Plantation Country

North of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is Plantation Country.  The Mississippi River runs immediately to the west, and the soil is rich.  Vegetation is lush.  During the heyday of cotton and sugar plantations (before the Civil War), some of the most successful North American plantations were located in this region.

I chose to visit the Oakley Plantation, one of the oldest in the area.  I wanted to see it because John James Audubon had lived here for four months in 1821, spending half his time tutoring Eliza, the youngest daughter of the plantation owner, and half of his time observing, drawing, and painting birds.  This was early in his career, and it was only four months, but it was a very significant period in his life.

The Oakley Plantation, at first glance, seems modest.

But it turns out there is much more to it than beholds the eye.

The Oakley Plantation was established in 1797.  At the time, this part of Louisiana belonged to Spain.  The owner of the plantation, Mr. James Pirrie, was the Alcalde, or head official, for the region, and reported directly to the King of Spain. At its height, the plantation had about 3200 acres of land and 250 slaves.  The Oakley Plantation became one of the most productive in the area, and Mr. Pirrie was one of the wealthiest men in the world.  We were told more than once that Pirrie's wealth, in today's terms, was akin to that of Bill Gates.  So although the house seemed modest to me, and not as elaborate as some plantation homes I have seen, it was a meeting place for many very wealthy and powerful people and political figures of both Spain and America.  The women of the house wore the finest clothes from France, the finest china graced the table, and meals included delicate European candies and desserts.

Notice the large piece of wood hanging from the ceiling, which is original to the house.  It was actually used to keep flies and other bugs away from the meal on hot days.  The windows had no screens, so when the windows were open bugs came in.  A pleasant side effect was the cooling breeze created by the movement of the fan.  A slave boy was in charge of pulling the rope to move the wooden plank.

In 1810 the area was annexed by the United States, and the plantation continued to flourish.  In 1821, Mrs. Pirrie met Audubon in New Orleans and asked him to tutor her daughter, then 16, in drawing, painting, dance, and the French language through the summer and fall.  For Audubon it was a good deal.  He would be paid well, and would be allowed to spend half his time on exploring the region and collecting birds for his project.

During this very productive period, Audubon painted an amazing thirty-two birds and completed many more drawings that became the basis for his great work, the Birds of America.  In his account of the great blue heron, written later, Audubon states that "The State of Louisiana has always been my favourite portion of the Union..."  After completing his tutoring engagement, his wife and two sons moved to nearby St. Francisville to be with him, and they lived in that town for another six years.   

The dining room and Audubon's quarters were both in the basement, the coolest part of the house (cool meaning not hot during the summer).  Below is the entrance to Audubon's room, on the east side of the dining room:

The room itself is modest, but somewhat spacious.  Audubon was able to spread his collected birds and works-in-progress around the room.  He pinned his birds to boards in the position he wanted to paint them.

Opposite his bed is a fireplace and cabinet from the period.  There are several fireplaces in the house, all on the outside wall, which apparently was a common architectural feature from the Carolinas.

On the middle level of the home are the living room, office, library, and small sitting room or bedroom.  The library included a game table, with "pieces of eight".  Those are the coins on the table, actually cut into eight pieces.  The twisted object on the top left is a roll of tobacco.

On the third floor are the bedrooms.  Do you see the bathing tub, on the floor to the left of the bed?  At the time, this tub was cutting edge.  The bed is dressed for winter, with heavy cloth hanging from the canopy.  When closed up, it helps keep the heat in.  The bed skirt keeps the cold air out from under the bed.

During the summer, light netting was used to keep the bugs out.

The tub in the photo below is for washing the feet.  It comes complete with a small seat, top of the line.

The most unique features of the house are the wooden slats on the veranda and the curved ceiling.  The slats, combined with the curve, create a nice breeze with the air circulation they cause.  I definitely felt it - it works well.  Mr. Pirrie lived in the West Indies for a period of time, where louvres like these were common.  During the hot nights of summer the family would sleep on the veranda, and the louvres would provide privacy as well. 

I don't think the louvres are very attractive from the outside.  The house doesn't have the classic drama of the grand plantation homes with three-story Greek columns, but on hot summer nights, who cares?  Mr. Pirrie must have been a practical man.

On the west side of the house was the obligatory garden:

In the back was the kitchen, separate from the house so an accidental fire wouldn't burn the house down:

There is an example of the home of a slave family:

I was delighted to be back in azalea country, and they were all in full bloom.  Beautiful!

We are also back in cardinal country.  Love it!!