We left New Orleans and had two more places we wanted to see before leaving lovely Louisiana. Having grown up in a generation who learned about the Civil War, plantation life and slavery in history books as well as fiction such as Gone With the Wind, we were curious to see what an actual plantation looked like. We were also keen to see a more realistic view of this life from the prospective of those people who had been held in slavery in order for the myth of plantation life to succeed. Our two choices were then, Oak Alley, a quintessential plantation, complete with the most amazing row of oak trees and Whitney Plantation, a unique plantation in that the entire tour and exhibit structure is geared towards showing the reality of slavery without all the air brushing that has happened in the past.

We drove by Oak Alley and had a glimpse of what makes it famous – a row of beautiful, giant oak trees that line what would have been the main drive up to the plantation house. However, if you want to experience the real deal, you need to pay an admittance fee and take a tour of the house. This we did, happily getting a discount since I’m a teacher (yay!). We first walked through their display around the quarters where enslaved people lived. It was informative and there were a few disturbing displays of the cruel chains and braces that those who tried to escape were forced to wear, but overall, the sense we got from looking through these little homes was not an unpleasant one. In fact, many of the plantations down here now use former homes of enslaved people as cute little cabins for guests to sleep in. When we arrived at the big house, we were led through the main rooms, and given an outline of what a typical day in the lives of the people who lived there would have been like. They did make an effort to tell the story of both the owners of the home and the enslaved people who were made to work there was like and the difference was quite stark, but still it didn’t seem as if the lives of those who served in the big house were all that bad. I think that places like Oak Alley are trying harder now to present the point of view of the enslaved people, but I’m not sure they are getting the reality of enslavement quite yet. Interestingly, we were not allowed to take any pictures of the interior of the house, which I thought was quite odd as it was not nearly as ostentatious as the place we stayed in and toured in Natchez. However, once we reached the upstairs and the double doors to the balcony were opened, we were given the opportunity to take as many pics as we liked of the truly amazing view down the alley of old oak trees. They really are just breathtaking to see. Once our house tour was done, we walked down the alley of oaks, taking more pictures before eventually leaving. This plantation surely does represent the vision that I have always had of a “true” plantation. Quite an amazing place!

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Of course, when we arrived at Whitney Plantation, it was another thing altogether. There was no long, fancy drive in and the visitor centre was filled with displays having to do with the lives of enslaved people. We paid for our 90 minute tour which had just begun, and so quickly put on our lanyards without looking at them and headed out. Our tour guide was just going over the dos and don’ts of the tour and then led us all to the freedman’s church which was moved onto his property. Here, we learned some of the realities of life as an enslaved person, where people were taken from and how they arrived. Also here, there were many bronze statues of young black children. We learned that each of our lanyards had a picture of one of these statues and that they represented real people. On the back of the lanyard was a quote from our person. We were encouraged to find our person and I have to say, it was the most emotional moment when I came face to face with young Carlyle Stewart and read what she had to say:

I was borned in 1853…the third day of January…at Jeanerette. I was seven years old…when we wuz set free. I worked carrying sugarcane, I could only tote five talks at a time…they had straps and a whip, and they better not catch you praying to God…you can’t say your prayer, let alone read and write. They brought my Grandpa from Africay…they stole him from there and my mother was born in New Iberia.

Jim’s young person was Chris Franklin and this is what he said:

Us slaves all live in one big slave cabin, built out of plank…dey four rooms and each fam’ly have one room.  Dey have a table and benches too.  But a chair de rare thing in a cabin.  Dey have hay mattress. De ticking am rice sacks.  Us have mud chimney…when de parents workin’ in de field, somebody look after de chillen.  De nannies come in and nuss them when time come.

Both of these stories were collected from these people when they were in their late 80’s. An effort was made by the US government to gather the true accounts of people who had been held in slavery in order that their legacy not be lost. It was, as I said, an emotional thing to see a statue of this person as a young child and know their personal story.

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We left the church and it was a quiet group that moved along to the next exhibit. Here, we saw a wall. On one side was listed the names off every person who had been brought to this plantation from Africa, where they came from and how old they were when they came. For many, there were more accounts of their lives in captivity and the reality was truly devastating. I really had had no idea of the reality of life as a slave. The pictures and accounts I had seen never truly portrayed this stark sad life to its fullest. On the other side of the wall were more accounts, these by people who had been born into the world of slavery. I cannot even fathom what that must have felt like, to have your child be taken away since your baby was not a person but someone else’s property. Truly truly just the worst thing.

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As we continued our tour, I noticed a group of high school aged students out on another tour. As one might expect from kids of this age, a lot of them were not taking the tour very seriously. It made me sad and angry – the former teacher in me was pretty sure if I brought a group here, they would know the serious nature of this trip and would not be laughing and joking around. I wondered about the reaction of people who came here and asked our tour guide about it. She said that although most people who come are respectful and appreciate knowing the reality of this sad part of American history, there are those who are offended by being confronted with it and angry with Whitney Plantation for showing this ugly side of history. That is such a sad thing to know. Throughout history humans have done unthinkable things to each other, but we would hope that as we move forward we learn from those past actions and try to prevent such atrocities from happening again. Sadly, I’m not too sure that’s happening, judging from a lot of what is going on around the world at the moment.

We finished our tour at a memorial to a group of enslaved people who rose up and tried to free themselves. Sadly, it did not turn out well and all who took part in this uprising were killed and their heads posted up along the river to discourage others from trying the same.

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If you ever go to Louisiana, we highly recommend touring Whitney Plantation. For sure, the others are beautiful and present an image that we are all familiar with, but this place gives the true story and shows the true costs of this lifestyle, and as sad as it is, it is worth it to have a better understanding of this part of American history.