Many were exceptionally skilled, working as long sawyers, coopers, carpenters, blacksmiths, engineers, seamstresses, and domestics. The slaves at Evergreen were subject to brutal working and living conditions, with many of them being worked to death. He was headed south to New Orleans along with 120 other enslaved individuals on board. Neds children and grandchildren continued to live and work at Evergreen Plantation for decades to come. Your email address will not be published. Evergreen Plantation has been a family home since the late-18th century. The Nottoway Plantation, also known as the White Castle, is thought to be the largest remaining antebellum plantation in the American South. Itinerary Home | List The Louisiana River Road plantation was built less than six years before the Civil War, making it one of the youngest and grandest in the Louisiana River Road area. 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 plantation, which is now a historic site, is a testament to Louisianas long history of slavery for African Americans. On the eve of the Civil War, most sugarcane plantations in Louisiana used vacuum pans to produce unrefined crystallized sugar. Evergreen Plantation, a National Historic Landmark, is located Although our doors are not open for tours, we do provide educational and research opportunities. Slaves were highly skilled, and without them, the . See other South Carolina Barns & Farms The first home built on a plantation was a French Creole house in the 1790s. Call 985-497-3837 to arrange a visit. Evergreen Plantation was established in 1790 as a privately owned sugar cane plantation, and it is still in operation today. Susan Langenhennigis PRCs Director of Communications and the editor of Preservation in Print. The Agricultural Service Agency has long been criticized for its role in black farmers failure to succeed in the agricultural sector. In the event that a birthdate isunknown, some have been classified in others ways. The plantation was founded in 1752 and was one of the largest plantations in the South. During the antebellum period, the plantation housed 200 people; everyone working at Evergreen was housed there. Evergreen Plantation - from SCIWAY with the following references: - Work Projects Administration, Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume XIV, South Carolina Narratives, Part 3 (A Public Domain Book) - Historic Properties - Downtown Anderson organization The couples first child, Marcel, was born in 1858. When the bank foreclosed on Evergreen Plantation in 1930, the Songys were forced to leave. Cabins and oaks, upriver (east) side of quarters. He also built a brick home located near a spring. In 1944, when Mrs. Gray purchased Evergreen Plantation, the double row of slave cabins was occupied primarily by sugar cane workers. Boddie hopes that the exhibits and documents will pique the interest of descendants of all residents of Evergreen. The carts traveled to the cane mill for processing. Yes, you can visit Evergreen Plantation. 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. Heidel, a French Creole, founded Evergreen Plantation in 1886. All rights reserved. and doors remain, but nearly 150 years of patching, repairs, and reconstruction have caused alterations. 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. They bring to life the identities of real people who lived and worked on this specific site. 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. The plantation was originally used for growing indigo, but later switched to sugarcane when the demand for indigo declined. By December, he was locked in a slave jail in the largest slave market in the United States. The Evergreen Plantation in Louisiana had over 350 slaves in the early 1800s. 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. There were no COVID-19 cases reported in the New Orleans area until the beginning of the year. You do not have to input all fields. 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. Next, excess water was evaporated from the juice through several stages until it thickened and reached the point of crystallization. More than 400 individuals were enslaved at Evergreen Plantation over the course of 150 years. Much of the sugar produced on Louisiana's plantations was consumed in such East Coast cities as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. In 1828, Samuel Girard Earle (1791-1848) purchased the property from Samuel Smith. The couple went on to have more children and continued to work in the cane fields on Evergreen Plantation. More African American men from Louisiana enlisted in the Union army than in any other state. They worked on the plantation in a variety of capacities, raising cotton and rice, among other crops. Some noteworthy original features, such as chimneys, shutters, In the early 1700s, the plantation was most likely based on the Evergreen Plantation, which was located in Edgard, Louisiana. Elias lived on the plantation in a different house than his father's. His wife is from the Caribbean, and he brought many of her cultures influences with him from home. Another relic of the plantation is an original garconnire, which young men used as sleeping quarters during their time on the plantation. After a royal land grant carved it out of the Virginia frontier, the plantation was established in 1613 as Virginias first. You can get a sense of Louisianas sugar cane industry firsthand by taking a tour of the facility. Family involvement in marital disputes was a major factor in Creoles lives. 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. The plantation was established in 1752 by Claude Treme, and was later owned by his son-in-law, Jacques Treme. Refer to the list of names of those enslaved at Evergreen by clicking on the link below. *origin (African tribe, American, or Creole). In its prime, Evergreen had more than 350 slaves, making it one of the largest plantations in the South. Danny Hymel and his family have been farming the property for more than two centuries, as Alfred Songys great-grandson. We are open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and tours are not permitted the following holiday week. According to Joseph McGill, this is the largest collection of slave dwellings in the world. Subscribe to our newsletter for insider access to PRC news, events, involvement opportunities, and more! Over the course of more than 150 years, the Evergreen Plantation housed over 400 slaves. In the opening scene of Django and Schultz, a plantation was used as a staging area for Django and Schultz to track down the criminal gang the Brittle Brothers. 