One Year on the Road

Two women, their golden retriever, and an orphaned kitten hit the road in an RV for one year of "pretirement"

Whitney Plantation Photos

Jennifer Meyer December 6, 2015 Photos No Comments

While in New Orleans, we took a tour of Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum that focuses on the lives of slaves.

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Sculptures by Woodrow Nash haunt the church on the plantation property.

The Antioch Baptist church was moved here from a nearby location.

It was the first black church in Louisiana.

It was built in the 1800s.

Inside the church were more than 20 sculptures.

Each sculpture depicts the youthful image of a known Louisiana slave.

The sculptures are so real.

They bring to life spirits of child slaves here on the plantation.

So evocotive.

There are dozens of them throughout the plantation.

Most of them in the church.

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Our guide, D'Laun, walked us through the slave memorial.

It shows the names of thousands of Louisiana slaves.

Another memorial is for slave babies (under three) who died on Whitney Plantation.

Along with the names were quotes from slave interviews.

So many children and babies died, mostly of malnutrition.

Kettles used to cook down sugar cane. Boiling liquid was poured from large to medium to small kettles.

Chicken coop.

Slave shacks.

Ghost children on the porch.

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Two rooms for each family.

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These shacks were moved here from nearby plantations.

These cells were used to hold slaves, sometimes for days, before auction.

Overseers house.

Bananas and tangerines abound.

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The kitchen house.

It's the only standing kitchen house left in the state.

The kitchens were separate from the house to prevent fires and keep the house cooler.

The house has brick floors because it frequently flooded.

Pigeon house.

It's a Creole style plantation house.

The ceiling and painted walls were carefully restored.

So much work has gone into restoring the house and other structures.

This upper level porch was originally an open balcony.

Two water tanks, collecting rain water, were added in the 1900s.

John Cummings, the museum's owner.

He holds one of ?? 63 heads that will be installed on poles in a new exhibit to depict horrific local history.

The Oaks Thousand Trails RV Park

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