Nancy Hall at Magnolia Mound Plantation - Alfie Kerr
Nancy Hall was the mother of twelve children, who was held as a slave here on Magnolia Mound, a cotton plantation in East Baton Rouge. She undertook an interview after she escaped, however it was vague and many of the details were omitted. This may have been because the interview was taken in 1935, an extremely distressing period for people of color in the South due to the aggressive enforcement of Jim Crow. As a result of the development in technology and the progress made by Civil Rights Movement, it is now possible to reconstruct Nancy’s life as a slave. The hope is to encourage us to remember slaves as people, not as property. Nancy's life was just as important than any other on the plantation, therefore, this reconstruction aims to bring her story to the forefront of any conversation regarding Magnolia Mound.When Nancy was three years old, she became the property of George Otis Hall after he purchased the plantation for 79,710 dollars. This purchase also included all the property that was upon Magnolia Mound, resulting in Hall obtaining the lives of 52 people held in bondage. One of which was the mother of Nancy, Sarah, who gave birth to her when she was 18. Within 11 years, Hall purchased the lives of 27 more people, meaning 79 people were working his plantation when he left for Europe.Hall and his family left the plantation to Europe in 1860 when tensions were rising pre-civil war. Due to this, Nancy and the other slaves were left under the responsibility of the overseer/caretaker, W.J. Pierce. As a field hand Nancy worked ‘sun to sun’ and highlighted in her account that Pierce was especially cruel. Pierce would often torture the slaves for fun and make them dance for his enjoyment. As well as this, Nancy was deprived of an education. This was because Hall would never let his slaves learn to read or write out of fear of them getting ‘too smart.’ However, Nancy and the other slaves wanted an education as much as everyone else did. Hence why they strived to learn some of these skills from slaves who visited from more ‘fortunate plantations,’ even with the threat of being tortured.While under the supervision of Pierce, Nancy and the other slaves were illegally held in bondage. This was because while Hall was away in 1862, Baton Rouge came under Union control. Technically, it meant that the slaves on this plantation were now meant to be free. However, in reality, Nancy made it clear that she and the other slaves were unaware of this, explaining that she ‘really did not know’ that she was free until she ‘moved from LA.’ It shows how little slavery concerned the Union as they allowed the caretaker to continue his operations. Their unwillingness to intervene meant Nancy, with the other slaves, remained working on the planation nearly 30 years after they were given their 'freedom.' Hall was impressed that his slaves 'decided' to remain at Magnolia Mound and that ‘only one’ slave ‘had been induced to leave’ by the Union. He also mentions that the slaves ‘did all they could to save the property’ and that they were ‘very miserable and express their regret for the good old times when they were as happy as they would desire.’ This speech from Mr Hall both confirms what Nancy said and highlights how slave owners were delusional, as they convinced themselves that slaves wanted to be in bondage.At some time in the 1890’s Nancy escaped Magnolia Mound. Upon her realization that she was in fact free she moved to Texas and lived there with her son and his family. However, she was never reunited with the family who remained on the plantation. Nancy was not just a slave, but a mother who never had the luxury of seeing the children she lost on Magnolia Mound again.Citations:· United States Census (Slave Schedule), Louisiana, East Baton Rouge,1850.· United States Census (Slave Schedule), Louisiana, East Baton Rouge,1860.· Conventional Mortgage Book A, 1849, Page 316, Case 309, Clerk of Court Office, East Baton Rouge City Hall.· Nancy Hall, 1844-65, Folder 43, Box 1, John B. Cade Slave Narratives Archives, Manuscripts and Rare Books Department, John B. Cade Library, Southern University and A&M College.· George O. Hall, “For Sale or to Lease,” Baton Rouge Tri-Weekly Gazette and Comet, February 6th, 1866, page 4.· George O. Hall, Letter to George Hall, August 2nd, 1862, Folder 1-9, Box 1, Series I. Hall family correspondence 1856-1900, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State university Hill Memorial Library Special Collections.· W.J. Pierce, Letter to George O. Hall, January 15th, 1865, Folder 1-9, Box 1, Series I. Hall family correspondence 1856-1900, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State university Hill Memorial Library Special Collections.· George O. Hall, Letter to Emma Hall, January 19th, 1865, Folder 1-9, Box 1, Series I. Hall family correspondence 1856-1900, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State university Hill Memorial Library Special Collections.· George O. Hall, Letter to Mathilde Hall, February 3rd 1866, Folder 1-9, Box 1, Series I. Hall family correspondence 1856-1900, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State university Hill Memorial Library Special Collections.· Lois Elmer Bannon, Lois E. Bannon research papers, Folder 1, Box 1, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State university Hill Memorial Library Special Collections.
Caroline Wright at N. J. W. Wortham's Plantation - Alfie Kerr
The antebellum South is memorialized by the symbols we create of both the plantation owners as well as their houses. Yet, this is deceiving as it creates an image of the South being abundant with the elite. This was not the case, in fact, they were the 0.1%. The real people who built the lives of the elite as well as their homes were the people who were forced to do so in bondage, as slaves. Caroline Wright was one of these people.Caroline was owned by Dr N. J. W. Wortham. His plantation is no longer standing however, this does not mean that Caroline’s life and story needs to be forgotten with it. Being a large 800-acre sugar plantation, in 1850, Wortham owned 24 slaves to work it. Within this group was Caroline Wright, her father Bob Vaughn, her mother Rose Ann, and her 13 siblings. Caroline and her sisters were forced to be house slaves; away from her parents and brothers who were field slaves.Wortham was a practicing doctor and Caroline mentions that he would personally see to the medical problems of his slaves. Having a doctor to tend to the slaves was not uncommon. Slave owners wanted to make sure their slaves would be healthy since they were there to make their owners as much money as possible. However, Wortham also made money from his slaves by hiring them out to other plantation owners. Caroline mentions one such time when she and her family were hired out to Hays White at some time between 1850-1858. He owned a sugar and corn plantation on the Mississippi River, where he also owned another 37 people. This shows how little the slave owners valued the lives of the people they owned. To them they were tools, to be maintained and used wherever they pleased. To us, Caroline was a daughter, whose life was worth just as much as anyone else’s.On the 25th of December 1859, Wortham cut Caroline and her family’s Christmas short and escorted them to McLennan County, Texas. This was the result of the impending Civil War as at this time it was a concern of many Plantation owners, such as Wortham, that the Union would give their slaves freedom. Caroline and her family arrived at the new plantation in March 1860 where Wortham owned a total of 18 slaves however, at some point post-1860, Caroline mentions this grew to between 40 to 50 slaves. This escape carried out by Wortham highlights that the ability to keep slaves was worth more to him than his career and life in Baton Rouge.Despite Wortham’s best efforts to keep them in bondage, Caroline and her family manged to gain their freedom. When free, her father ‘prospered’ and managed to purchase 300 acres of land. Caroline also married William Wright, where in 1880 they lived with their two daughters, Amelia, and Lydia, in McLennan. They eventually had 10 more children. Caroline's life shows that slaves did not want to be property. They were people who wanted land and a family, as much as anyone else. Yet, their lives were exploited for the gain of their owners. It was slaves who built the success of the elite. It was slaves who built the plantation homes which are idolized today. Therefore, it is the lives of slaves which are deserving of remembrance, not the success or homes they were forced to create,Citations· United States Census (Slave Schedule), East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1850.· United States Census (Slave Schedule), McLennan County, Texas, 1860.· United States Census, McLennan County, Texas, 1860.· United States Census, McLennan County, Texas, 1880.· Work Projects Administration, The Voices from the Past - Hundreds of Testimonies by Former Slaves in One Volume, Madison and Adams Press: 2017.· William Hubbs, “Police Jury Proceedings,” Baton-Rouge Gazette, June 15th, 1852, Page 1.· N.J.W Wortham, “Sugar Plantation for Sale,” Baton-Rouge Gazette, September 11th, 1852, Page 3.· “Crops, Weather &c,” The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, October 19th, 1852, Page 2.
