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Feliciana Explorer • Tuesday, July 29, 2014 • Vol. 4, No. 30 • Published Weekly • Circulation 17,000 • felicianaexplorer.com • © 2014

EXPLOREREXPLORERFeliciana

Proud to be the Felicianas' only locally owned, managed, and staffed newspaper.

See OAKLEY on page 4

Oakley Plantation Home Tells the Whole StoryBy Patricia Stallman

Visitors to most Louisiana planta-tion homes find not only no existing slave cabins or artifacts but no mention at all of the enslaved persons who cre-ated the wealth of major area families. John House, Director of Oakley House, Audubon State Historic Site, preserves that history and teaches visitors what life was like for all who lived at Oak-ley. “Cultural tourism is popular these days,” House notes, “and cultural tour-ism includes African American history. You’re not just talking Gone with the Wind. We do something no one else is doing; we have something no one else interprets.”

Another difference is that Oak-ley’s focus is the period from 1803 to 1824, while other home tours, though addressing the later Civil War Period, ignore “the more controversial parts of their own history,” House says. “I un-derstand why people don’t want to deal with the subject of enslaved persons. You’ve got to be either totally involved or not involved at all. At Oakley, we talk about the uncomfortable parts of life. We tell a story that is all inclusive,” half Main House, half slavery.

Oakley Curator Daniel Wilcox says, “We’ve never had a neutral reac-tion.”

Entering the on-site museum, visitors find, preserved, an elaborate child’s dress and, nearby, a pair of wooden shoes that a slave carved and wore.

Enslaved persons “a staggering concept”—Judge for yourself

Slavery, House says, is “a stag-gering concept for those who haven’t seen it,” who are too young to have memories of even the later, more re-cent segregation of the races. “I know segregation from the fact that I’ve seen it,” House says. “It’s hard to in-terpret slavery for visitors who judge it through the lens of the modern day.” Visitors may well have trouble believ-ing that the people in the Main House, for example, could have “accepted slavery as the norm.” The tours of Oakley present what life was like for all residents of the time and allow visi-tors to judge for themselves whether those who owned other human be-ings—as many as 300 at Oakley, 500 at nearby Rosedown—knew only their own experience or knew that slavery was wrong.

House describes himself as both an historian and an educator who tries to “help all of us understand who we

The simple, elegant lines of Oakley House in St. Francisville. Photograph by Patricia Stallman.

Wilson Receives $698,500 Block Grant to Fund Backup Water WellPictured Left: At his office in Jackson, State Representative Kenny Havard pres-ents Wilson Mayor Marilyn Broadway with the official certificate naming Wilson the recipient of a $698,500 Louisiana Community Development Block Grant. Broadway reports that Wilson had applied in 2010, 2011 and 2012 for the grant to fund the second water well that the State mandated after Hurricane Katrina. This time, the fourth attempt, Havard met with the State Division of Administra-tion and explained that Wilson’s well is operating at 50 percent capacity and that in the event of another hurricane the village would lose its only water source. Wilson’s only options were to purchase a new well or to tie into and buy water from the Rural Water System off Highway 68. Because the village earns its only revenue by selling water to its residents, it did not wish to take the tie-in route. That left the challenge of finding money to pay for a new well or finding money to serve as matching funds in a bid for the grant. Neither was possible. “They deserve all the credit,” Havard said of Wilson’s mayor and Board of Aldermen. “They persevered.” Havard reports more good news for Jackson and Wilson: The State Department of Transportation and Development has informed him that Highway 952 will be blacktopped from Highway 10 in Jackson to Highway 19 in Wilson in a few months. “Bear with us,” Havard said. “It will be worth the inconvenience!”

2 Tuesday, July 29, 2014

BusinessBains Road Rehabilitation Project Ahead of Schedule

and Under BudgetLast week West Feliciana Parish

President Kevin Couhig announced the completion of the Bains Road rehabilitation project, the first major project taken on by the newly formed Department of Public Works. Origi-nally estimated to cost $500,000, ad-ditional engineering provided by the department brought the project in at only $244,000. The project consist-ed of rehabilitating a 2,700-ft sec-tion of the most traveled local road-way in the Parish. Bains Road is the sole local roadway providing access to West Feliciana public schools.

Through the project limits, Bains Road consisted of a narrow width (average 19-ft), un-striped roadway and earthen shoulders, previously used to queue parent pickup. The finished project is a consistent 24-ft wide roadway, with striped lane de-lineation, and features nearly 1,200 feet of intermittent paved shoulders for parent pickup needs.

