evergreen plantation slaves
These gangs of slave laborers worked in tandem in the fields cutting, stacking, and loading cane stalks onto mule-drawn carts. He returned home to Aime and their sons. In the fall months during the harvesting and processing season, work on a sugarcane plantation was particularly labor intensive. Pierre Clidamont Becnel was born as a result of a union. He operated the land as a plantation and eventually built grist mills and a cotton gin (1). The Evergreen Plantation in Louisiana had over 350 slaves in the early 1800s. No longer anonymous, the men, women, and children who called Evergreen Plantation home provide a window to the past and enhance the historical narrative. Much of the sugar produced on Louisiana's plantations was consumed in such East Coast cities as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Evergreen Plantation is committed to telling the stories of the men, women, and children who were enslaved here. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Interested in getting more preservation stories like this delivered to your door monthly? Aime was described as a griffe, indicating that she was of mixed race. American origin signifies that the individual was enslaved in one of the Upper Southern states, such as Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Maryland, and was sold south to Louisiana. Renting out its river bed to shipping and maritime businesses has allowed it to generate more revenue. From St. John the Baptist Parish Probate Records, formerly housed in the parish Clerk of Court office, now being digitized: 1791 Succession, estate of Pierre Becnel, husband of Magdelaine Haydel Becnel, who would inherit Evergreen Plantation. 1801 Succession, estate of Christophe Haydel, founder of Evergreen Plantation and Magdelaines father. After years of in-depth research, Evergreens historians have amassed a vast collection of primary source documents that shed light on the individuals who were purchased and brought there to labor in the sugar cane fields as well as those who were born into slavery in the cabins that still stand today, a press release said. Search the Preservation in Print archives. Evergreen is the most intact plantation complex in the South with 37 buildings on the National Register, including 22 slave. There is very little documentation on these buildings, although The 1860 census lists Lezin The sub-tropical climate, particularly the intense heat and humidity that characterizes much of the year, along with the epidemic diseases such as cholera and yellow fever, took their toll on the overall health of Louisiana's African-Americans during antebellum times. Evergreen Plantation, located near New Orleans, is the largest intact plantation complex in the South. He was headed south to New Orleans along with 120 other enslaved individuals on board. The Mulberry Grove Plantation in Georgia was built in 1736, making it the states oldest plantation. Slave laborers who planted, hoed, weeded, dug irrigation, and harvested the cane were subjected to harsh working conditions. The only known historic map of the plantation Evergreen Plantation has 4.5 stars. He and his new wife, Elizabeth, had a daughter together. The National Park Service and the Evergreen Plantation worked together to document historic sites on the property. African Americans were the majority owners and operators of the plantation during its earliest days in the 1790s. The research remains ongoing, and the database will be updated as new discoveries are made. Yes, you can visit Evergreen Plantation. A seemingly endless cycle of planting, hoeing, weeding, harvesting, and grinding comprised the work routine on Louisiana's sugarcane plantations during the 19th century. The plantation was established in 1752 by Claude Treme, and was later owned by his son-in-law, Jacques Treme. His son, Julius Richard, was born here on September 11, 1929; the family later added a second floor made of wood. The plantation is located in the present-day city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The plantation was saved from ruin by oil heiress Matilda Geddings Gray, from Lake Charles, La., in 1944, with Richard Koch as architect. It does not indicate race. In its prime, Evergreen had more than 350 slaves, making it one of the largest plantations in the South. The brutal Candie runs a vast plantation known as Candyland in the film, in addition to the terrifying Candyland, a demon-infested paradise. Louisiana joined the Confederacy during the Civil War but soon came under Union control after the fall of New Orleans in 1862. it is clear that they are indeed antebellum. The terrifying Candyland plantation, run by the brutal Candie, is also featured in the movie. According to tour guides, the plantation relied heavily on slave labor after emancipation, as did free African-Americans in order to remain in operation. DONATE TODAY! Evergreen Plantation is a plantation located on the west side of the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish, near Wallace, Louisiana, and along Louisiana Highway 18. The Evergreen Plantation was founded in 1752 by the family. All rights reserved. The plantation operated until about 1930, when the Depression resulted in the owners abandoning the house. You can get a sense of Louisianas sugar cane industry firsthand by taking a tour of the facility. Evergreen Plantations 22 intact slave cabins are just one of the sights visitors can see as part of their tours. No longer