plantationing

  

The top two pictures are from Shadows-on-the-Teche, New Iberia, LA. All others are from Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, LA. I like the landscape and the grounds of both the houses better than the houses themselves, and feel less historically troubled appreciating a beautiful landscape than a house built on slave labor . . . though of course the grounds would have been maintained by slave labor as well. More than Shadows, Oak Alley didn't shy away from discussing its slave history (Katie and I were glad that there was the rather unsettling plaque detailing the prices for each of the slaves who worked the plantation), though it should be noted that we learned a whole lot more about the standards of rich white girl courtship than we learned about the people who kept the household clean, clothed, and fed. In spite of this, I was glad to have seen these places -- and there's no denying that those 300-year-old oaks are incredible.