Old Hepzibah Baptist Church - By Alexia Kimble
Origins: Early settlers in East Feliciana Parish arrived in the town of Clinton in 1805 or 1806 while Louisiana was still under Spanish rule. Consequently, the Spaniard parliament only allowed Catholicism to be practiced, forcing the Baptists in the area to travel to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Amite County, Mississippi. Nevertheless, in 1812 Louisiana became a state and now the Baptists were allowed to build their own church. The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church was established in November of 1813 and became the largest integrated church to be admitted to the Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi [B.M.A.M]. The association's main purpose is to fund or offer loans to churches and missions in and around the Mississippi area. The association appointed Elder Ezra Courtney as the pastor of The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church. Enslaved Black Southerner’s Roles Within The Church:The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church is known to be one of the few churches in antebellum Louisiana to not only baptize slaves or freed colored southerns but to also offer memebership within the church. For example Adeline White, Josh Jackson, Black Phillis, Minty, Sely, Jane and Nicy are just a few of the many enslaved people that attended The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church. The church excommunicated and disciplined the slaves in the “same” manner as Whites. In some cases, the church would even protect slaves from what they deemed unnessary abuse. For example, on March 18, 1820 a slave named Black Philis spoke to Br. William Brown and John White about her leaving her husband for another slave named Lightebough because domestic abuse was not uncommon during this time. Lightebough was also an honorable God fearing man and a member of the church. In response Br. William Brown reported her to the church where Br. Will West took it upon himself to punish Lightebough with an unknown amount of lashes on his back and other parts of his body. Then on October 13, 1832 the congregation analyzed the misconduct of Br. Will West and deemed him guilty of unnecessary abuse to his black brother and excommunicated him from the church. On September 16, 1820 the church created a new edict stating that a member of the church shall not be held in fellowship that treats his slaves with barbarity. On the other hand, the congregation simultaneously punished slaves for practing “witchcraft”, however; the witchcraft in question was the reminiscing of West African culture and traditions. Names of Black Enslaved Members Found:Adeline WhiteBen - enslaved by Sister Seller (1817)Betty (1832)Black PhillisBill (1826)Charles - Owned by Mr. A Woodward (1863)Cherry (1832) DicyElcy West - enslaved by Sister Martha Lacy (1819)Floria (1832)HarrietJane - enslaved by Billinton Taylor and Marget Taylor (1826)Jany - enslaved by Sister Seller (1817)Jemima (1832)Jeny - enslaved by Sister Martha Lacy (1819)John - enslaved by Mr.Murray (1817)Josh Jackson - enslaved by Eli Sanders JuneLightebough (1832)Minty - enslaved by Mr. E Woodward (1828)NicyPamelaPamelia (1832)Soocky (1832)What Religious Abuse Looked Like in Antebellum Louisiana:John Hick, a theologian and a philosopher, defines religion as a cosmic optimism. What this means is that religion is used as a guide to become a better, ideal person. Then after your earthly life has ended, there would be a type of other world you would live in based on your “Judgment Day.” During antebellum times, going to church helped slaves cope with the dehumanizing abuse of servitude that they had to preform six days of the week. For the faith promises spiritual freedom, if they follow their “shepherd” or master until God returns back to save them in this world or another. Because churches like The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church were integrated and treated slaves in the same manner as whites; historians would argue that this humanized slaves and in result White southerners would gain empathy in the treatment of their slaves. You can see this ideal come to life in The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church with the case of Black Phillis v. Br. Will West. On the other hand, the product of these types of cases produces a White Savior complex. A good example of this complex is The Manifest Destiny doctrine, when the U.S announced that their military force would protect all of the Americas. And again in modern days when you see a White celebrity going to a poor African city and attempting to “save” the indigeous from their poverty or savage ways. In this case, White southerners viewed themselves as a prophet that is tasked with the job of leading their slaves to the promise land. Karl Marx, a German philosopher, defined religion as the opium of the people, especially of the lower class. The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church was established in 1813 only nine years after the Haitian Revolution. Therefore White paranoia, the fear of a brutal slave rebellion, was at an all time high. Many churches at that time abused their power to distinguish the remaining Caribbean or West African traditions through their punishments. These traditions that were practiced in slave society were mostly harmless medical or spiritual practices that were often mistaken as “Black Magic” by anixous White slave owners. Ultimately, The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church is a vital historical artifact that shows the duality of the effect that churches had on the enslaved society in antebellum Louisiana. Although integrated churches like The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church help humanize slaves, and allowed White planters to become empathic towards the harshness of unnecessary abuse; it simultaneously reinforced the “White Savior” complex, and the cultural genocide of almost all Caribbean or West African traditions through what the church deemed as ethical punishment. The Old Hepzibah Baptist Church was a prime example of what religious abuse looked like in antebellum Louisiana. It demonstrated how religious institutions were able to control the behavior of both freed and enslaved blacks. The promise of spiritual salvation and the threats of physical abuse was enough to keep the oppressed from revolting like other ex-slaves did in Haiti only nine years prior. Bibliography“Beyond Image and Convention.” Google Books, Google, books.google.com/books?id=ObHptCEugG0C&lpg=PA103&dq=hepzibah baptist church east feliciana parish&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=hephiz&f=false.Helton, Stanley. “Solomon Northup among Baptists and Campbellites in Antebellum Louisiana.” Restoration Quarterly, 2015."Mark Powers." Geni_family_tree. June 08, 2021. https://www.geni.com/people/Mark-Powers/6000000003539127251."Our Purpose Missions & Revolving Loan Fund." Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi | Purpose. https://bmams.org/purpose.php.Sagely, Mary Ann Smith. 1970. East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Clinton, La: S & S Printers.Savage, John. "'Black magic' and white terror: slave poisoning and colonial society in early 19th century Martinique." Journal of Social History 40, no. 3 (2007): 635+. Gale Academic OneFile (accessed April 27, 2022). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A162457473/AONE?u=googlescholar&sid=googleScholar&xid=b29b833f.Scott, Sean A. “Slavery, Civil War, and Salvation: African American Slaves and Christianity, 1830–1870. By Daniel L. Fountain. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2010. Xi 159 Pp. $36.00 Cloth.” Church History 80, no. 3 (2011): 703–5. doi:10.1017/S0009640711001065."William D. Merrick (1846-1881) - Find a Grave..." Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7807337/william-d.-merrick.
Baton Rouge Courthouse (1857 - 1922) By Bailey Echevarria
The second courthouse of East Baton Rouge parish was constructed in 1857 and remained active until 1922. The plot of land that holds the current Baton Rouge City Court was once home to the second courthouse of East Baton Rouge. It was here, at the front doors of the courthouse, that human beings were sold at auction. Enslaved people of color being legally trafficked was endorsed on the front steps of a monument to America’s judicial system.The start of the weekend introduced the end of a workweek and allowed white individuals downtime to seek entertainment. At this time, violence perpetrated against black people was a type of amusement for white people. Therefore, Saturdays were the most popular day of sale. At eleven o’clock on Saturday mornings, enslaved people were brought to the front door of the courthouse to have their lives bid upon by consumers of the slave trade.The slave auctions, under the guise of entertainment, served to reinforce the idea of slaves as property. In one instance that took place on August 4th, 1860, a young, enslaved woman by the name of Judith stood at the door of the courthouse, clutching her infant close as onlookers put a price on their lives. One can imagine the horror of the young mother, unsure if these were the last moments she shared with her baby. Judith and her child, as well as many other enslaved peoples, were sold alongside plots of land, crops, and farm animals that day. Judith’s experience was shared by millions of slaves sold at auction; Of these, hundreds if not thousands at the East Baton Rouge Parish courthouse.This heinous dehumanization of people of color was supported by Baton Rouge’s governmental system. While the courthouse that once hosted these atrocities now is nothing but a piece of land next to one of its replacements, the justice system that promoted it is the same. Buildings may crumble, but the actions of this system have caused a ripple effect of racial prejudice that remains ingrained into American society to this day.Babin, V. H. “Postponed Sale.” Baton Rouge Tri-Weekly Gazette and Comet, September 25, 1959, pg. 4. https://louisianastateuniversity-newspapers-com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/image/234486847/. (accessed April 25, 2022).“East Baton Rouge Parish.” Courthouses.co. http://www.courthouses.co/us-states/h-l/louisiana/east-baton-rouge-parish/.Hernandez, F. Thomas. “State of Louisiana,” Baton Rouge Tri-Weekly Gazette and Comet, July 29, 1860, pg. 8. https://louisianastateuniversity-newspapers-com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/image/232513330/. (accessed April 25, 2022).“Historic Map of Baton Rouge from 1885 [map].” Scale unknown. https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=baf04e96c5324f87bbcea1176061db22. (accessed April 25, 2022)Joseph, O. Tracy et al. “Louisiana’ Historic Courthouses: A Look at the Past and the Present”. http://files.lsba.org/documents/publications/BarJournal/Feature-Courthouses-June-July-2016.pdf.“Postcard, Baton Rouge, La, Old Courthouse, Built in 1857”. January 14, 2022. https://www.ebay.com/itm/203148008326.
Gartness Plantation by Holly Kliebert
Standing here now is Louisiana State University’s campus, but in the 1800’s, this would have been Gartness Plantation. Gartness Plantation existed through the Antebellum era of Louisiana and had four notable owners until it was considered abandoned after the Civil War and owned by the State. The notable owners were: Stephen Henderson, co-owners Charles G. McHatton & Irene Smith until Smith was bought out by her nephew James M. Williams, who then co-owned with McHatton until the plantation was owned by the State.There were three plantations that occupied the space where LSU is now, but their neighboring plantation, Magnolia Mound, is all that remains today. As far as current public acknowledgement goes, the only note of Gartness Plantation is a brief mention on LSU’s main website. Legal documents state that on the eve of the civil war, 97 people were enslaved at Gartness, by learning about Gartness’s owners and acknowledging those enslaved persons, it should be obvious that going forward, there should be a stronger presence of what Louisiana State University built their university upon.Stephen HendersonOne of the earliest plantation owners, Stephen Henderson, purchased Gartness in the 1830’s and owned it until his passing in March 1838. Henderson did not actually live on the plantation, his residency was located in New Orleans and he was a well connected business man whom many people respected and knew.Stephen Henderson, at the time of his passing had 169 enslaved persons, the names of these enslaved persons were unfortunately unable to be found as of now, but there are several court cases surrounding contraversy of what his will regarded for his slaves. He wished for an old business partner, Henry Doyal, to take ownership of them and when the current children reached age 20, he was to send them to the African nation of Liberia.During the Antebellum era in America, Liberia was an established area for those slave owners to send their freed slaves to because the idea was ‘They would not make it in America’. This idea was so controversial, that abolitionists advocated for free Blacks to stay in America into the 1930’s, decades after the Emancipation Act was signed into law. Regardless, Henry Doyal did no such thing to agree to Stephen Henderson’s wishes and remained owner of his slaves. However, this did not come with ease to Doyal, as several heirs of Henderson’s took Doyal to court in claims that they were more fit to be rightful owners of Henderson’s property and wealth.From what is currently known, it is unclear how the transition went after Henderson’s death and what happened to the enslaved persons, but soon after in the early 1940s, Charles G. McHatton and Irene Smith bought and became the new co-owners of Gartness.McHatton, Smith & WilliamsThe McHatton family was one of the wealthiest families in Baton Rouge in the Antebellum era, having their name tied to numerous historic locations throughout downtown and the surrounding area, and most likely purchased Gartness to increase business profits. Irene Smith, whose maiden name was Williams, could have come into co-ownership of Gartness via nepotism; however, women plantation owners were not uncommon and it could be very possible she herself was a wealthy business owner in Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, records of her own business purchases and sales remain unseen in current city archives.Irene Smith remained a co-owner of Gartness until April 15, 1857, when her nephew decided to buy out her rights to ownership. The sale lists off the names of 97 enslaved persons who either currently resided at Gartness or would be moved there by Willams. Many of these enslaved persons are only listed by a single first name and their age, very few are listed with a last name, and some individuals are not listed with an age, stating the owners were not even aware of how old all of their slaves were. The oldest listed enslaved person was named Jonah who was 40 at the time, with the youngest being unnamed but labeled - infant.Williams and McHatton would continue to own Gartness throughout the civil war until they would release ownership of the plantation to the State until it was purchased for the building of Louisiana State University.Going Forward...The lives of those enslaved at Gartness are practically erased, these were living breathing human beings who more than likely never knew a life of complete freedom because even after the Civil War, many enslaved persons were forced to sign labor contracts with their owners.The citizens of Louisiana in the Antebellum Era may have failed to recognize and respect the lives of those enslaved, but what about the present day? What could LSU do to honor the history of the land which it built upon: how do they teach the modern citizen about Gartness, and even further, the recognition of those lives who were enslaved here. It should be a priority of all citizens, here at LSU and beyond, to recognize the history of the land they occupy today.The fact that LSU was built upon Gartness Plantation should be nothing to be ashamed of or hide away, it is known history, but to continue to not honor and recognize the lives of those enslaved here could be preventing African Americans today from filling in missing keys of their family tree. Or the deeper lasting effects of erasing history, does the average LSU student or faculty member even know the history of LSU’s property?The goal going forward should be a more conscious effort to acknowledge and respect the lives of all historic persons to create a stronger and better educated sense of identity for all Louisiana State University personnel; it could even be the first stepping stone to a nationwide movement.ReferencesAbandoned and Confineable Lands in Louisiana. (1865, August 19). New Orleans Times, IV(689), p. 7. Available from Readex: America's Historical Newspapers: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&docref=image/v2%3A10FD1C6325FC3670%40EANX-110C8CA9811E4140%402402468-110C8CAB24CE4590%406-110C8CAD86A5A900%40Abandoned%252Band%252BConfineable%252BLands%252Bin%252BLouisiana.Ann Henderson vs. Pierra Adolphe Rost & Jonathan Montgomary, November 4, 1846, 4thJudicial District Court of New Orleans, Supreme Court of Louisiana Collection. Mr. Henderson's Will. (1838, March 17). Times-Picayune, p. 2. Available from Readex:America's Historical Newspapers: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&docref=image/v2%3A1223BCE5B718A166%40EANX-1223E37759C01E08%402392451-1223C97123E82768%401-123407558F08A1F0%40Mr.%252BHenderson%252527s%252BWill.Pierre Adolphe Rost & Jonathan Montgomary vs. Henry Doyal, April 8, 1859, 4th JudicialDistrict Court of Ascension Parish, Ascension Parish Courthouse.Sam Srofelle, Sale Record, April 15, 1857, Book MF, Page 368, Baton Rouge City Hall(1838, March 17). Courrier de la Louisiane, p. 1. Available from Readex: America's HistoricalNewspapers: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&docref=image/v2%3A11A734526A0A96A8%40EANX-15FAE65F32E144C0%402392451-15FAAB4442106970%400-15FAAB4442106970%40.