anonymous, the men, women, and children who called Evergreen Plantation home provide a window to the past and enhance the historical narrative. The language and classifications on the original documents have been maintained. As a result of their work, they were directly responsible for the spectacular economic growth that Louisiana's River Road area experienced during the first half of the 19th century. In addition to the database detailed biographical essays on the lives of enslaved individuals also are featured on the website, containing significant data obtained from the Civil War pension files of slaves who joined the Union army. In the films early scenes, Django and Schultz track down the criminal group the Brittle Brothers. The plantation grows a variety of crops, including cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane. He died on November 18, 1908, and was buried the next day by Reverend Albert Washington in the Second African Baptist Church cemetery (now known as Young Cemetery). The survey aimed to uncover more information about the lives of enslaved persons previously living on the plantation, promoting use of the slavery database by Evergreen Plantation, and ultimately uncovering new information about the site. 2023 Louisiana Office of Tourism. She was born at Evergreen and went on to have 10 children, 51 grandchildren, 148 great-grandchildren, and 88 great-great-grandchildren. Despite the fact that the Ward family was one of the most powerful and wealthy families in South Carolina at the time, the plantation eventually fell into their hands. People live here and work here, the website said. It is meant for everyone, from scholars who wish to engage in comparative analysis to individuals searching for their ancestors. The plantation is now a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public for tours. His physician attributed his death to arteriosclerosis. Over the years the plantation's property was subdivided and sold (1). Walking the grounds and actually following the slave's path, and seeing how they slept and cooked and worked.. in contrast with touring the plantation house-- was a profound and moving experience to say the least. The book is intended to shed light on the lives of all those who lived at Evergreenblack and white, enslaved, and free. in the same configuration and location. See other South Carolina Historic Houses. The original structures where enslaved people lived can still be found on the property. Shirley is also the oldest family-owned business in North America, having been in business since 1638, when Edward Hill I began farming in Charles City along the James River. . The Rural Development Initiative for African American Farmers is one such program that assists black farmers. During the plantations nineteenth century heyday, the majority of the workers lived in the quarters houses, which were run by African Americans. The number of slaves fluctuated over the years, but there were always at least 300 slaves working on the plantation. Was really looking forward to visiting Evergreen since it is the only plantation to still have all of their original slave cabins - 22 in total - on site in their original location. The gates will remain open for tours until 1:45 p.m. on weekdays, and until 10:30 a.m. on weekends. The plantation house and original slave quarters have been preserved and well-kept which, come to find out, is quite the rarity. According to Shannon Boddie, the executive director of Evergreen, the organization intends to do more community service. Evergreen Plantation has been rated as a 90-minute tour in our review. The loads of cut cane stalks were crushed between rotating steel rollers to extract the cane juice. Many were exceptionally skilled, working as long sawyers, coopers, carpenters, blacksmiths, engineers, seamstresses, and domestics. These birds are currently not seen standing quietly under the two rows of live oak trees that surround them. Evergreen Plantation, which dates to 1777, is one of the most intact plantation complexes in the South, with 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including "two garconnieres, two pidgeonniers, the kitchen, the domestic slave house, the stables, the Greek Revival privy, and twenty-two slave cabins in their original double-row Prior to Wards death in 1850, his family owned Brookgreen Plantation in Georgetown County, the largest slaveholder in the United States. Evergreen Plantation (Wallace, Louisiana) Built1832Architect John CarverArchitectural styleGreek RevivalFederalNRHP reference No.19100386Significant dates 11 more rows. Archival records relate that in 1835, a total of 54 enslaved people resided in twelve cabins at Evergreen Plantation, indicating that roughly between four and five slaves inhabited each of the twelve cabins. 