much as $20-$30,000 in modern currency.

The slaves for this plantation lived 3/4 of a mile down the road and the 1/4 of a mile off the road so most never saw the owner's mansion. The kitchen staff were often incentivized with the promise of freedom upon the owner's death as the cook had a lot of power. She could poison anyone that ate her food.

Plantation homes were built by Africans who introduced "African air conditioning". The house faces the water with 2 rows of trees between the house and water. All of the door and windows line up so that the breeze off the water blows through the house.

Past the property and over the ridge is the Mississippi River.

The lady of this house had the wood painted to look like marble. This painting was original.

If I get started talking in person I'll remember all kinds of other details and tidbits of information that may or may not interest you!

If you go to New Orleans, Whitney Plantation should be on the top of your list of things to see. I would go again. I would take my children.