Louisiana State Penitentiary--Gabriel Evans
The Louisiana State Penitentiary was active from 1835 to 1862. Located in Baton Rouge it was one of the few prisons in the Antebellum South that housed children. As early as 1840, enslaved children were documented to have lived in the penitentiary, which has been referred to as ‘The Walls’ due to its enclosed brick walls that stood at 24 feet high.[I]Unfortunately, information about their personal lives inside this institution is scarce. Despite this obstacle, historians have been able to learn about their circumstances by examining the environment of the prison and how enslaved children arrived there. One of the ways young African Americans were introduced to the prison was by simply being born into it. Enslaved females within the prison found themselves in close proximity to both enslaved and free men despite having to work in gendered jobs where women washed and mended clothes while the men labored in brickyards, shops, or on public work projects in the city. Under the strict rules of the Auburn plan, all prisoners within the walls would work together during the day and later be isolated at night while maintaining their silence.[II] In addition to these factors, the prison was never built with the intention of housing children. While the cells lacked proper ventilation and beds, cold temperatures would freeze the inmates during the winter. In 1854, Physician Thomas J. Buffington raised his concern with the conditions of the cells as it was “impossible to keep them clean; being two large unfinished rooms, occupied in common by women and children…the convicts sleep on the floors of the cells, which in wet weather are damp and dirty.”[III] In spite of these conditions, contact between enslaved women and male convicts, or prison personnel, was not regulated. From 1835 to 1862, the number of children inside the penitentiary increased as “Twenty-six enslaved women were serving life sentences, and at least ten gave birth while imprisoned.”[IV] It is not known whether these women became pregnant through consensual sex or if sexual advances were forced upon them. To combat the growing population of children inside ‘The Walls’, the Louisiana legislature passed an act that allowed the children to become state property until they could be sold at the age of 10.[V] The lease in charge of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, which happened to be McHatton, Pratt/Ward & Company, were able to utilize this act in order to enrich themselves by selling or purchasing these children. In one example, Azeline, an enslaved woman who had been convicted for attempted poisoning, served more than 20 years of her life sentence as both of her children, Joseph and Emilene, were sold at a slave auction. James A. McHatton, one of the co-lessees, purchased Joseph for $800 and by 1860 he was a “farmer with $230,000 in assets, including 107 slaves.” Charles McHatton, the brother of James, also participated in this practice and was able to gain “$150,000 in assets including many slaves.”[VI] As many of the children inside of ‘The Walls’ were sold on the slave auction, others were forced into the prison through other means.Some enslaved children were sent to the Louisiana State Penitentiary as the result of being convicted of a heinous crime. In one instance, a girl named Phoebe had been “found guilty of striking her mistress over the head with an axe by a Plaquemines Parish tribunal.”[VII] Despite arriving at the penitentiary at the tender age of 12, Phoebe was given a life sentence on April 1, 1847. Surprisingly, after 10 years, Phoebe was pardoned by Governor Robert C Wickliffe on March 20, 1857 without a stated reason.[VIII] While there is a lack of information on many of the other convicted children, there was one instance in which a particular arson case received a significant amount of attention. Frank was the slave of Henry Tredick Vennard, a wealthy merchant who was well-known for his business in trading western goods like sugar and hemp.[IX] On June 7 1845, Vennard’s store on Gravier street was set ablaze, which resulted in a “large stock of western produce in the building (hemp, &c.), which was totally destroyed.”[X] After Frank was caught trying to steal from Vennard’s new store on Tchoupitoulas street, he confessed to Captain Winters that he was the one that started the fire. Despite the coercive nature of his confession, Frank was found guilty on December 5, 1845 and sentenced to 10 years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.[XI] It can be assumed that Frank was 12 years old when he arrived at the prison given that he was 22 by the expiration of his sentence on January 1, 1856.[XII]The purpose of this specialized analysis into enslaved children who resided in ‘The Walls’ was to highlight the origins of the mass incarceration of young African Americans in Baton Rouge and show how this issue still persists today. In 2018, according to the Department of Juvenile Services in East Baton Rouge, 601 out of 646 teens admitted in juvenile detention centers were Black, which accounted for 93.03% of the entire juvenile population. Similarly in 2019, 240 out of 262 teens in the detention center were Black.[XIII] These statistics highlight a startling trend in which young African Americans are still subjected to the horrors of the legal system. Just as enslaved children inhabited the Louisiana State Penitentiary, many young African Americans in Baton Rouge continue to be disproportionately subjected to the horrors and atrocities that lie within the corrections system. [I] Nobles, Connie H. “Gazing upon the Invisible: Women and Children at the Old Baton Rouge Penitentiary.” American Antiquity 65, no. 1 (2000): 5–14. https://doi.org/10.2307/2694805. p. 6.[II] FORRET, JEFF. “Before Angola: Enslaved Prisoners in the Louisiana State Penitentiary.” Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 54, no. 2 (2013): 133–71. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24396520. p 140-141.; Louisiana. 1834. Laws of the state of Louisiana relative to the penitentiary ; By--laws of the Board of Inspectors and details of the police and discipline adopted by the warden, with the approbation of the Board of Inspectors. Baton Rouge, La: Hugh Alexander. p.11[III] Nobles, American Antiquity, p. 6.; Penitentiary., Louisiana State. “Report. 1852-54.” HathiTrust, December 24, 2018. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112088114415&view=1up&seq=31. p. 7.[IV] Brett Josef Derbes. “‘SECRET HORRORS’: ENSLAVED WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE LOUISIANA STATE PENITENTIARY, 1833–1862.” The Journal of African American History 98, no. 2 (2013): 277–90. https://doi.org/10.5323/jafriamerhist.98.2.0277. p. 283.[V] Ibid p. 282.[VI] Penitentiary Report 1839 , 33; Report of the Standing Committee on the State Penitentiary [for 1843],1844, 50. Last Report: Report of ...the Louisiana Penitentiary, Nov 1861 , 1861, 39. ; Derbes, Journal of African American History, p. 283.[VII] Birch, Kelly. “Kelly Birch Phd Thesis Submission - University of Adelaide.” SLAVERY AND THE ORIGINS OF LOUISIANA’S PRISON INDUSTRY, 1803-1861. University of Adelaide, September 2017.https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/123239/1/Birch2017_PhD.pdf. p. 105.[VIII] Report to His Excellency, Isaac Johnson, 2nd December 1847, 1848, 21. Last Report: Report of the...Louisiana Penitentiary, January 1858, 1858, 47.; Forret, Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, p. 162.[IX] Portsmouth, NH. New-Hampshire Gazette, 24 April 1838, p. 4[X] New Orleans, LA. Daily Picayune, 7 June 1845, p. 2[XI] New Orleans, LA. Daily Picayune, 6 December 1845, p. 2[XII] Report to His Excellency, Isaac Johnson, 2nd December 1847, 1848, 19. Last Report: Penitentiary Report, To His Excellency, Robert C. Wickliffe, 1857, 41.[XIII] “Department of Juvenile Services Ebrp Detention Statistics 2018,” City of Baton Rouge Parish of East Baton Rouge, 2019.https://www.brla.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6461/2018-Detetention-Statistics. ; “First Quarter Detention Stats 2019 - Overall Chart.” City of Baton Rouge Parish of East Baton Rouge, 2019. https://www.brla.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7961/First-Quarter-Detention-Stats-2019---Overall-Chart. ;“Second Quarter Detention Stats 2019 - Overall Chart.” City of Baton Rouge Parish of East Baton Rouge. Accessed May 3, 2022. https://www.brla.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7962/Second-Quarter-Detention-Stats-2019---Overall-Chart.
