[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. Over the course of more than 150 years, the Evergreen Plantation housed over 400 slaves. 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. 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. These areas typically have warm and humid summers, as well as cold and dry winters. Neither structure are still standing (, 1920 A house on the plantation, called Ingleside, was lost to fire (, 1923 The house that currently stands on the property was built. Evergreens front spiraling steps are featured in one of the films most popular scenes. The Evergreen Plantation is one of the oldest plantations in the United States, having been established in 1752. 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 plantation has been reaching out to descendants of enslaved people who lived and worked there. Becnel and his brother, the then owners of the plantation, as having The plantation was established in 1752 by Claude Treme, and was later owned by his son-in-law, Jacques Treme. 19th-century barns. Privately owned, it remains a working sugar cane plantation. 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. Evergreen has its country's highest historic designation and joins Mount Vernon and Gettysburg in being granted landmark status for its agricultural acreage. The research remains ongoing, and the database will be updated as new discoveries are made. Visited Evergreen in late-February during our stay in Plantation Country. There are 37 structures still listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He also built a brick home located near a spring. 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. The plantation's historical commodity crop was sugarcane, cultivated by enslaved African Americans until emancipation. Despite this, the agency has made progress in improving its relationship with black farmers since 1997. 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. 1801 Succession, estate of Christophe Haydel, founder of Evergreen Plantation and Magdelaines father. More | Next Site. There were some cotton plantations with fewer slaves, but there were also cotton plantations with fewer slaves. A seemingly endless cycle of planting, hoeing, weeding, harvesting, and grinding comprised the work routine on Louisiana's sugarcane plantations during the 19th century. Search over 40 years of magazine archives: Published nine times a year since 1975 in partnership with the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office, Preservation in Print is the exclusive publication covering architectural preservation and neighborhood revitalization in Louisiana. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. 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. [citation needed]. 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 More than 400 individuals were enslaved at Evergreen Plantation over the course of 150 years. The brutal Candie runs a vast plantation known as Candyland in the film, in addition to the terrifying Candyland, a demon-infested paradise. on State Hwy. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. These gangs of slave laborers worked in tandem in the fields cutting, stacking, and loading cane stalks onto mule-drawn carts. Ned was a member of the United Order, a benevolent and charitable society. Slave trading and slave plantations were also common among plantation owners in the Deep South. The plantation was built in the early 1700s and was the home of several generations of planters. Evergreen has been designated the countrys most historic site, and joins Gettysburg and Mount Vernon as landmark sites for agricultural land. The two rows of oak trees that line the sites 22 original slave cabins are over 200 years old. 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. It is surprising that these quarters, retaining The Catholic Church in Louisiana completely embraced family alliances when it came to marriage. 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 house was extensively restored during the 1940s, with 300,000 bricks from the demolished Uncle Sam Plantation used in the restoration.[3]. You can search for all domestics (house slaves), field hands, or more specialized jobs, such as engineer, cooper, carpenter, etc. Some noteworthy original features, such as chimneys, shutters, The terrifying Candyland plantation, run by the brutal Candie, is also featured in the movie. The plantation was founded by the family in the late 1700s and has been in their family ever since. Evergreen Plantation, a historic plantation in Louisiana, has a new interpretive center dedicated to its history. Refer to the list of names of those enslaved at Evergreen by clicking on the link below. Yes, you can visit Evergreen Plantation. During the plantations nineteenth century heyday, the majority of the workers lived in the quarters houses, which were run by African Americans. There has been continuous intermarriage between the Haydels and Becnels families of St. John the Baptist parish for more than two centuries. On the eve of the Civil War, most sugarcane plantations in Louisiana used vacuum pans to produce unrefined crystallized sugar. He returned home to Aime and their sons. Replication not permitted without express consent. The gates will remain open for tours until 1:45 p.m. on weekdays, and until 10:30 a.m. on weekends. Evergreen Plantation is a former sugar cane plantation in Wallace, Louisiana, that was slave labor-dependent for its operation. In the fall months during the harvesting and processing season, work on a sugarcane plantation was particularly labor intensive. LOUISIANATRAVEL.COM is the official travel authority for the state of Louisiana. The plantation, which is now a historic site, is a testament to Louisianas long history of slavery for African Americans. Over the decades, the most serious change to Evergreen as a plantation Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, Louisiana's Must See-It-To-Believe-It Festivals, Dont Miss the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival, Louisiana State Parks Offer Cabin Getaways. The Evergreen Plantation, a well-preserved sugar cane plantation from the nineteenth century, is a fine example of an old plantation. 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.. According to tour guides, the plantation relied heavily on slave labor after emancipation, as did free African-Americans in order to remain in 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. On June 14, 1805, a baby named Celeste was baptized at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edgard, La. It does not indicate race. The 400 acres of Evergreens sugarcane fields are still productive. He was disabled due to a serious oblique inguinal hernia that had gone untreated for decades. 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. You can choose which field you want to search. 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. 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. Ned was one of them. 1829 - The plantation's name was changed from Hopewell to Evergreen .? Evergreen. All Rights Reserved. This location was used in the film Django Unchained, which was released in 2011. 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. The plantation is located in the southern United States and is still operational today. 