At 8:00, we got on the coach bus for the drive to Laura Plantation. We have wi-fi on the bus! That is more than we have at the RV Park!
At 9:10, we arrived at the Laura Plantation, which is a Creole sugarcane plantation and is significant for its early 19th century Creole style raised big house and several surviving outbuildings, including two slave cabins.Louisiana Creole people are persons descended from the inhabitants of colonial Louisiana during the period of both the French and Spanish rule.
We were free to walk around until it was time for our guided tour. There are 12 buildings on the National Register surrounded by fields of sugarcane and vegetable and fruit gardens.
Rocky, our tour guide took us through the main house, the slave cabins and the French Parterre garden.
A French Parterre is a formal garden consisting of plant beds, typically in symmetrical patterns, and connected by paths.
In the coach house was a "Registry of Slaves" from May, 1808, which listed the slaves names, their attributes and value. There were 17 slaves at that time and their value ranged from $100,000 to $10,000.
The existence of the slave quarters, which workers continued to live in until 1977, contributes to the historic significance of the complex.
Following the tour and exiting through the obligatory Gift Shop, we were back on the bus and off to Oak Alley Plantation.
On our arrival, we enjoyed yet another delicious southern buffet, consisting of Red Beans and Rice with Andouille sausage, Chicken and Sausage soup (spicy), salad , and Craw fish Etouffee over rice.
Bread pudding and Peach Cobbler for dessert!
Unfortunately, it started raining during lunch and continued on & off through the afternoon.
Oak Alley is named for its distinguishing visual feature, an alley or canopied path, created by a double row of southern live oak trees about 800 feet long, planted in the early 18th century - long before the house was built.
At one time there were 220 slaves working at the plantation, who were fitted on the ankle with "Crab Rattle Shackles" which were designed to help slave catchers locate fugitives. Noisy rattling beads in these ankle shackles would give away their location.
The Plantation "Big House" was constructed in 1839 of Greek Revival architecture. The mansion has a square floor plan, organized around a central hall that runs from the front to the rear on both floors (in contrast to the house at Laura, which had no hall). The rooms feature high ceilings and large windows. The exterior features a free-standing colonnade of 28 Doric columns on all four sides that correspond to the 28 oak trees in the alley.
We had a guided tour of the house, but photography was prohibited. 😞
Constructed of bricks made onsite, the 16" walls are finished with stucco on the exterior and painted white to resemble marble.
The old garage is a sugarcane Theatre where the history of sugarcane cultivation and production of sugar is explained through a video and exhibits.
When we returned to the park, we found out that there was a "boil water" advisory resulting from a problem with the water treatment plant. Great!
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