McHatton Home Colony -- Charlie Stephens
The McHatton Home Colony was one of the (4) ex-slave refugee campus set up by the Freedman’s Bureau in Louisiana—an agency of the federal government with a mission to protect the rights of freed blacks—following union occupation in the state as a transitionary solution to the changing dynamics in the southern labor force due to the discontinuation of unfree labor. These Home Colonies were all formerly plantations and were confiscated by Union forces for this purpose. In 1864, home colonies in Louisiana comprised 9.650 acres and cared for 1,902 dependents.“In these establishments, labor is forced, and none can avoid it unless they are physically unable to perform it.” Yet, the McHatton home colony struggled to find work for much of its population with only “58 out of 625 residents [being] employed in October 1865”; the cost of caring for the indigent resulted in $24,297 in 1866 dollars—$439,350.77 when adjusted to 2022 dollars.The Home colonies were not received well by white southerners; The Bureau and its programs such as the home colonies were almost “universally opposed” by the southern press and the “disposition of the old slaveholders [is] to have this Bureau discontinued.”The life of a freed person at McHatton would have been marginally better than life on the plantation as they provided a foundation of benefits and protections to freed people including Medical Care, rations, clothing, housing, and wages for work.This was a short experiment; The home colonies ceased operation in Louisiana in 1866 with the Freedmen’s Bureau becoming completely inactive in the state by 1868.In his final report, Major General Canby listed out numerous reasons that the Bureau of Free Labor should be continued and in explaining the gravity of the decision predicted that recently freed blacks would “certainly be exterminated as that night follows the day” without the protection of his bureau.The land that constituted the McHatton Home Colony would eventually become Louisiana State University and likely would have sat along Fieldhouse Drive which sits on a ridge—that acted as natural levee—on campus.The university has done little to publicly acknowledge its physical location’s role with slavery or the people enslaved on its grounds. While there has been an increasing interest in the topic it has not been explicitly addressed by the university or its administration in a public forum.The university first accepted an African American student—A.P. Tureaud—in 1953 or 87 years after the land that we are standing on was used as a refugee camp for formerly enslaved blacks.White, H. A. (1970). Freedmen's Bureau in Louisiana. LSU Press.Conway, T. W. (n.d.). The freedmen of Louisiana. Final report of the Bureau of Free Labor, Department of the Gulf, to Major General E.R.S. Canby, commanding. Library of Congress. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/rbc/rbaapc/31400/31400.pdfMcpherson & Oliver, photographer. Two unidentified escaped slaves wearing ragged clothes / Photographed by McPherson & Oliver, Baton Rouge, La. United States, None. [Baton rouge, la.: mcpherson & oliver, between 1861 and 1865] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017659658/.Ripley, E. (1912). Social Life in old New Orleans. D. Appleton & Company.Constantino, R. C. (2019, February 26). First Black undergraduate student at the university recounts vile treatment he received on campus. The Reveille. Retrieved May 11, 2022, from https://www.lsureveille.com/daily/first-black-undergraduate-student-at-the-university-recounts-vile-treatment-he-received-on-campus/article_15012796-3a16-11e9-b3bc-c73243b55c97.html
Adelia Plantation Home at Old Goodwood - Shelby English
Through the romanticization of the antebellum plantations, residents of Baton Rouge are left with a misconstrued representation of the institution of slavery. Adelia at Old Goodwood is one of East Baton Rouge Parish’s last surviving plantation homes, and people call the main building the “centerpiece of the development”. The houses built around the plantation home are a minimum of 3,000 square feet, and start in the $750,000 to $800,000 range. Residents at the Adelia location now do not understand the history they are living on. Dr. Samuel G. Laycock (born about 1816) built Goodwood for his wife Adelia Byrd Laycock in 1850. There were about 55 to 80 enslaved people at Adelia plantation during its antebellum time (FamilySearch). These slaves picked cotton, harvesting sugercane and took care of the Adelia Plantation for Dr.Laycock and Adelia Laycock. By 1860, Laycock had real estate valued at $30,000 and personal estate (including slaves) valued at $75,000. That would be about $2 million dollars today. Elizabeth Hines, a daughter born into slavery at Adelia plantation, explained in an interview of how: “Dr. Laycock was building a gas house so that he could have a light all night and work “slaves” day and night, but peace came before he could get it finished and use it. God took a hand in that thing.” (Work Projects Administration). Elizabeth also explains that slaves “lived in log houses and some in old boxed houses”, meaning they did not really get taken care of. Working as a slave on a sugar plantation was hard enough, but the owner, Mr. Laycock, was building a house to make it so his slaves would be working 24 hours a day.There is no doubt that the remains of the enslaved people are underneath the houses in the Adelia at Old Goodwood subdivision. Their unmarked graves are further neglected through the subdivision that is now standing. The residents at Adelia seem to be comfortable with masking the true history of Baton Rouge all while memorializing people who deserve no recognition. Painful pieces of history should be set aside as relics of American history. Unfortunately, at Adelia, that is not happening.References:Adelia at Old Goodwood, Bernhard Normand Construction, Baton Rouge, http://bnc-contractors.com/adelia-old-goodwood-custom-homes/. Beard-Ward, Lizi. “Goodwood Plantation Baton Rouge.” FineArtAmerica, Baton Rouge, 24 July 2012, https://fineartamerica.com/featured/goodwood-plantation-baton-rouge-circa-1852-lizi-beardward.html. FamilySearch Wiki. “United States Census, Slave Schedule, 1850 - Familysearch Historical Records.” FamilySearch Wiki, FamilySearch Wiki, 25 Feb. 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.phptitle=United_States_Census%2C_Slave_Schedule%2C_1850_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records§ion=1. Work Projects Administration. “Elizabeth Hines.” The Voices From The Margins: Authentic Recorded Life Stories by Former Slaves: True Life Stories about the Life in Slavery and after the Liberation, e-Artnow, 2017.
Allendale Plantation- Ysabella Ayo
Of the many plantations in the Baton Rouge area, Allendale is one of the few plantations whose story is practically erased from history. Allendale planation is named after one of its many owners, Henry Watkins Allen. Henry Watkins Allen,18th Governor of Louisiana/ 2nd Governor of Confederate La., purchased Allendale Plantation in what is now Port Allen, La. in 1852. Allen spent $300,000 and the planation had approximately 125 slaves when he bought the planation. Allendale planatation was mainly a sugar and tobacco plantation. It thrived during the Antebellum era and was one of the only sugar planattions in West Baton Rouge. The house itself was burnt down by by Union soldiers during the Civil War. However, despite there being no physical house, Allendale continued to operate with slaves throughout different ownerships and decades.Allendale operated as a typical plantation in the South. It had an overseer, drivers, cooks, and field-hands. Valery Trahan, born in 1829, was purchased by Allen shortly before the Civil War. Trahan was Allen’s personal servant. He shined Allen’s shoes, delivered his mail, acted as his valet, etc. Allen brought Trahan with him into the War, but ended up emancipating Trahan during the war. After doing this, Allen fully employed Trahan as his valet and paid Trahan as an employee of the State of Louisiana. After the war, Trahan moved back to Port Allen with his family and lived on the outskirts of the Allendale property. When the house burned down, a large group of slaves left after the war, but not all.What isn’t covered or known is the ownership of Allendale immediately after the Civil War. In 1886-1882, the plantation was owned by John J. Marshall. Marshall was running Allendale as if nothing had changed, even though slavery had officially been outlawed. There were approximately 92 slaves when he acquired the land, but the exact number is unknown. Marshall kept an incredibly detailed ledger about approximately 23 laborers on the Allendale planation land. If there was no date written down, then one would assume that it was a ledger of a plantation pre-civil war. The only difference is that the African American laborers were getting “paid.” The odd thing is that Marshall typically resided in his home in Shreveport, La, which means that someone was watching the African American laborers close enough to report back to Marshall. He noted who they were, what they did, how much of his money they spent, if they brought in any revenue. He wanted to see if his laborers were up to their “full potential.” He was so exact to even calculate how long each laborer was sick and how many days work they missed. Some laborers were Sally Adams, a seamstress/farmer and Chubby Willis, a farmer. The history of Allendale is important to keep discussing because even though there is no longer a physical house, the land was still being used/operated like an actual plantation for many years. The people who lived and worked there for years deserve to have their stories recognized and told. Slave history goes deeper than a physical planation house.“Historic Structures.” Historic Structures | West Baton Rouge Parish, LA, https://www.westbatonrougemuseum.com/315/Historic-Structures.Marshall, J. J. (John James), Ledger, 1866, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State University Special Collections.Rose, Julia, and Tommy McMorris. “A South Louisiana Sugar Plantation Story - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, https://artsandculture.google.com/story/a-south-louisiana-sugar-plantation-story-west-baton-rouge-museum/igWhwAPPlAx7Ig?hl=en.
Dennis Daigre plantation - Maura Roushar
The Daigre plantation was not the largest in East Baton Rouge; however, it is often forgotten about. Many people do not know that the Daigre plantation is right here on our very own Highland rd. only 0.8 miles from LSU’s campus, now located at 4979 Highland Rd. This historic oak-lined piece of property is currently being sold for $4.75 million with the original property still standing. When Dennis Daigre was in possession of this plantation it was known that up to 33 enslaved people were barred and forced to work on this land that is now the current day neighborhood of Plantation Trace. Daigre had 4 children (Virginia, Clara, Francies, and Dennis) and was married once (Genevieve), his youngest daughter Clara was married off into the well-known Baton Rouge family the Duplantier's. They were given the plantation in 1875 when Dennis passed, hence why this road is now called Duplantier Blvd.Through my research, I struggled to find substantial evidence of the people that were enslaved by the Daigre family and where they went after the civil war. I found two slave Census records, one from 1850 and one from 1860, between these 10 years acquired 2 slaves going from 31 to 33. Also by going through records in Baton Rouge ciity hall downtown, I was able to find two names, first names only, of slaves that Dennis Daigre owned before the civil war and before the Duplantiers had ownership. The first documentation of a slave I found was a man named Griffin he was said to be 36 years old at the time and was said to be being sold to John B. Kleinpeter on April 7th 1847, for a sum of $700. The second name discovered was a female, Aubey, who was listed in the criminal records found at the Clerk of Course office. She was illegally sold alcohol from a merchant in town, unfortunately, this is the only information given about the account that I could find. There was no documentation or mention in the criminal record about what happened to Aubey after she was given back to Mr. Dennis. Although I could not find much on the slaves that were owned and forced to work right here on this plot of land that families now rasie their kids on, but I do believe not having this information speaks loudly of the knowledge we have of our history. This plantation was not well documented at the time of use, but is no excuse to discard all the lives of enslaved people that were here, uncovering this history and honoring those is the only way to rightfully preserve this property. Using historical landmarks like this one that have not already been lost should be used to showcase not our history, but the history of black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved right here in Baton Rouge. Instead of selling this on Zillow for a large profit and someone to live in, and also risk the chance of clearing away any chance at understanding this land's history. This property should be turned into a museum or at least a memorial for the 33, and more that were enslaved and forced to work on this plantation not that long ago. Resources: Andes, S., 2022. My Home, The Plantation.. [online] Medium. Available at: <https://medium.com/the-pop-culturist/my-home-the-plantation-518c3d5084c8> [Accessed 5 May 2022]."United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFPF-249 : 18 February 2021), Dennis Daigre in entry for Dennis Daigre, 1860."United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850 ", database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HR7G-9F6Z : 15 February 2020), Dennis Daigre in entry for MM9.1.1/MVZ8-H29:, 1850."United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860", database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WK2W-3GMM : 16 October 2019), Dennis Daigre, 1860.Zillow.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4979-Highland-Rd-Baton-Rouge-LA-70808/66281824_zpid/> [Accessed 5 May 2022].
