Review of Destrehan Plantation (New Orleans): A moving, beautiful and unique place in American history…

 

Destrehan Plantation

Abraham Lincoln:  “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”

My wife and I had checked out of our one week long stay at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi the morning of December 7th, and we were getting ready to head west to our next destination, New Orleans.  It had been over 19 years since we had visited the “Crescent City” or the “Big Easy”, and we were definitely stoked for the trip.

We left Biloxi around 10 a.m., and our trip would take under 2 hours to Destrehan, Louisiana, where the Destrehan Plantation is located.  A day prior, I had purchased discounted tickets to the plantation via Groupon, saving us about $7.  

We planned on eating at a local restaurant nearby, Taste of Tokyo, which turned out to be a great choice.  The restaurant, located in a busy strip mall, in a beautiful neighborhood, was really popular with locals.  We walked inside and found the place packed for lunch.

We got seats, then went on to order two dishes:  hibachi shrimp with fried rice, and hibachi shrimp & chicken with rice.  Both were incredibly delicious.  After a week of eating plenty of fried stuff including Po-Boy sandwiches in Biloxi, we were happy we were eating something different.

The owner of the restaurant greeted us, already knowing we weren’t locals, but she also rarely see tourists, so that confused her.  We told her we were indeed tourists on our way to visit the plantation.  We had good chatter going for few minutes and we certainly enjoyed that.  It’s rare these days when the restaurant’s proprietor comes over to meet diners…

After finishing our delicious meals, we headed over to the Destrehan Plantation, a short 10 minute drive away.  We drove along River Road, with views of huge levees on our right, doing all it can to keep the mighty Mississippi River contained.

We arrived at the visitor center/gift shop at the entrance to the plantation and checked in for our guided tour.  We had booked the guided tour for 2 p.m., but it was only around 1 p.m., so we asked the clerk if we can start our tour earlier.

The clerk accommodated us and we were directed to a building, outside and to the left of the visitor center, for a tour beginning in about 10 minutes.  It worked out great!

We gathered at the small wooden building under several huge oak trees and were greeted by a cute cat who strolled outside, then sat right in front of the porch.  He was very cute.

The unofficial mascot of the plantation!
Waiting area for guided tours
Huge oak trees

While we were playing with the cat, our tour guide, Beverly, came out to greet the group.  There were 8 of us and Beverly went ahead to greet everyone and to memorize all our names.  That was an impressive feat, as I can’t remember more than one name at a time!

Beverly walked us over to the nearest building, a replica of slave quarters circa 1700’s.  It looked about the size of an average sized room these days, but that space was for an entire family.  At the entrance to the building, we stopped while Beverly explained the ledger detailing those who were enslaved and those who had lived at the plantation.

It details the worth of each enslaved, in dollar amounts.  It was absolutely heartbreaking and moving to see a human being’s worth written down in dollars.  We learned that while the most worthy enslaved, a cooper, was worth $1500, someone who was blind, was worth just $5.  I couldn’t take my eyes off of the ledger…

The ledger of enslaved peoples

Inside the slave quarters, there were rudimentary beds, custom tools, worn out clothing, and other items.  Beverly mentioned all the items were made around the same time period, and were purchased by the plantation.  It was just fascinating.

We moved inside the plantation home where the Destrehans resided.  We went to the dining area first, then to the food pantry, where all the foods would’ve been stored.  We were introduced to Charles Paquet, a former slave and a master builder, who built the home.  

Dining area

Charles Paquet, the builder of the house

We learned from Beverly how anyone born from an enslaved woman was automatically born a slave.  This  got me thinking how depressing and hopeless the enslaved women would’ve been, knowing their children would be born to a life of slavery.  It was just heart wrenching to think about it…

We moved to the kitchen area to hear about the life of an enslaved woman, who was a cook.  She was born at the plantation, and so were her kids and her grandchildren.  While we were listening to all these stories, it hit me that we had never learned any of these stories from the enslaved’s point of view in my history classes.  It was refreshing and extremely moving to hear their stories being told.

Kitchen area and the cook

Beverly walked us over to the Jefferson Room, where Thomas Jefferson and James Madison (3rd and 4th US Presidents) signed original document is on display, assigning four men, one of whom was Jean Noel Destrehan, to the Orleans Territorial Council.  The council would act as the Orleans Legislative Council, responsible for easing the cultural transition from French owned territory to the American representative democracy.  

Jefferson Room is a hallowed ground if you’re a US history buff!  I consider myself a student of history, so it was incredibly fascinating.

We moved upstairs to see the Destrehan’s bedrooms and bathrooms.  Period furnishings, clothing, and decorations abound.  We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the house, and we heard stories of the Destrehans, and what their lives were like.  




After the house tour, Beverly said goodbyes as that part of the tour was coming to an end.  She recommended we walk over to the 1811 German Coast Slave Revolt exhibit area.  We were greeted by a friendly guide who went on to tell stories of that revolt, the largest slave revolt in the history of the US.  

We learned of Charles Deslondes, the leader of the revolt and the stories of over 200+ enslaved who joined in the revolt.  The uprising was quelled after two days of fighting, and a two day tribunal took place at the Destrehan Plantation, where the leaders of the rebellion were executed.

It was an excellent history lesson made more interesting thanks to Destrehan Plantation’s active role in the revolt.  The exhibit was a somber reminder of how difficult lives were for the enslaved who wanted nothing more than to enjoy freedom, something we all take for granted these days…

After the Slave Revolt exhibit, we freely walked around the plantation to see a period laundry, full of washboards, water buckets, and such.  It brought back memories of my childhood when my mom would wash clothes the same way using washboards and water buckets.  We are so blessed these days that we let machines do the laundry for us…

Laundry 

We also saw a room full of tools like saws, wheels, and barrels, where a cooper might have worked his craft.  Fascinating stuff!


After spending another several minutes walking around the plantation, we decided to call it a day.  It was time to head to our hotel in downtown New Orleans, so we can rest our weary minds and our bodies after our travels…

In conclusion:

Doing a tour of a plantation was something we always wanted to do.  We wanted to learn about the history of the plantation, and hear stories of the owners and the enslaved, hoping to gain a better insight into the peoples that inhabited the land.  New Orleans was a perfect place to do just that.

There are several plantations in and around the city.  You can check out the Destrehan Plantation or check out others if you like tours like these.  We had a great time, and learned a great deal.  It was truly an enlightening and moving experience for both of us.

We hope you do the same.  Happy travels and thank you for reading!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 


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