Creole indicates that the individual was born in Louisiana. Evergreen Plantation is the most intact plantation complex in the South with 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including 22 slave cabins. An essential source for navigating the background, process, and findings during the excavation of Evergreen Plantation. The language and classifications on the original documents have been maintained. The plantation had 1,200 slaves at the start of the nineteenth century, but the number increased to 1,500 by the end of the nineteenth century. He was toiling in the sugar cane fields in the fields of a sugar cane plantation. Although our doors are not open for tours, we do provide educational and research opportunities. Examples: born before 1800, young, adult, and child. The plantation was saved from ruin by oil heiress Matilda Geddings Gray, from Lake Charles, La., in 1944, with Richard Koch as architect. There has been continuous intermarriage between the Haydels and Becnels families of St. John the Baptist parish for more than two centuries. This digital archive will serve as a resource for teachers, students, historians, genealogists, and visitors. His name was recorded as Edward Edmonds. The plantation grows a variety of crops, including cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane. urchinTracker(); South-Carolina-Plantations.com Evergreen Plantation, Anderson County, SC, Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume XIV, South Carolina Narratives, Part 3, Historical and Architectural Survey of Anderson County, South Carolina, The Harrisons of Greenville County, South Carolina, John Baylis Earle Family Cemetery Document, Current status Privately-owned event site, 1848 Samuel Girard Earle passed away and willed the plantation to his oldest living son, Elias John Earle. The original structures where enslaved people lived can still be found on the property. Artists representation of slave cabin, circa 1800. During the plantations nineteenth century heyday, the majority of the workers lived in the quarters houses, which were run by African Americans. Want to search back even further? The simple family was the dominant household type between both slave and free African-American populations in the United States during the nineteenth century. 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. The Evergreen Plantation was founded in 1752 by the family. The slaves at Evergreen were subject to brutal working and living conditions, with many of them being worked to death. Timeline. She had been staying in the iconic big house on occasion, but after the property opened its stately gates to the public in 1998, she moved to a cottage. Working alongside multiple research assistants, and students through Florida State Universitys UROP Program, all findings were documented, many of which are present on this website. The loads of cut cane stalks were crushed between rotating steel rollers to extract the cane juice. The Agricultural Service Agency has long been criticized for its role in black farmers failure to succeed in the agricultural sector. Establishing a new plantation required workers with certain capabilities and expertise, and it is likely that each of these slaves was chosen specifically by Becnel to perform the types of work for which they were described. Merritt, who was 21 years old at the time, stood 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 55 pounds. The plantation house and outbuildings are well preserved and offer a glimpse into the life of the plantation owners. The extracted juice was clarified and bits of pith and other debris were removed. of Sites | Map | Learn
The Rural Development Initiative for African American Farmers is one of several programs the agency has developed to assist African American farmers. 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. Evergreen Plantation is the only one in the South still standing. The house was extensively restored during the 1940s, with 300,000 bricks from the demolished Uncle Sam Plantation used in the restoration.[3]. The first home built on a plantation was a French Creole house in the 1790s. The research remains ongoing, and the database will be updated as new discoveries are made. The first black troops to join the United States army did so in Louisiana. Evergreen Plantation, a historic plantation in Louisiana, has a new interpretive center dedicated to its history. It is in studying their lives that the nuances and complexities of the past can begin to be understood., The database has helpful tips for searching its contents, including that most enslaved individuals did not have surnames and that 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 while Creole indicates that the individual was born in Louisiana.. 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. This suggests that Kattys eldest daughters had a different father than her younger children. Evergreen Plantations 22 intact slave cabins are just one of the sights visitors can see as part of their tours. It is meant for everyone, from scholars who wish to engage in comparative analysis to individuals searching for their ancestors. In addition to tours that allow visitors to learn about the plantations history and how its crops are grown, the plantation is still in operation and is open to the public. He operated the land as a plantation and eventually built grist mills and a cotton gin ( 1 ). The details within the database allow us to read and interpret the past. His wife is from the Caribbean, and he brought many of her cultures influences with him from home. Elias lived on the plantation in a different house than his father's. The 400 acres of Evergreens sugarcane fields are still productive. Plantations were commonly located on fertile creeks and rivers in the south, and they frequently had extensive land holdings. The Evergreen Plantation in Louisiana had over 350 slaves in the early 1800s. Even if the plantation owner did not grow any crops, he or she relied on the labor of enslaved people to turn it into a profitable business. The main house was constructed mostly in 1790, and renovated to its current Greek Revival style in 1832. Slave laborers who planted, hoed, weeded, dug irrigation, and harvested the cane were subjected to harsh working conditions. LOUISIANATRAVEL.COM is the official travel authority for the state of Louisiana. Interested in getting more preservation stories like this delivered to your door monthly? Evergreen Plantation, a National Historic Landmark, is located on State Hwy. All content 2023Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. Where is Evergreen Plantation located? Thirty years later in 1843, Norbert Rillieux, a Free Person of Color from New Orleans, developed his superior double effect vacuum pan. The plantation is now a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public for tours. More African American men from Louisiana enlisted in the Union army than in any other state. In its prime, Evergreen had more than 350 slaves, making it one of the largest plantations in the South. Evergreen Plantation, located in Edgard, Louisiana, is one of the most intact slaveholding sites in the South, dating back to 1790. 