Nottoway Plantation- Ashlyn Cook
The Chasm of Disconnect Between Marketing and Truth of Antebellum Plantation Homes. For far too many years people have had a misunderstanding of what truly happened on plantations. Let’s fix that.Plantation homes litter the Mississippi River Valley creating a portal into the past, however many of these plantations have chosen to conveniently leave out a huge part of the historical context of the properties that tend to be marketed as “meticulously maintained, majestic marvels” and an opportunity to “learn more about life during an incredible era leading up to the Civil War”. (Louisiana Travel) What these plantations tend to leave out of their idea of “incredible” is the fact that those mansions more often than not were built by slaves that were brutally mistreated and kept against their will. Nottoway Resort’s claim on history is the oaks on the property that they are proud of. “In 2015 eleven of the sixteen trees were registered with the Live Oak Society of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc.” (Nottoway Plantation) All of the trees were named after the Randolph children the oldest tree is called Ella Eugine and is 162 years old. However, The Nottoway Resort is conveniently leaving out that all too important part of its history. In 1860 Nottoway Plantation “encompassed 6,200 acres with 155 African Americans that worked on the plantation as slaves.” (National Park Services) Nottoway offers plenty of information on one of the families that lived on the property naming each of their 40 rooms after the Randolph family but offers no information on the 155 people residing on the property in 1860 and the other slaves that lived thereafter. To give back to Nottoway all of its deep and vast history one can look at the Diary of Bennet H. Barrow another Louisiana plantation owner. Benett Barrow’s plantation was called Highland or Locust Grove Plantation and it was just outside of modern-day St. Francisville. Barrow was an avid diarist, as were most people in that era. However, Bennet’s diary is different in the sense that next to the common things such as harvest yield and weather he also cataloged in detail beatings or punishments he would place upon his enslaved people. While there are only a few excerpts from Barrow's diary here they are gruesome and offer a better idea of what truly took place on a plantation in the Antebellum and break the false narrative many plantations would have you believe. 1838 Sept. 28 "Dennis and Tom "Beauf" ran off on Wednesday - . . . if I can see either of them and have a gun at the time will let them have the contents of it ..."1839 October 4th, “Boy Lewis came in last night- gave him the worst whipping I gave any young negro. I predict he will not runnaway soon. Building a jail for him, Dennis, and Ginny Jerry- intend jailing them for Saturday nights ‘til Monday mornings.” 1839 December 24th, “ Intend exhibiting Dennis during Christmas on a scaffold in the middle of the Quarter and with a red flannels cap on” This is the reality of plantation life for enslaved people. They were real people who experienced real tragedy and trauma. In the same way that Nottoway resort is a gross misrepresentation of history so is Magnolia Mound which is right here in Baton Rouge. At Magnolia Mound Plantation you can send children to a summer day camp where they will participate in crafts and make food in the open-hearth kitchen. Magnolia Mound is run by Baton Rouge’s Parks and Recreation Service meaning they are an official public office that has to listen to the community. As Baton Rouge residents we may not be purposefully burying history and the black voices that accompany them but if we are not actively excavating these stories and are allowing the burial of these voices we might as well pick up a shovel because we become part of the problem. Bennett Barrow, Diary, September 28, 1838, Slavery in Louisiana Collection, Louisiana State University Special Collections.Bennett Barrow, Diary, October 4, 1839, Slavery in Louisiana Collection, Louisiana State University Special Collections.Bennett Barrow, Diary, December 24, 1839, Slavery in Louisiana Collection, Louisiana State University Special Collections.History - Nottoway Resort - largest antebellum mansion. Nottoway Resort - Website. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.nottoway.com/historyPlantations Louisiana. Louisiana Official Travel and Tourism Information. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.louisianatravel.com/history-heritage/plantations
Highland/ Locust Grove Plantation- Ashlyn Cook
The Chasm of Disconnect Between Marketing and Truth of Antebellum Plantation Homes. Benett Barrow’s plantation was called Highland or Locust Grove Plantation and it was just outside of modern-day St. Francisville. Barrow was an avid diarist, as were most people in that era. However, Bennet’s diary is different in the sense that next to the common things such as harvest yield and weather he also cataloged in detail beatings or punishments he would place upon his enslaved people. While there are only a few excerpts from Barrow's diary here they are gruesome and offer a better idea of what truly took place on a plantation in the Antebellum and break the false narrative many plantations would have you believe. 1838 Sept. 28 "Dennis and Tom "Beauf" ran off on Wednesday - . . . if I can see either of them and have a gun at the time will let them have the contents of it ..."1839 October 4th, “Boy Lewis came in last night- gave him the worst whipping I gave any young negro. I predict he will not runnaway soon. Building a jail for him, Dennis, and Ginny Jerry- intend jailing them for Saturday nights ‘til Monday mornings.” 1839 December 24th, “ Intend exhibiting Dennis during Christmas on a scaffold in the middle of the Quarter and with a red flannels cap on” This is the reality of plantation life for enslaved people. They were real people who experienced real tragedy and trauma.
Magnolia Mound Plantation-Ashlyn Cook
The Chasm of Disconnect Between Marketing and Truth of Antebellum Plantation Homes. In the same way that Nottoway resort is a gross misrepresentation of history so is Magnolia Mound which is right here in Baton Rouge. At Magnolia Mound Plantation you can send children to a summer day camp where they will participate in crafts and make food in the open-hearth kitchen. Magnolia Mound is run by Baton Rouge’s Parks and Recreation Service meaning they are an official public office that has to listen to the community. As Baton Rouge residents we may not be purposefully burying history and the black voices that accompany them but if we are not actively excavating these stories and are allowing the burial of these voices we might as well pick up a shovel because we become part of the problem.
Harlem Plantation
Harlem Plantation, situated in Plaquemines Parish Louisiana was built around the year 1820. It was a sugar and corn plantation, meaning the labor for the enslaved African Americans on this plantation was hard and intense. When the plantation first began operating, it was considered to be a small plantation, with only about 15 slaves working and living on the grounds, yet by the end of slavery there were about 80 slaves, making it one of the larger plantations in Louisiana. There is not much known about the plantation without opening up ledgers and billing statements from the original plantation owners and operators, however it still serves as an important landmark to the Baton Rouge area in regards to slavery. Due to Harlem Plantation focusing on sugar production, life on the plantation was particularly grueling due to the intensive labor required to harvest the sugarcane. Harlem’s ledgers featured a journal of the daily activities on the plantation, which included different aspects of the life of the people enslaved there. Most diary entries recorded what jobs the slaves did daily, some of which included harvesting sugarcane, house domestics, and water fetching. The owners rarely mentioned anything related to how slaves were punished, other than one entry when the plantation first started turning a profit where a mother was put in shackles for an unknown cause. The diary only included this brutal act of torture as a way to show that her young son did not harvest as much sugar cane as he had the day before because of this, making it obvious that the matter only held importance to the owners from a financial viewpoint. The brutality of plantation life was only mentioned elsewhere when looking at records before and after the harvest. The cruelty of life on Harlem Plantation was also shown by how the Wederstrandt’s, the owners, took a census on every slave alive before the harvest and after the harvest, and would write down which slaves had passed. The death toll would be quite large, some years ranging to almost half of the plantation slave population. It was revealed in one ledger that one of the brothers of the family would go down to New Orleans after every harvest to purchase new slaves for the next harvest, the height of these purchases going to upwards of $8,000 to help replenish the labor lost after previous harvests. Although there were many slaves mentioned in the ledgers, most of them were not given last names, other than the Griffin family. The family tree starts with Solomon and his wife Sally. They had 6 children together, named Frederick, Lloyd, Richard, Caroline, Rachel, and Emma. All children were under the age of 13 and were continously mentioned as being alive before and after numerous harvest seasons. Another member of the Griffin family is Matilda. She is most likely a sister of Soloman's, as she is not reported to be a child in the ledger and is not listed under as one of Soloman and Sally's children. She had 5 children named Betsy, Sarah, Henry, Joshua, and Ally, who was an infant.After the Civil War, documents about the Griffins are hard to uncover, but thankfully a few important details were recorded. Solomon and Sally were not recorded after the war, so it is safe to assume that they passed before emancipation, as they were in their early 40s during the 1850s. Betsy ended up marrying a man named Saul and she moved to St. Charles with him and lived there until she was in her 50s. She had 9 children with him. Betsy's brother, Richard and another potential unnamed brother were recorded in the 1850 census as living in Ascension Parish and East Baton Rough Parish. Although there are no other records on the exact whereabouts of the other Griffins, it can safely be determined that they were able to escape an indentured system on their old plantation, as there are no former slaves from Plaquemines Parish that align with the Griffins family tree and family credentials. Harlem Plantation has historical importance for several reasons. The first point of importance that this plantation holds is the amount of history that can still be learned about the slave population living there throughout the decades, despite many plantation files and diaries being left to rot after the Civil War. During the half century that Harlem Plantation was operational, the Griffin family was a large family of enslaved people living and working on the plantation. It is a historical loss that more records on the Griffin family were destroyed due to the plantation being left to deteriorate after the Civil War, especially since there are most likely descendants of this same family still living in Louisiana today. The second reason behind the relevance and importance of Harlem Plantation lies in how it’s perceived in modern times. This plantation home represents something different than other plantation homes do, a different side of the same coin if you will. For example, there are many still-standing plantation homes that have been renovated and restored into different “elegant” venues such as wedding venues, bed and breakfasts, etc. Despite Harlem Plantation not being turned into a tourist attraction, glorifying the Antebellum South days of slavery and racism-fueled brutality, it’s current state and neglect issues the same message to everyone. The deterioration of the plantation and the loss of records from it portrays the same dangerous information as it would if Harlem Plantation had been turned into a wedding venue. The lack of information made public about Harlem Plantation makes it even easier to ignore the harsh reality of what slavery was and how horrible it really was, and in particular how if affected entire family structures. It cannot be forgotten that a massive family, even by modern standards, was held on this plantation. There are still likely descendents of the Griffins alive today and by leaving the plantation to deteriorate, it is symbollically showing that the strength of the Griffin family that helped them survive the horrors of slavery is meaningless. Together, we need to create programs to spread the information of Harlem Plantation and try to implement a restoration process to the plantation’s house and grounds. This is the only step forward we can take to inform people about the general truth of slavery, as well as help uplift and bring awareness to the major families who were able to survive together through it's horrors.