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. Constructed in 1790, Evergreen remains one of the most intact plantation sites in the South. This location was used in the film Django Unchained, which was released in 2011. Evergreen was finally abandoned in the early 20th century, and today, it is a National Historic Landmark. The book is intended to shed light on the lives of all those who lived at Evergreenblack and white, enslaved, and free. Interior of quarters cabin with double fireplace. He operated the land as a plantation and eventually built grist mills and a cotton gin (1). 103 slaves in 48 dwellings. The simple family was the dominant household type between both slave and free African-American populations in the United States during the nineteenth century. This story appeared in the April issueof the PRCsPreservation in Print magazine. 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 plantation house and outbuildings are well preserved and offer a glimpse into the life of the plantation owners. The gates will remain open for tours until 1:45 p.m. on weekdays, and until 10:30 a.m. on weekends. The research remains ongoing, and the database will be updated as new discoveries are made. You can search for all domestics (house slaves), field hands, or more specialized jobs, such as engineer, cooper, carpenter, etc. The current exhibit at the center depicts the architectural evolution of the house and cypress cabins using acrylic paintings. 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. Information contributed by Russ Burriss, a Earle family descendant, from. 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. 19th-century barns. The original structures where enslaved people lived can still be found on the property. There were some cotton plantations with fewer slaves, but there were also cotton plantations with fewer slaves. 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. Heidels home on his plantation in 1835 was built with a mixture of French, Caribbean, and African influences in order to reflect the climate of southern Louisiana. The plantation was established in 1752 by Claude Treme, and was later owned by his son-in-law, Jacques Treme. Evergreen has its country's highest historic designation and joins Mount Vernon and Gettysburg in being granted landmark status for its agricultural acreage. Thomas Boudar, a notorious slave trader, sold him to sugar planter Lezin Becnel. His name was recorded as Edward Edmonds. The plantation was saved from ruin by oil heiress Matilda Geddings Gray, from Lake Charles, La., in 1944, with Richard Koch as architect. This new technology had the advantage of being a more controlled method of boiling, where lower temperatures were required and less fuel was needed. Ned remarried on February 12, 1887. 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). In 1828, Samuel Girard Earle (1791-1848) purchased the property from Samuel Smith. People live here and work here, the website said. 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. The short documentary film titled Evergreen Plantation Archaeological Survey was edited and created by FSU student Cooper Lyon using footage provided from the excavation as well as footage collected on his own, Evergreen Plantation Archaeological Survey. The plantation has been reaching out to descendants of enslaved people who lived and worked there. 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 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. 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. A seemingly endless cycle of planting, hoeing, weeding, harvesting, and grinding comprised the work routine on Louisiana's sugarcane plantations during the 19th century. No longer anonymous, the men, women, and children who called Evergreen Plantation home provide a window to the past and enhance the historical narrative. These steps of boiling took place in series of large to small open kettles, often referred to as a Jamaica train. The most skilled slaves were chosen for the dangerous job of working close to the open kettles during the boiling process. Louisiana joined the Confederacy during the Civil War but soon came under Union control after the fall of New Orleans in 1862. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1992 for its rich architectural legacy. 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. They bring to life the identities of real people who lived and worked on this specific site. There is very little documentation on these buildings, although 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. The details within the database allow us to read and interpret the past. The Evergreen Plantation was founded in 1752 by the family. Unpacking the history of the largest plantation in the southern US, and its people. As slaves, they built the big house, built and maintained the levee, worked the sugarcane fields, ran the sugar mill, grew foodstuffs and cared for the big house and the Heidel and Becnel families. Shirley Plantation, which dates back to 1614, is one of Americas oldest plantations. Evergreen Plantation (Wallace, Louisiana), U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Louisiana African American Heritage Trail, National Register of Historic Places listings in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, List of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana, Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, "Matilda Geddings Gray and Evergreen Plantation", "Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained' begins filming at the Evergreen Plantation in Louisiana on Monday On Location Vacations", Louisiana's African American Heritage Trail, Louisiana Digital Library Evergreen Plantation, History of the National Register of Historic Places, List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state, List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places, University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, National Register of Historic Places portal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evergreen_Plantation_(Wallace,_Louisiana)&oldid=1084343937, Museums in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, Houses in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, National Register of Historic Places in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, Slave cabins and quarters in the United States, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 23 April 2022, at 23:15. 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