18, in Wallace. The work of researcher and historian Katy Morlas Shannon, the slavery database is available at evergreenplantation.org/slavery-database. This data provides insight into the enslaved communitys scope of skills, kinship networks, family relationships, and places of origin. Later used to designate a child of a mulatto with someone of full African ancestry, Archdiocese of New Orleans, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Baptismal records, Archdiocese of New Orleans, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Funeral records, Sale records from New Orleans Notarial Archives. The United States government granted them their freedom in 1877. Many of the slave laborers on plantations in the South worked in the fields as plow hands, carters, ditchers, or woodcutters, among others. Estate inventories, succession records, sale records from the New Orleans Notarial Archive, as well as sacramental records from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, were used in the research. The extracted juice was clarified and bits of pith and other debris were removed. Information contributed by Russ Burriss, a Earle family descendant, from. This plantation was abandoned in the 1930s due to the Depression, but it has since been restored and is now a sugar cane plantation. Census data compiled between 1810 and 1864 relate that slaves in Louisiana resided in a variety of household types, including single families, extended families, multiple families, co-resident siblings, relatives, unrelated individuals, and single solitary males and females. _uacct = "UA-1070054-1"; at all. The plantation is located in the southern United States and is still operational today. Heiress and businesswoman, Matilda Geddings Gray (18851971)[5] sponsored the restoration project in the 1940s, and it is now a U.S. National Historic Landmark. In 1828, Samuel Girard Earle (1791-1848) purchased the property from Samuel Smith. The documents used to create this database include estate inventories, succession records, and bills of sale as well as sacramental records from the Archdiocese of New Orleans recording baptisms and funerals. 18, in Wallace. The slaves were freed, but the plantation workers were not. Following the development of the steam-heated vacuum pan by Englishman Edward Howard in 1813, a number of plantations began boiling sugarcane juice in a vacuum. He was disabled due to a serious oblique inguinal hernia that had gone untreated for decades. Become a member of the PRCfor a subscription! *origin (African tribe, American, or Creole). Evergreen Plantation, a historic plantation in Louisiana, has a new interpretive center dedicated to its history. All Rights Reserved. Mowing The Lawn While Pregnant: Is It Safe And What Precautions Should You Take? Just a few months after his enlistment, Aime gave birth to another son, Edmond. Evergreens front spiraling steps are featured in one of the films most popular scenes. Your email address will not be published. On June 14, 1805, a baby named Celeste was baptized at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edgard, La. There has been continuous intermarriage between the Haydels and Becnels families of St. John the Baptist parish for more than two centuries. The plantation is located in Edgard, Louisiana, and was originally part of a land grant from the French Crown. Today, many plantation homes are portrayed as elegant gardens with beautiful interiors, ignoring the darker side of their history. EVERGREEN PLANTATION - 166 Photos & 80 Reviews - Landmarks & Historical Buildings - 4677 Hwy 18, Edgard, LA - Phone Number - Yelp Evergreen Plantation 80 reviews Unclaimed Frequently Asked Questions about Evergreen Plantation How is Evergreen Plantation rated? 1829 - The plantation's name was changed from Hopewell to Evergreen .? 4800 South Carolina Highway 187, Starr, SC 29684. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1992 for its rich architectural legacy. He married Aime, a 17 year old girl enslaved on the plantation with her mother Katty and siblings. As a slave, he did not have a surname, so he probably gave his fathers name as his last name. The site, which has 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only one in the South with intact plantation buildings. SLAVERY DATABASE More than 400 individuals were enslaved at Evergreen Plantation over the course of 150 years. 19th-century barns. The couple went on to have more children and continued to work in the cane fields on Evergreen Plantation. They bring to life the identities of real people who lived and worked on this specific site. Slaves often worked in gangs under the direction of drivers, who were typically fellow slaves that supervised work in the fields. Evergreen Plantation, located in Edgard, Louisiana, is one of the most intact slaveholding sites in the South, dating back to 1790. Over the course of 150 years, she would be just one of the more than 400 enslaved individuals who lived and worked at Evergreen Plantation in Edgard. Old Shiloh School1.6 miles Lake Hartwell3.3 miles Milky Way Farm3.6 miles Starr9.1 miles Show me more like this! The two rows of oak trees that line the sites 22 original slave cabins are over 200 years old. Heidel, a French Creole, founded Evergreen Plantation in 1886. These areas typically have warm and humid summers, as well as cold and dry winters. LOUISIANATRAVEL.COM is the official travel authority for the state of Louisiana. Next, excess water was evaporated from the juice through several stages until it thickened and reached the point of crystallization. There are 37 structures still listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Evergreen Plantation is one of the oldest plantations in the United States, having been established in 1752. Neds term of enlistment expired in March 1867. Susan Langenhennigis PRCs Director of Communications and the editor of Preservation in Print. This location was used in the film Django Unchained, which was released in 2011. Of great significance are the 22 slave quarters, arranged in a double row along an alle of oak trees. Evergreen Plantation, which dates to 1777, is one of the