Baton Rouge Slave Depot--Alexander Aoun
By Alexander AounDuring the times of slavery, we learned that one way enslaved people tried to beat the system was running away to gain their freedom. For some this worked out, but sadly for others it was not as good an outcome as they were hunted down by men and dogs and received punishments for their actions. If an enslaved person was not able to be identified or claimed by their “master” then they were put into what is called a slave depot. Essentially what this was, was a jail for runaway slaves. This is where they would stay until they were either claimed, or until they passed away.Slave depot’s began in the 1820’s as multiple jails across the state of Louisiana which included depots in St Landry Parish, Ascension Parish, St Tammany Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish, etc. These prisons lined the Mississippi River due to the fact that it was a common area for enslaved people to escape through. The Baton Rouge Depot was located at the Intersection of Africa and St. Ferdinand Street which today is Louisiana Ave. and St. Ferdinand. If you go there today, the Baton Rouge City Court takes its place and leaves no remnants of what used to be. The life of an enslaved runaway in jail was not one that many would want to be a part of. If an enslaved person was captured they were sent to jail and if they were not claimed within 2 months, they were then transported to the depot nearest to where they were caught. If 12 months went by, they would then become property of the state and state officials could put them to work doing whatever they wanted. They were sent to hard labor, with elements of the weather, nature, and man all against them. Whatever work contractors had no desire to do, enslaved chain gang’s were forced to work on. A few projects they worked on included levee building for Pointe Coupee Parish, Building an embankment from the Mississippi River Levee to False River that would be big enough to fit a road, and the Baton Rouge to Clinton Railroad. Also, cities such as Donaldsonville gained recognition for their town and how nice it was yet most of the construction was done through slave labor in chain gangs. During these projects prisoners had to endure searing heat, torrential rains, marsh, mud, and illness. During the first year of construction on the Baton Rouge to Clinton Railway, 11 prisoners died due to illness which caused the state engineer to give up on the project. Nobody would bat an eye to stop this however due to the mindset of people in the south and because the law looked favorably upon this because it was the cheapest form of work since they only had to pay for “incidental expenses.”This all matters because it is hard to find any information on this subject and it is still happening today. The Angola Prison here in Louisiana still utilizes forced labor in the prison. People who end up there are required to work on fields and in factories all for the prison to run. Prisoners who end up there are forced to work at the bare minimum 90 days out in the field and then they may apply for other jobs. The point that is not clearly seen is there are not enough jobs for people to get out of working in the fields. They also fail to accommodate inmates with disabilities and put them to work in the fields or factories. An example of this is back in 2016, an inmate by the name of Clyde Carter tore a ligament in his knee yet he had to work because his work release form kept “expiring.” Many categorize this prison as a “for-profit” prison due to the fact that each inmate makes about 2 cents per hour of work, and the inmates harvest their food and keep the prison running. Currently, lawmakers are trying to completely abolish this trend all together by amending the state constitution which mirrors the US constitution. The issue being the 13th constitution which outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude, except in cases where someone was convicted of a crime. States such as Rhode Island, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah have all abolished this form of “punishment” and Louisiana is working on it now.References:Birch, K. (2017, September). Kelly Birch phd thesis submission - university of adelaide. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/123239/1/Birch2017_PhD.pdfPaterson, B. (2021, April 8). Slavery in Louisiana's prisons? this lawmaker wants voters to outlaw forced labor for good. The Courier. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.houmatoday.com/story/news/state/2021/04/08/slavery-louisianas-prisons-lawmaker-wants-voters-outlaw-forced-labor-good/7137837002/Covert, B., Sylvia, J. P., Stephens, P., Kiebala, V., & Ewulonu, N. (n.d.). Louisiana prisoners demand an end to 'modern-day slavery'. The Appeal. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://theappeal.org/louisiana-prisoners-demand-an-end-to-modern-day-slavery/Image 1 of Sanborn Fire Insurance map from Baton Rouge, east ... - loc.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4014bm.g032751885/?sp=1
St Charles -Waterford Plantation Camron Gales
When did slavery end? Did it end in 1863 with the signing of the Emancipation proclamation? What if I told you that slavery didn’t end until the 1970s? There are documents from the Department of Justice that prove that slavery still existed. The rebranded name for slavery was peonage, and it operated the same as slavery. White families refused to give up their right to own slaves. They captured and tricked black people into peonage. More than a century after the legal freeing of slaves, many in the south were still in bondage. All southern states had documents describing slavery – beatings, mistreatment, cruelty- in all southern states. Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, Tennessee, South and North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. This shows us that slavery didn’t end after the civil war. Slavery is one of the leading causes that black people’s advancement isn’t where it needs to be. Peonage – or debt slavery- was a system created to trap formerly enslaved people back into slavery. The system is built where an employer forces a slave to pay off some debt. Co9ngress “outlawed” peonage, but after the failure of Reconstruction, many formerly enslaved people found themselves back into slavery. Employers would trick the slaves by seeming like they were doing them a favor and then turn around and charge them. This puts the slave into debt and gives the employer an excuse for why they have slaves working for them. Slaves became indebted to white people because of financial circumstances. Most times, free slaves would need loans to live. Some loans include - sharecropping loans or credit with local businesses. Slaves were o unable to re-pay the debt, which trapped them into a continuous work-without-pay cycle. (Slavery v. Peonage). It was very common for many black men to be contracted workers and get tricked into staying on the plantation indefinitely as prisoners. A born slave named Marcus was emancipated after the civil war. Marcus was hired to pick cotton on a plantation at the age of ten. Marcus had no education and didn’t know life outside of the plantation. When Marcus was 21, he was given a contract by the plantation owner. A couple of years into his contract, the plantation owner gets sick and dies. The plantation owner’s son would soon take over the plantation. He was a senator and convinced Marcus to sign a ten-year contract. Not long after Marcus signed his contract, the state decided to use convicted men to work on plantations. Marcus and some of the other contracted workers were uneasy about the new edition to the plantation. Even though they felt uneasy, they had no choice but to work and fulfill their 10-year agreement. Once Marcus fulfilled his contract, he was looking to try and leave the plantation. The senator wouldn’t let him because while under the senator, Marcus collected $165 worth of debt for food and clothing. Marcus’ contract required that he had no debt, and if debt did occur, it must be paid off in full. Marcus couldn’t pay that amount. The senator made Marcus a prisoner and made him work with the inmates doing hard labor. He was forced to work sunup to sunset with little food or rest. He was also constantly being threatened by physical punishment. Sadly, this is just one of the many stories, but this wasn’t the worst form of peonage. (Washington and Lee Law Review)While I was researching, I found a letter that a man sent to the criminal division who investigated these peonage crimes. The letter read,” I am writing you in regard to a case of, Peonage, have a farmer on my rural route who has held a family of negros under his subjection for about 17 years he has used them for his own self benefit and for immoral purpose if you will send a secret service man here I will be glad to cooperate with him to bring this party to the bar of justice. I am satisfied that we can get the proper evidence against him and get a conviction in the federal court,” This case was in Louisiana in the year of 1933. The criminal division responded to the letter saying they would send an agent but never did. That was the last of that document. As I continued my research, I came across an interview that seemed fairly simulator to this case. Historian Antionette Harrell has studied cases of Black people living as slaves a century after the nation signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Harrell discovered 20 people who were held and forced into slavery on the Waterford Plantation in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. One of the complaints to the division mentioned Waterford, which leads me to believe that these two cases are related. Harrell was told first-hand how they were worked to the bone day and night on the plantation. They got trapped into slavery because they signed a contract that they couldn’t read. They thought this way of life was normal. They had no television or any interactions with the real world to help them understand that they weren’t supposed to be held as slaves. The women of the family were brutally raped, and the men were brutally beaten. They had family die and they also gave birth on the plantation. A member of the family didn’t approach Harrell until 1994 because she was in fear that she would be harmed. She said that 5 generations of people had been born on Waterford plantation. The member of the family who escaped said that she was scared because the owners of plantation were political and high-ranking people, who could possibly still hurt her. Harrell documented “that was the first time” she had “met people in involuntary service or slavery. They didn’t want to go public with it because some of them were still employed by those same people and feared retaliation,” (Harrell 2019). (Harrell 2019). In 1950 the Louisiana Power and Light company opened its first plant on the bank of the Mississippi River close to the Waterford plantation. In 1963 the company wanted to expand, so they brought some of the Waterford Plantation. From 1963 well into the 1970s, the light company leased the land to a company, Milliken and Farwell, Inc (I found this weird because Milliken and Farwell, Inc were the original owners of the plantation) for a share of the sale of their crop of sugar cane that they produced on the plantation. When the light company brought the rest of the plantation land, F. Evans Farwell donated the plantation’s bell. Harrell said that the enslaved family told her about a bell. The bell rang at the beginning and end of the day. The bell can still be found in one of the administration buildings at the light company, “serving as a constant reminder of the original purposes for which the land was used” (Waterford: Agriculture to Industry). At the time of purchase in 1971, Mr. Farwell stated that some of his present employees were direct descendants of the slaves brought initially to work on the Waterford Plantation. It is believed that the family members on the plantation were transitioned to help build the plantation and work there. (Waterford: Agriculture to Industry).Why aren’t Black people not as far ahead as they should be? It’s because plantation slavery wasn’t gone until the 1970s. Even if slavery was abolished, laws make it impossible for direct decedents of enslaved people. These factors are stopping the advancement of Black people. “Slavery was more than 100 years ago.” When the truth is slavery didn’t end until 50 years ago.Reference:“Black People in the US Were Enslaved Well into the 1960s.” VICE, 28 Feb. 2018, https://www.vice.com/en/article/437573/blacks-were-enslaved-well-into-the-1960s. A Georgia Negro Peon. the New Slavery in the South--an Autobiography., https://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/negpeon/negpeon.html. Harrell, Antoinette. African Americans in Tangipahoa and St. Helena Parishes. Arcadia Publishing, 2019. Helm, Angela. “Is Anyone Shocked That Slavery Continued a Century after Emancipation?” The Root, The Root, 1 Mar. 2018, https://www.theroot.com/is-anyone-shocked-that-slavery-continued-in-the-u-s-a-1823395825. “Slavery v. Peonage.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/themes/peonage/. “Washington and Lee Law Review.” Washington and Lee Law Review | Washington and Lee Law Review | Washington and Lee University School of Law, https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/wlulr/. “Waterford: Agriculture to Industry - Chapter 7 (Louisiana Power & Light Co. 1963-Present).” St. Charles Parish, Louisiana Virtual History Museum, 30 June 2021, https://scphistory.org/waterford-chapter-7/.
