The house is open to the public by Evergreen Plantation, located near New Orleans, is the largest intact plantation complex in the South. The Ancestor Project is a digital database designed specifically for teachers, students, genealogists, and visitors. Some could trace their ancestry back multiple generations to the first slaves brought to the plantation. This digital archive will serve as a resource for teachers, students, historians, genealogists, and visitors. See other South Carolina Barns & Farms The plantation was founded in 1752 and was one of the largest plantations in the South. Privately owned, it remains a working sugar cane plantation. 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. It does not indicate race. His name was recorded as Edward Edmonds. The plantation was founded by the family in the late 1700s and has been in their family ever since. Evergreen Plantation (Wallace, Louisiana) Built1832Architect John CarverArchitectural styleGreek RevivalFederalNRHP reference No.19100386Significant dates 11 more rows. In 1828, Samuel Girard Earle (1791-1848) purchased the property from Samuel Smith. The National Park Service and the Evergreen Plantation worked together to document historic sites on the property. 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. 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. They bring to life the identities of real people who lived and worked on this specific site. 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. The details within the database allow us to read and interpret the past. When Is The Best Time To Start Mowing Your Lawn In Sioux Falls South Dakota? Evergreen has its country's highest historic designation and joins Mount Vernon and Gettysburg in being granted landmark status for its agricultural acreage. She was born at Evergreen and went on to have 10 children, 51 grandchildren, 148 great-grandchildren, and 88 great-great-grandchildren. The only known historic map of the plantation 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. Ned was one of them. The carts traveled to the cane mill for processing. Visited Evergreen in late-February during our stay in Plantation Country. The first black troops to join the United States army did so in Louisiana. Slaves often worked in gangs under the direction of drivers, who were typically fellow slaves that supervised work in the fields. An 1835 document lists a total of 54 slaves at the plantation. You can choose which field you want to search. The house was extensively restored during the 1940s, with 300,000 bricks from the demolished Uncle Sam Plantation used in the restoration.[3]. This data provides insight into the enslaved communitys scope of skills, kinship networks, family relationships, and places of origin. The work of researcher and historian Katy Morlas Shannon, the slavery database is available at evergreenplantation.org/slavery-database. DONATE TODAY! There is very little documentation on these buildings, although Tour guides highlight the reliance on slave labor on the plantation and how, as an alternative to free African-Americans, the dependence on slave labor was necessary to sustain it after emancipation. 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. Unpacking the history of the largest plantation in the southern US, and its people. These birds are currently not seen standing quietly under the two rows of live oak trees that surround them. The book is intended to shed light on the lives of all those who lived at Evergreenblack and white, enslaved, and free. 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 It is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public for tours. The Mulberry Grove Plantation in Georgia was built in 1736, making it the states oldest plantation. Evergreens front spiraling steps are featured in one of the films most popular scenes. The couple went on to have more children and continued to work in the cane fields on Evergreen Plantation. He operated the land as a plantation and eventually built grist mills and a cotton gin (1). The 400 acres of Evergreens sugarcane fields are still productive. The family also owns a number of slaves, who work the plantation. It is meant for everyone, from scholars who wish to engage in comparative analysis to individuals searching for their ancestors. Ned remarried on February 12, 1887. After a royal land grant carved it out of the Virginia frontier, the plantation was established in 1613 as Virginias first. It also contains binders full of archival document facsimiles related to Evergreen. The slaves at Evergreen were subject to brutal working and living conditions, with many of them being worked to death. The citys 37 buildings are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the majority of them from the antebellum era. They bring to life the identities of real people who lived and worked on this specific site. Mills operated around the clock processing sugarcane. Aime died in 1882 when she just a little over forty years old. All Rights Reserved. The enslaved lived in the cabins as free people until the end of the Civil War; they were slaves for many years. 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. This story appeared in the April issueof the PRCsPreservation in Print magazine. It is surprising that these quarters, retaining Today, many plantation homes are portrayed as elegant gardens with beautiful interiors, ignoring the darker side of their history. Tobacco was once produced on the plantation in Charles City County, Virginia, and shipped throughout the colonies to England. have caused alterations. Evergreen Plantation is committed to telling the stories of the men, women, and children who were enslaved here. EVERGREEN PLANTATION - 166 Photos & 80 Reviews - Landmarks & Historical Buildings - 4677 Hwy 18, Edgard, LA - Phone Number - Yelp Evergreen Plantation 80 reviews Unclaimed Frequently Asked Questions about Evergreen Plantation How is Evergreen Plantation rated? By December, he was locked in a slave jail in the largest slave market in the United States. This diverse community was made up of Africans, the enslaved from the American South, and Creoles of Louisiana. All content 2023Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. The details within the database allow us to read and interpret the past. How To Add Oil To Your Murray Lawn Mower For Optimal Performance, The Benefits Of Using Liquid Fertilizer After Mowing Your Lawn, Troubleshooting Your Riding Lawn Mower: Identifying And Resolving Common Issues, How To Determine The Correct Amount Of Oil To Fill Your Toro Lawn Mower After A Change, How To Troubleshoot And Repair Your Cub Cadet Riding Lawn Mower, How To Minimize The Risk Of Blowback When Using A Riding Lawn Mower. Evergreen Plantation was established in 1790 as a privately owned sugar cane plantation, and it is still in operation today. The original structures where enslaved people lived can still be found on the property. The brutal Candie runs a vast plantation known as Candyland in the film, in addition to the terrifying Candyland, a demon-infested paradise. The loads of cut cane stalks were crushed between rotating steel rollers to extract the cane juice. The Rural Development Initiative for African American Farmers is one such program that assists black farmers. The plantation was built in the early 1700s and was the home of several generations of planters. The plantation grows a variety of crops, including cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane. 19th-century barns. on State Hwy. The site, which has 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only one in the South with intact plantation buildings. The research remains ongoing, and the database will be updated as new discoveries are made. Slaves were highly skilled, and without them, the . Aime was described as a griffe, indicating that she was of mixed race. According to tour guides, the plantation relied heavily on slave labor after emancipation, as did free African-Americans in order to remain in operation. Interior of quarters cabin with double fireplace. Pierre Clidamont Becnel was born as a result of a union. Evergreen Plantation, a National Historic Landmark, is located More than 400 individuals were enslaved at Evergreen Plantation over the course of 150 years. 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. Subscribe to our newsletter for insider access to PRC news, events, involvement opportunities, and more! Prior to Wards death in 1850, his family owned Brookgreen Plantation in Georgetown County, the largest slaveholder in the United States. The number of slaves fluctuated over the years, but there were always at least 300 slaves working on the plantation. Timeline. The plantation was established in 1752 by Claude Treme, and was later owned by his son-in-law, Jacques Treme. 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. The slaves were freed, but the plantation workers were not. Itinerary Home | List 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. Your email address will not be published. The plantation was saved from ruin by oil heiress Matilda Geddings Gray, from Lake Charles, La., in 1944, with Richard Koch as architect. The house is open to the public by reservation only. We are open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and tours are not permitted the following holiday week. 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 configuration, according to its website. The antebellum era saw thousands of cabins built throughout the South. The database is both sophisticated in the quantity and quality of information it contains and simple in its design. Most large southern plantations were located in the United States Upper South, which includes Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and the Deep South, which includes South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. 18, in Wallace. 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