It is 3:00 in the morning and a grand brass bell rings over the fertile delta.
"git up" your pappy says, nudging you with his worn boot. "Ya'll got cane to cut".
You will work until 11:00 am. In heat so stifling it killed many of the first French settlers - the ancestors of the people who own you, your family, and everyone you will ever know. The second shift of the say will start in a few hours and last until the sun sets.
Imagine.
This is the "LauraPlantation". It survives because of the original slave cabins. This is also the site where the famous Br'er rabbit and the tar baby story was recorded.
The bright yellow and blue seem odd to us - thinking of the "American style" white plantations. Many of which are just down the street. This is a Creole plantation - and they were very colorful and only French was spoken within the walls.
This home may have housed 600 slaves at its height (there were no accurate records once the Americans took over the Louisiana purchase).
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| Original slave cabins |
The owners were not kind. They branded their property, sold them when the price was right or they felt inclined, and worked them to death. It was not a good life.
The owners did spend a large sum to take photos of each slave before the Civil War ended. It is one of the few surviving collections of photos from slaves at a plantation.
These slaves harvested sugar cane.
We had only eaten English muffins before heading to a French plantation, so we thought we'd try American food. Just down the block from Laura's is B&C Seafood. I'd been looking for a place like this. Back country, plastic tables, wait staff who talk like they have marbles in their mouth....
Well, this is the place!
I had craw fish (boiled). They say "Eat the tail and suck the head". Then they giggle a bit.... I will have you know I did both and it was delicious.
I also had an oyster Po Boy and Dixie beer. I felt very white.
Marci had a muffaleta hamburger, fries, and a beer of her own.
Back woods YUM!
Ate in for dinner. Gonna rest up a bit.
Night, y'all....