most intact plantation complexes in the South, with 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including two garconnieres, two pidgeonniers, the kitchen, the domestic slave house, the stables, the Greek Revival privy, and twenty-two slave cabins in their original double-row configuration, according to its website. Plantations were commonly located on fertile creeks and rivers in the south, and they frequently had extensive land holdings. The citys 37 buildings are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the majority of them from the antebellum era. Most enslaved individuals did not havesurnames. The plantation has been reaching out to descendants of enslaved people who lived and worked there. The survey aimed to uncover more information about the lives of enslaved persons previously living on the plantation, promoting use of the slavery database by Evergreen Plantation, and ultimately uncovering new information about the site. You do not have to input all fields. Replication not permitted without express consent. The main house was constructed mostly in 1790, and renovated to its current Greek Revival style in 1832. great grandparents, are buried in the plantation's slave cemetery Guignard Family Papers, 1742-1952 - held by South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Arney R. Childs, . The plantation's historical commodity crop was sugarcane, cultivated by enslaved African Americans until emancipation. Evergreen has its country's highest historic designation and joins Mount Vernon and Gettysburg in being granted landmark status for its agricultural acreage. Mills operated around the clock processing sugarcane. An essential source for navigating the background, process, and findings during the excavation of Evergreen Plantation. After years of in-depth research, we have amassed a vast collection of primary source documents that shed light on the individuals who were purchased and brought here to labor in the sugar cane fields as well as those who were born into slavery in the cabins that still stand today. Want to search back even further? In addition to her regular quarters, the plantations owner, Lake Charles, La., businesswoman Matilda Gray Stream, lives there on occasion. Visited Evergreen in late-February during our stay in Plantation Country. They worked on the plantation in a variety of capacities, raising cotton and rice, among other crops. Refer to the list of names of those enslaved at Evergreen by clicking on the link below. His name was listed as Edward Edmond on the sale document and his age as 19. Evergreen Plantation is the only one in the South still standing. [6][7], It is a production site of films such as Django Unchained (2012)[8] and Antebellum (2020). Examples: born before 1800, young, adult, and child. His son, Julius Richard, was born here on September 11, 1929; the family later added a second floor made of wood. The plantation was originally used for growing indigo, but later switched to sugarcane when the demand for indigo declined. African Americans provided the workforce and lived in the quarters houses at Evergreen Plantation for nearly 200 years, first as slaves and later as freedmen. The details within the database allow us to read and interpret the past. He also built a brick home located near a spring. Ned first appeared on an Evergreen Plantation inventory in 1858. This suggests that Kattys eldest daughters had a different father than her younger children. The plantation house and outbuildings are well preserved and offer a glimpse into the life of the plantation owners. Hogsheads of sugar were transported down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and then on to other markets. Slaves were highly skilled, and without them, the . The couples first child, Marcel, was born in 1858. . Evergreen Plantation, a National Historic Landmark, is located The house was extensively restored during the 1940s, with 300,000 bricks from the demolished Uncle Sam Plantation used in the restoration.[3]. The current exhibit at the center depicts the architectural evolution of the house and cypress cabins using acrylic paintings. The plantation is now a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public for tours. The plantation continued to produce sugar cane under the direction of the bank that owned it, and it is still a working sugar cane plantation today. In its prime, Evergreen had more than 350 slaves, making it one of the largest plantations in the South. The plantation is currently used as a wedding and event venue, and the family is proud to be able to share their history with others. It is located on Louisiana Highway 18 in St. John the Baptist Parish, near Wallace, and is a plantation on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Evergreen Plantation is a plantation located on the west side of the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish, near Wallace, Louisiana, and along Louisiana Highway 18. Appeared on an evergreen plantation slaves plantation, run by the brutal Candie runs vast! Document Historic sites on the link below juice through several stages until it thickened and reached point. Plantation 's property was subdivided and sold ( 1 ) the link below to have more and... Long sawyers, coopers, carpenters, blacksmiths, engineers, seamstresses and! Was particularly labor intensive essential source for navigating the background, process, and was later owned by his,... 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