Chatsworth Plantation- By: Kayla Williams
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”~ Marcus GarveyToday while many white Americans are able to trace their history back well into (or even beyond) the 19th century, many black Americans struggle to find any information about their lineage past the 1900s. The poor recording of history as it relates to black people in the past continues to have a lasting impact, resulting in many black Americans across the country not having any information about their roots. Despite this known problem, there seems to be no motivation to produce a solution. Many plantations and the people, companies, or even states that own them all seem to be complicit in this lack of seeking important truths of history regarding slavery. Many plantations are now used as event space or party spots to host your annual Halloween party or to even get married on. Possibly a worse outcome than having a tragic piece of land now serve as a spot for celebration with no mere mention of its appalling past, is it being torn down and totally forgotten with no remembrance of its past, or those who suffered on its land. The Chatsworth Plantation was originally located in what is now known as Gardere, LA, and stretched across 2300 acres. Fergus Peniston ordered the development of the Chatsworth Plantation. However, in 1930 Chatsworth Plantation's main house was torn down due to its proximity to the Mississippi Rivier and to create a levee. Fergus Peniston is the adopted son of Fergus Duplantier. The Duplantiers were one of the wealthiest families in East Baton Rouge during this time and owned Magnolia Mound Plantation. The Chatsworth Plantation finished being developed in 1859. In 1866 Fergus Peniston sold the Chatsworth Plantation to François Gardère, the Treasurer of the State of Louisana. Prior to being sold to François Gardère, Fergus Peniston ran and operated the Chatsworth Plantation as a sugar plantation and mill. According to the 1860 U.S. Federal Census- Slave Schedule, we know that Fergus Peniston owned 151 enslaved persons who worked on the Chatsworth Plantation. None of the enslaved persons' names were included in the census. However, due to the U.S. Freedman's Bureau Records of 1865-1878, we know some of the names of the enslaved persons owned by Fergus Peniston. The names and ages (at the time of recording) of those recorded as once being owned by Fergus Peniston on the Freedman’s Bureau Records are listed below:John Day, 36Andy Daris, 48John Dalmer, 34William Daigre, 41Delphine, 17Yellow Delilah, 40Dick, 24Black Delilah, 42Margaret Dunham, 30Sallie Day, 24Hariot Dudley, 40Sam Fowler, 54Charles Ford, 58Fanny, 48Grand Fisher, 41Sarah Foster, 25Maze hawkins, 45Charles Hawkins, 17Ellen Hawkins, 42Andy Hill, 60Allick Jackson, 17Lucinda Jackson, 17Jacko, 17Celestin Pompey, 68Philis, 60Punk, 44Patsy, 23Philip, 14Reubin, 37Henry Richard, 48Rou, 20Theodule, 37Teley, 26Henry Taylor, 40Wade Phebe, 70Henry Washington, 40While you are able to trace the lineage of Fergus Peniston to present times, the same can not be said for the 151 enslaved persons who were forced to work on his plantation. Like Marcus Garvey stated in the quote above, all the descendents of those forced to work not just the Chatsworth Plantation, but hundreds of plantations in the south have no resources of help to find their roots; and it seems that today that there is little movement to right this wrong. While it will take time and hard work we must work to correct a past mistake, due to a lack of recording the lives of those seen as property and treated like animals to ensure that the descendents of those unjustly treated in the past, can stand tall and strong today knowing they are rooted in their ancestors. Resources:“1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules.” Ancestry®, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7668/images/lam653_427-0379?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=750462af812659c79e2b1200f873cacb&usePUB=true&_phsrc=uDl136&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=92967386.“Chatsworth Plantation Store Records.” LSU Libraries, https://www.lib.lsu.edu/sites/default/files/sc/findaid/4589.pdf. “U.S., Freedmen's Bureau Records, 1865-1878.” Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3133316:62309?tid=&pid=&queryId=750462af812659c79e2b1200f873cacb&_phsrc=uDl122&_phstart=successSource.
Slave Depot
Baton Rouge Slave Depot“When a master wishes to punish a slave, male or female, he will send that person to the jail with a note that contains the order for the number of the lashes that the jailer is to administer. The poor man or woman returns home with the note that shows that the indicated punishments has been carried out”There is little available information about the Baton Rouge slave depot, there was a need for slave depots because of enslaved resistance. The enslaved used a variety of strategies to contest the authority of slaveholders and assert their right to control their own lives. One example is running away but whatever the resistance, the common denominator between them was an attempt to claim some measure of freedom against an institution that defined people fundamentally as property. Slave depots collected fees for detaining, whipping and selling African American inmates and also made money from forced manual labour, which contributed to the infrastructure that helped Louisiana’s commercial expansion. An example of the forced labour of the prison chaingangs was building a levee in Pointe Coupee Parish, showing how dependent Louisiana was on this system for their infrastructure. By 1855 there was legislature passed to centralise the slave depot systems and decided to keep the Baton Rouge Depot open for the reception of unclaimed runaway slaves.Enslaved runaways that were caught faced an indefinite incarceration while they waited to return to their owners. This jailing system played a important role in the business of slaveholding, not just in Baton Rouge but throughout the South. Runaway slaves were not considered to be dangerous criminals, but it was a massive inconvenience to slaveholders because it impacted them economically, not just because of loss of labour but also the amount of time and money spent on recovering them. Some slaves on record originally came from outside Louisiana such as Philadelphia and Chicago, but the vast majority were from Louisiana. This illustrates the expansive geographical sphere of Louisiana’s incarceration system.The other reason that the enslaved would end up in the Baton Rouge Slave Depot was because of their slaveholders sending them there as punishment because of a private violation or crime, or because they wanted to secure them. For a fee masters or mistresses would send their slaves to these jails to be corrected by jailers, some of the reasons include removing them from outside influence that could make them rebel or keeping them till they were old enough to work and be profitable. Records indicate that this only cost around 25 cent a day, because of its convenience it was a tool utilised by a variety of slaveholders to combat other slave resistance and manage their enslaved property. In some more extreme cases the Baton Rouge Slave Depot was used as a place to keep slaves that were deemed ungovernable or unwanted, some were kept incarcerated while the slaveholders tried to get their money back when they were unhappy with the slave that they purchased.Sources:-A New Digest of the Statute Laws of the State of Louisiana: From the Change of Government to the Year 1841, Inclusive. United States: E. Johns, 1842.-Kaye, A (2009).. Joining Places: Slave Neighborhoods in the Old South: Easyread Edition. - Birch, K. (2017), September. Kelly Birch phd thesis submission - university of adelaide. -Childs, D. (2015). Slaves of the State. University of Minnesota Press.