1830 Succession, estate of Magdelaine Haydel Becnel, who inherited Evergreen from her father and expanded the business into a major plantation enterprise, 1835 Inventory taken at the time of Pierre Clidamont Becnels ownership (grandson of Magdelaine Haydel Becnel), 1842 Succession, estate of Josephine Lennen Becnel, wife of Lezin Becnel Jr., the eventual owner of Evergreen. People live here and work here, the website said. 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. Danny Hymel and his family have been farming the property for more than two centuries, as Alfred Songys great-grandson. Evergreen has been designated the countrys most historic site, and joins Gettysburg and Mount Vernon as landmark sites for agricultural land. Most enslaved individuals did not havesurnames. He moved from Evergreen to Carroll Plantation (also known as Johnson) and lived the rest of his life there. Call 985-497-3837 to arrange a visit. The gates will remain open for tours until 1:45 p.m. on weekdays, and until 10:30 a.m. on weekends. Call 985-497-3837 to arrange a visit. He also built a brick home located near a spring. Over the years the plantation's property was subdivided and sold (1). The Evergreen Plantation, a well-preserved sugar cane plantation from the nineteenth century, is a fine example of an old plantation. Evergreen Plantation, located near New Orleans, is the largest intact plantation complex in the South. Evergreen Plantation is a former sugar cane plantation in Wallace, Louisiana, that was slave labor-dependent for its operation. 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. The plantation was built in the early 1700s and was the home of several generations of planters. Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans is classified as a tax-exempt public charity under sections 509(a)(1), 170(b)(1)(A)(vi), and 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, Federal Tax Identification Number 72-0760857. 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. 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. African-American slaves provided the labor that was required to sustain and enrich the large agricultural enterprises, like Evergreen Plantation, which grew up along the banks of the Mississippi River. The terrifying Candyland plantation, run by the brutal Candie, is also featured in the movie. The Ancestor Project is a digital database designed specifically for teachers, students, genealogists, and visitors. 2023 Louisiana Office of Tourism. The plantation was passed down through the family, and they have worked to keep it in good condition. Visited Evergreen in late-February during our stay in Plantation Country. Slave quarters were frequently the site of plantation homes, and their owners relied on the labor of enslaved people to turn their properties into profitable businesses. reservation only. Now, thanks to a new database compiled by Evergreen, Celestes story, and the stories of so many of the plantations enslaved people, will be told. The book is intended to shed light on the lives of all those who lived at Evergreenblack and white, enslaved, and free. The Evergreen Plantation Archaeological Survey was led by Dr. Jayur Mehta, excavating a large portion of land on Evergreen plantation. Many of the slave laborers on plantations in the South worked in the fields as plow hands, carters, ditchers, or woodcutters, among others. There are 37 structures still listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the decades, the most serious change to Evergreen as a plantation
On the eve of the Civil War, most sugarcane plantations in Louisiana used vacuum pans to produce unrefined crystallized sugar. Evergreen Plantation has been a family home since the late-18th century. He was disabled due to a serious oblique inguinal hernia that had gone untreated for decades. Neds children and grandchildren continued to live and work at Evergreen Plantation for decades to come. Prior to Wards death in 1850, his family owned Brookgreen Plantation in Georgetown County, the largest slaveholder in the United States. In 1944, when Mrs. Gray purchased Evergreen Plantation, the double row of slave cabins was occupied primarily by sugar cane workers. Aime was described as a griffe, indicating that she was of mixed race. Despite being established in the 1930s to assist black farmers, the agency is now regarded as the last plantation due to its refusal to assist black agricultural initiatives. Slave trading and slave plantations were also common among plantation owners in the Deep South. Should I Form A Corporation For My Lawn Mowing Company? Heidel, a French Creole, founded Evergreen Plantation in 1886. The antebellum era saw thousands of cabins built throughout the South. is the Mississippi River Commission map of 1876, which shows 22 cabins
[2][4] The house is open for tours every day except Sundays; tour times are at 9:30 am, 11:15 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:45 pm. 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. Today, many plantation homes are portrayed as elegant gardens with beautiful interiors, ignoring the darker side of their history. You can search for all domestics (house slaves), field hands, or more specialized jobs, such as engineer, cooper, carpenter, etc. 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. Evergreen Plantation is owned by a family who has resided in the area for generations. He was described as an American negro age 25.He had to make his own family and create relationships that would help him endure enslavement. Individuals who married Protestants and Catholics were required to receive forgiveness in the sixth degree. The plantation operated until about 1930, when the Depression resulted in the owners abandoning the house. Evergreen Plantation has been rated as a 90-minute tour in our review. Ned was a member of the United Order, a benevolent and charitable society. Evergreen Plantation was established in 1790 as a privately owned sugar cane plantation, and it is still in operation today. In 1997, a group of black farmers sued the agency, claiming that they had been discriminated against for years. 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. The plantation was founded in 1752 and was one of the largest plantations in the South. Ned first appeared on an Evergreen Plantation inventory in 1858. . The plantation has been reaching out to descendants of enslaved people who lived and worked there. Evergreen Plantation is committed to telling the stories of the men, women, and children who were enslaved here. African Americans served as Evergreen Plantations workforce and lived in quarters there for more than 200 years. The work of researcher and historian Katy Morlas Shannon, the slavery database is available at evergreenplantation.org/slavery-database. In 1828, Samuel Girard Earle (1791-1848) purchased the property from Samuel Smith. 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. These steps of boiling took place in series of large to small open kettles, often referred to as a Jamaica train. 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