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 plantation includes 37 contributing buildings, all but eight of them antebellum, making it one of the most complete plantation complexes in the state and the South. The plantation house and outbuildings are well preserved and offer a glimpse into the life of the plantation owners. Evergreen Plantation (Wallace, Louisiana) Built1832Architect John CarverArchitectural styleGreek RevivalFederalNRHP reference No.19100386Significant dates 11 more rows. The couples first child, Marcel, was born in 1858. The number of slaves fluctuated over the years, but there were always at least 300 slaves working on the plantation. His wife is from the Caribbean, and he brought many of her cultures influences with him from home. Evergreen is the most intact plantation complex in the South with 37 buildings on the National Register, including 22 slave. There are only a few plantations in the South that are as intact as the Evergreen Plantation, with 37 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including 22 slave cabins. The plantation grows a variety of crops, including cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane. Timeline. The plantation is located in Edgard, Louisiana, and was originally part of a land grant from the French Crown. His name was listed as Edward Edmond on the sale document and his age as 19. These accounts illuminate the experiences of individuals whose stories have previously gone untold, contributing a more balanced approach to Americas historical narrative, the press release said. 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. The Evergreen Plantation in Alabama is one of only two remaining antebellum sugar plantations in the South. Interested in getting more preservation stories like this delivered to your door monthly? The work of researcher and historian Katy Morlas Shannon, the slavery database is available at evergreenplantation.org/slavery-database. The family also owns a number of slaves, who work the plantation. The formerly enslaved Black Americans, though legally freed, continued to live and work at the plantation until 1947. Creole indicates that the individual was born in Louisiana. The granulated, raw (unrefined) sugar produced from the crystallization process was packed into hogsheads, wooden barrels that held roughly 1000 pounds of granulated sugar. This means that the slave was born in the colony of Louisiana---later the state of Louisiana---spoke French, practiced Catholicism, and embraced Creole cultural norms. Examples: born before 1800, young, adult, and child. Unpacking the history of the largest plantation in the southern US, and its people. 66 were here. The database is both sophisticated in the quantity and quality of information it contains and simple in its design. Become a member of the PRCfor a subscription! See other South Carolina Barns & Farms 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. After Neds death, his widow was given a pension on his behalf. Evergreen Plantation is owned by a family who has resided in the area for generations. 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. There are only a few antebellum sugar plantations left in the United States, and the property is one of the few remaining in the South. Life for enslaved African-Americans was difficult in Louisiana. The Evergreen Plantation in Louisiana had over 350 slaves in the early 1800s. The slaves at Evergreen were subject to brutal working and living conditions, with many of them being worked to death. 18, in Wallace. Many of the slave laborers on plantations in the South worked in the fields as plow hands, carters, ditchers, or woodcutters, among others. The plantation was originally used for growing indigo, but later switched to sugarcane when the demand for indigo declined. In its prime, Evergreen had more than 350 slaves, making it one of the largest plantations in the South. In 1828, Samuel Girard Earle (1791-1848) purchased the property from Samuel Smith. The main house was constructed mostly in 1790, and renovated to its current Greek Revival style in 1832. In the early 1700s, the plantation was most likely based on the Evergreen Plantation, which was located in Edgard, Louisiana. Featuring the documented images collected by students Abbigail Sproul and Jacob Johnson. The Evergreen Plantation was founded in 1752 by the family. She was born at Evergreen and went on to have 10 children, 51 grandchildren, 148 great-grandchildren, and 88 great-great-grandchildren. In the event that a birthdate isunknown, some have been classified in others ways. The PRC preserves New Orleans historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural identity through collaboration, empowerment and service to our community., Preservation Resource Center Headquarters, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, Search the Preservation in Print archives, Returns, Refunds, Exchanges, and Shipping Policy. it is clear that they are indeed antebellum. Evergreen Plantation was one of the largest and most successful African American-owned plantations in the antebellum South. On February 13, 1852, Ned Edwards was sold in a group with five other men. This suggests that Kattys eldest daughters had a different father than her younger children. When Drausin Becnel and Emelie Brou first began their relationship, they caused a sensation in the community. More African American men from Louisiana enlisted in the Union army than in any other state. Becnel paid $6800 for the six enslaved men, which would be approximately $232,000 today. 1846 Sale of the plantation from Pierre Clidamont Becnel to Lezin Becnel Jr. 1851 Succession, estate of Fanny Baconnais Becnel, wife of Lezin Becnel Jr. 1854 Succession, estate of Pierre Clidamont Becnel, 1856 Succession, inventory taken by Lezin Becnel Jr. included in his papers at Tulane University, 1858 Partnership formed between brothers Lezin Becnel III and Michel Becnel, sons and heirs of Lezin Becnel Jr., to operate the plantation together. This data provides insight into the enslaved communitys scope of skills, kinship networks, family relationships, and places of origin. The Slave Community Evergreen Plantation Slavery - the engine that drove economic growth 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. Many were exceptionally skilled, working as long sawyers, coopers, carpenters, blacksmiths, engineers, seamstresses, and domestics. African Americans served as Evergreen Plantations workforce and lived in quarters there for more than 200 years. In the films early scenes, Django and Schultz track down the criminal group the Brittle Brothers. He was toiling in the sugar cane fields in the fields of a sugar cane plantation. Evergreen Plantation still owns and operates as a privately owned sugar cane plantation today. When Is The Best Time To Start Mowing Your Lawn In Sioux Falls South Dakota? By December, he was locked in a slave jail in the largest slave market in the United States. 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. His physician attributed his death to arteriosclerosis. His son, Julius Richard, was born here on September 11, 1929; the family later added a second floor made of wood. During the antebellum period, the plantation housed 200 people; everyone working at Evergreen was housed there. 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. By the 1940s, the plantation was reacquired and fully restored. Neds children and grandchildren continued to live and work at Evergreen Plantation for decades to come. 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. Where is Evergreen Plantation located? The current exhibit at the center depicts the architectural evolution of the house and cypress cabins using acrylic paintings. There is very little documentation on these buildings, although The plantation was passed down through the family, and they have worked to keep it in good condition. His name was recorded as Edward Edmonds. Slaves were highly skilled, and without them, the . The first black troops to join the United States army did so in Louisiana. 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