Free People of Colour in Downtown Baton Rouge - Alex Constantine-Smith
As in any city, ‘downtown’ Baton Rouge is the commercial center of the city, and has been the central hub for the city’s life for the past 200 years. It has been shown how African American lives have been shaped by slavery in the Baton Rouge area, however there is a lot of evidence that exists that highlight cases where ‘Free People of Color’ (FPOC) lived and worked in the city, forming a key part of business and life in the history here. Lives of enslaved people are often undocumented, and there is a great effort to uncover their stories, but FPOC also suffer from little modern-day attention – despite their lives appearing in historical records. Here on Third Street, and on the parallel Lafayette Street, there lived a number of free black men and women, all who helped shape Baton Rouge life at some point. Here are their stories.Julia Mather was a famous cook and confectioner in the city, living in Baton Rouge since her birth in around 1901. Notably, she provided ice cream and cake in the summer, serving it to those who bought it in the hot Louisiana sun. While her name doesn’t appear in any emancipation records, Julia bought a brick house and lot on Third Street from the estate of David C. Hatch in 1837, indicating that she was either born free or was emancipated while she was still young. Despite a granted position by Hatch’s estate to seize the property from her, Julia remained in the brick house for a number of years, until at least the 1880s. An 1860 census showed Julia to actually own one slave herself, revealed to be an older lady, affectionately named ‘Aunt Sally’ who would peddle Julia’s goods to their customers in the surrounding neighborhood. Julia was clearly well-respected in society, as she served the Baton Rouge Gazette and the Daily Advocate newspaper offices daily, the latter located nearby on the Southeast corner of Florida and Lafayette Streets. Food was also provided for the legislature during their sessions, choosing to enlist Julia’s services rather than eat at the Harney House Hotel, on the Northwest corner of Lafayette and Main Streets. While the only description of Julia’s residence being that of a brick house on the river side of Third Street, between North Boulevard and now Spanish Town Road, the proximity of her two most prominent customers suggests that this point is a logical place that the old brick house and lot may have stood. The Harney House was built in the 1840s to accommodate the legislators from the nearby House of Legislators, a government building of central importance in Baton Rouge. Here was where Mr. Louis Francois canvassed to become the Treasurer, Collector and Assessor of East Baton Rouge Parish. First listed in an 1860 as Louis “Franswa”, Louis gained notoriety for his ownership of ‘Noon Laguier’, a grocery shop in a corner lot on Lafayette Street. He was also formerly an ice cream vendor as well and became popular due to his role in society. Using his sharp wit, Louis submitted himself to the ‘Bones and Banjo Convention’, where he was elected to be on the Republican ticket, beating out Victor Lange and George Ragan – a white man, demonstrating the positive influence Louis had on voters. Pitted against Democrat Mr. Granary, a total of 901 votes were cast, with Louis losing 385 – 516, naming Mr. Granary as Baton Rouge Treasurer, Collector and Assessor. Despite not winning the ticket, gaining a substantial number of votes in 1871 – at the height of a difficult Reconstruction Era – is impressive, and demonstrates the presence that Louis had in Baton Rouge at the time. Again, there is no specific location for listed for the address of Louis Francois, however a corner lot of Lafayette Street is certainly a small scope and was likely in the run of shops known as the Harney Row, along from the Harney House on Main Street.Alphonse Arbour was another free man of color who lived and worked in this area of downtown. After being emancipated himself, and emancipating his brother in 1847, Alphonse started a family with Eliza Hendricks, having two children: Fanny and Mary. Alphonse opened a cigar shop on the corner of Third and North Boulevard Streets, opposite the State Capital and city market, where he sold the “very best” Havana’s to the population of Baton Rouge. A coffee stand was also opened outside of his shop, where he served people tea, coffee, and hot chocolate at all hours. The nature of these businesses demonstrate a certain level of respect for Alphonse, as he is serving more luxurious goods to the people of Baton Rouge, and therefore has closer access to the elite. Using the money from his successful business, Alphonse began emancipating his mother, Mary. When the Union Army took control of the city in 1863, Alphonse joined a number of prominent free men of color in the city in signing a petition to the Provost Marshall, to protest their harsh treatment of people of color. Whether this achieved anything is unclear, and unfortunately Alphonse was drafted into the 2nd Louisiana Volunteers in 1865, fighting for the remainder of the war. At the war’s conclusion, Alphonse returned home to Baton Rouge, back to a life of relative comfort. While by no means a comprehensive list, these are some accounts of prominent free people of color that resided and worked in downtown Baton Rouge, chiefly on Third and Lafayette Streets. These stories indicate how people of color played an integral role in society and were often respected by their white peers in their businesses – contrary to popular beliefs. Looking at their stories can offer some form of identity with them, which can be hard to characterize with enslaved people. This also further shows how this city was built on the success of people of color, and even those who were lucky to escape slavery were still creating the Baton Rouge we know today. CensusesUnited States Census (Slave Schedule), East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1840United States Census (Slave Schedule), East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1860United States Census (Slave Schedule), East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1870NewspapersBaton Rouge, LA. Daily Capitolian Advocate, 12 April 1882, p. 2Baton Rouge, LA. State-Times Advocate, 25 August 1916, p. 3Baton Rouge, LA. State-Times Advocate, 8 September 1916, p. 10Baton Rouge, LA. The Weekly Advocate, 15 April 1871, p. 3Baton Rouge, LA. The Daily Gazette and Comet, 25 September 1855, p. 2New Orleans, LA. The Daily Picayune, 7 September 1867, p. 1New Orleans, LA. The New-Orleans Times, 8 March 1865, p. 3New Orleans, LA. The New-Orleans Times, 24 November 1867, p. 2Other MaterialsBaton Rouge Free Men of Color to Pardee, 1863.pdf‘History’. The Advocate, https://www.theadvocate.com/site/history.html. Accessed 2 May 2022.LSU Hill Memorial Library. ‘From Red Stick to River Capital’. Case 9: The Businesses of Baton Rouge, https://www.lib.lsu.edu/sites/all/files/sc/exhibits/e-exhibits/redstick/cas9txt.html. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.PAR # 20883805. Indexing by Race and Slavery Petitions Project, Subjects: Morris,LeRoy C. (petitioner); Mather, Julia (free woman of color), Feb 5, 1838 – Mar 30, 1838.PAR # 20884825. Indexing by Race and Slavery Petitions Project, Subjects: Arbour,Alphonse (petitioner) (free person of color); Alberic (slave), Jun 12, 1848 – Oct 09, 1848.Richey, Thomas H. The Battle of Baton Rouge. VirtualBookworm.com Publishing, 2005. p. 4
The Legacies of Slave-holding POC in Louisiana- Morgan Aguillard
The legacies of free, slave-holding, POC in Antebellum Louisiana is arguably one of the most overlooked, but also most intriguing aspects of slave-holding societies in Louisiana. Throughout the Louisiana Antebellum era, up through the Civil War era, and until the Reconstruction period was a peculiar time for free POC living in Louisiana. Concentrated in East and West Baton Rouge Parishes, as well as Pointe Coupee and Iberville parishes. Despite what is commonly believed, there were instances of POC not only living freely but thriving and flourishing in doing. Some of these individuals became some of the richest black people in Louisiana during this time; others ran plantation empires, and some simply continued to pass on their status and wealth to their descendants. On this driving tour, you will embark on a journey from Pointe-Coupee Parish and end in West Baton Rouge Parish, in an attempt to get a small glimpse into the lives of some free POC during the era of southern slave societies.In the year 1783, a purchase of 1800 acres of farmable land from a group of local native Americans was made on Fausse Riviere, or False River. Approximately 53 years later, a free man of color, named Antoine DeCuir, would go on to cultivate this same land; this 1783 land purchase from native Americans was done by his father. Spanning from approximately, 1832-35, DeCuir would undergo the construction of his plantation that would take the eventual name Austerlitz Plantation, located in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Decuir was quite wealthy and was born into a family of mixed race, having "mulatto," or "quadroon" features. Decuir also happens to be my fifth great-uncle. Riverlake Plantation House was also owned by a free man of color living in Pointe Coupee Parish, Joseph Decuir; the plantation is believed to have been constructed from 1820 to 1845. Joseph Decuir was actually the brother of Antione Decuir, making Joseph Decuir my paternal fifth-great grandfather. Riverlake is a Creole-style plantation and an antebellum mansion, located along False River in Pointe Coupee Parish. The most fruitful legacy, however, must be afforded to Antoine Dublecet (1810-1887) and his wife Claire Dublecet/Polard. Born near Baton Rouge, LA, Dublecet was born to both a free mother and father. His father co-owned a lucrative sugar plantation that Antoine inherited, and when he marriedClaire Pollard in the mid-1830s they together built a plantation empire. Claire Pollard was a wealthy free Black woman who owned her own plantation with an estimated 44 slaves. Together they managed both plantations, growing his wealth considerably, until Claire passed away in 1852. Despite this, his empire continued on. By 1860, Dublecet owned more than 100 slaves and was Louisiana’s wealthiest slaveholder. Their nine children were all educated in France, and two of their sons became medical doctors. In retrospect, the significance the Decuir, Pollard, and Dublecet families hold in Louisiana is substantial. They represent a segment of society that often never receives the attention nor spotlight it deserves. For these free POC in Antebellum Louisiana to flourish in this says a lot about society during the slave era. First, it can be assumed that being of "mixed-race" or "mulatto" descent afforded many POC an avenue to escape slavery and pursuit a life of freedom. Secondly, the presence of these peoples also affirms the idea that free POC not only had to be productive members of society but also often had to outperform their neighbors in order to retain their free status in society. Finally, the presence of wealthy, affluent, and educated families and communities of POC in Louisiana offers a glimpse into a neglected portion of the antebellum south: despite living alongside the institution of slavery, free POC in Louisiana contributed profoundly not only to the history of African Americans but they singlehandedly shaped the narrative of black peoples within Louisiana slave societies beyond recognition.References: “Austerlitz Plantation, State Highway 1, Oscar, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA.” The Library of Congress. Accessed May 12, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/item/la0327/.“10 Black Slaveowners That Will Tear Apart Historical Perception.” HistoryCollection.com, October 17, 2021. https://historycollection.com/10-black-slaveowners-that-will-tear-apart-historical-perception/8/.“Austerlitz Plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish Laif(Typeof ez_ad_units!='Undefined'){ez_ad_units.Push([[970,250],'hometownlocator_com-Box-2','ezslot_0',656,'0','0'])};If(Typeof __ez_fad_position!='Undefined'){__ez_fad_position('Div-GPT-Ad-hometownlocator_com-Box-2-0')};” Austerlitz Plantation (in Pointe Coupee Parish, LA). Accessed May 12, 2022. https://louisiana.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,2,fid,546209,n,austerlitz%20plantation.cfm.“Austerlitz Plantation, Pointe Coupee Parish about 1972.” Louisiana Digital Library. Accessed May 12, 2022. https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/state-lhp%3A2923.“Austerlitz Plantation, State Highway 1, Oscar, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA.” The Library of Congress. Accessed May 12, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/item/la0327/.Rick Chromey. “Antoine Dubuclet, Jr.: The Cajun Savior of Louisiana.” Rick Chromey, February 14, 2022. https://rickchromey.com/antoine-dubuclet-jr-the-cajun-savior-of-louisiana/.“Search Results from Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey, Available Online.” The Library of Congress. Accessed May 12, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/collections/historic-american-buildings-landscapes-and-engineering-records/?st=gallery.Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, and Antoine Decuir. Riverlake Plantation, Oscar, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA. Pointe Coupee Parish Louisiana Oscar, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/la0231/.Ricard, Ulysses S. “The Pointe Coupée Slave Conspiracy of 1791.” Proceedings of the Meeting of the French Colonial Historical Society 15 (1992): 116–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42952223.Seebold, Herman de Bachellé. Old Louisiana Plantation Homes and Family Trees. United States: Pub. priv. [Pelican Press, Incorporated, 1941.Vincent, Charles. “Aspects of the Family and Public Life of Antoine Dubuclet: Louisiana’s Black State Treasurer, 1868-1878.” The Journal of Negro History 66, no. 1 (1981): 26–36. https://doi.org/10.2307/2716873.
