Baton Rouge Plantations

My wife was very interested in visiting plantation during our trip and even though we went to three, I think she would have liked to see many more. She and her family are very history-oriented and the continued existence of these old buildings over a century old have great appeal.

Though I do not share her great interest, I did have some mixed feelings about visiting these sites. Not growing up in the South, this was my first direct contact with the pre-Civil War era and, arguably, the root of that war, the in humanity that was so tied up in it: slavery.  I grew up far removed from the troubles our nation's legacy of slavery have and continue to create; I didn't grow up in the South and this is not a part of my cultural identity.  I do appreciate, though, that these plantations can easily be seen as a symbol of that dark mark on our history and it seems awkward to make them historical sites and museums, tourist destinations.  By the same token, they are historical sites, they are significant artifacts of a former time.  Removing or ignoring the buildings serves little purpose and may not be beneficial; ignoring the past gets us nowhere.

I'm embarrassed.  Even though I had nothing to do with it, I'm embarrassed that this is a part of our history and I wish it had never happened. Its like being reminded of some foolish choice made in adolescence or dealing with that drunk uncle at your wedding who has lost all inhibition.  Its true, it happened, it can't be denied; I just want it not to be so.

And make of this what you will: during our time touring these three plantations, I only saw one African-American and she was working as a tour guide.

The philosophical misgivings aside, the plantation complexes and the central homes that are its focus are truly wonderful old buildings.  As all our tour guides said, these plantations were owned by the supremely wealthy of their day.  This was not their only residence and they may or may not have been living there year round.  The United States has largely rejected the more class-based cultures that have been a strong part of Europe's past but these plantations were truly a mark of the aristocracy of that day.  The owners needed and lacked for nothing and had the finest available in all respects.  Who else pays for hand-painted wall-paper murals to be custom-made and imported from Europe?

The age of the plantations is echoed in the age of the trees.  Though not as old as many of the forests I grew up around, the branching, reaching, canonpy-ing of these centurion oaks was impressive. This kind of beauty can only come with time; there's no rushing the slow majesty that is old growth.

There is so much of these houses that exudes the wealth of their creators.  The expansive gardens, the architectural details, the size of the houses in what were very rural settings.  Its hard to imagine having so much material means that your country home could easily house multiple families.

One of the plantations we visited was unique from all the others: it was only forty years old.  All except the columns of this building had burned in the 1950s and over the 1960s the home was rebuilt to its former glory.   It is an ersatz plantation which brings with it a distinct advantage: the building has all the modern benefits of appearing to be a planation with none of the burdens of historical preservation.  The current owners live on the third floor, there are some out-buildings that are rented as a bed-and-breakfast, and receptions are frequently held on the lower two floors.  Though the house is populated with period furniture, it is all reproductions and can be used practically.  When TV or film productions need a planation home, this is the place to go as it can be entirely redecorated as needed. The owners make their entire living by providing this fake plantation for use by whomever needs it.  In my mind, this is an ingenius use of the home and grounds.