Couhig commended DPW Direc-tor, Jim Ferguson and Parish officials for their achievement. “We’re seeing the benefits of taking a businesslike and professional approach to Parish operations. This endeavor is a suc-cess thanks to the cooperation of all those involved- school officials, area residents and especially to the Parish Council, for dedicating the funds for this project. Rehabilitation of this vital stretch of local roadway, ahead of schedule and within budget, is a significant example of how working together, we are delivering results for West Feliciana residents.”

East Feliciana Parish School Employees Give to United WayLeft: Mavia Alice Marsalis, M.A., Direc-tor of Personnel, Finance, and Sales Tax for the East Feliciana Parish Schools, accepts the Capital Area United Way Movin’ On Up Award for the medium-size company having the largest percentage contribution increase over the previous year, and, based on the percentage, the highest campaign total. Presenting the award are, from left: Ralph Bender, Chief Financial Officer with Manship Media and CAUW’s 2014-15 Board Chair Elect; Scott Berg, Market President with Lee Mi-chael’s Fine Jewelry and CAUW’s 2013-14 Board Chair; Marsalis; and Darrin Goss, Sr., President and CEO of CAUW. The Movin’ On Up award is presented to a small, medium or large-sized company that has the largest percentage increase over the previous year; and, based on the percentage, the company that has the highest campaign total.

Head Start Students Get Visit from Organ AnnieHead Start students at the Family Service Center, Bains Lower El-

ementary in St. Francisville, participated in nutrition classes led by Layne Langley, LSU AgCenter, twice a month throughout the school year. During her visits, Langley brought Organ Annie, a plush doll with the OrganWise Guys residing in her. Student favorites were Hardy Heart and Sir Rebrum the Brain. Along with the Organ Annie demonstration, Langley read a story about the organs and provided a food taste. After the “All Hearts Need Love” story, the students tried broccoli, and after the “Concentrating on Fruits and Vegetables” story, they sampled pineapple. The students have been eager to try the foods!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014 3

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WEEK IN ZACHARY & THE FELICIANAS

Email stories and photos to info@felicianaexplorer.com

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EXPLOREREXPLORERFeliciana

4104 Main StreetZachary, LA 70791

Phone (225) 654-0122Fax (225) 208-1165

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Call for advertising rates.

Publisher & EditorDaniel Duggan

Graphic DesignerTina Adams

Account ExecutivesGeorgiana Walls

Ashley Evans

Contributing WriterJames Ronald Skains

Patricia Stallman

Summer Parties CooordinatorCalla Duggan

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Sand EngineerCecelia Duggan

The Crab GrabberColton Duggan

All Star Chevy North Hits

Grand Slam for Area Youth

BaseballAll Star Chevy North, one of 11

Chevrolet dealers from the Baton Rouge area that partnered with local youth baseball leagues for the 2014 baseball program, has concluded a successful season with East Felici-ana Little League. All Star Chevy North provided East Feliciana Little League with new equipment, a mon-etary contribution and an opportuni-ty for community members to raise funds for the league via a Test Drive fundraiser.

“We’re glad we were able to extend Chevrolet’s commitment to spreading joyful play to the mem-bers of our community,” said Mark Carline, General Manager for All Star Chevy North.

All Star Chevy North partnered with the East Feliciana Little League because of the league’s proximity to the dealership. Equipment donated by All Star Chevy North included items such as bags, batting tees, catcher’s gear, water bottles and Chevrolet Youth Baseball T-shirts. The sponsorship also included youth clinics featuring current and former MLB/MiLB players and coaches, and instructors from Ripken Base-ball and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.

“We truly enjoyed being involved with East Feliciana Little League this year,” said Carline. “This part-nership gave us the opportunity to support the love of the game and we are thrilled to have achieved such positive results for the community.”

In 2014, more than 1,600 Chev-rolet dealers participated in Chevy Youth Baseball. Since the program began in 2006, Chevrolet has made a positive impact on more than 3.6 million children by bringing a unique experience to their community.

East Feliciana Schools Orientation ScheduleFIRST DAY OF SCHOOL – Mon-

day, August 11, 2014. SCHOOL HOURS: 7:45 a.m. to 3

p.m. Scheduled Events:• Employee Orientation and Pro-

fessional Development: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, August 4, 2014, through Friday, August 8, 2014

School Events • Community Parent Rally and

Orientation will be Thursday, July 31, 2014, at 6 p.m. at East Feliciana High School. Principal: John Harris, Assistant Principals: Jeremye Brooks and Victoria McMullen-Dunn

• Parent-Student Orientation will be Saturday, August 2, 2014, from noon to 3 p.m. at East Feliciana Middle School.

Principal: Karen Gipson, Assistant Princi-pal: Leslie Birdon

• Parent Orientation will be Thurs-day, August 7, 2014, at 4 p.m. at Slaughter Elementary School. Principal: Kimberly Glascock, Assistant Principal: Jonathan Coats

• Parent Orientation will be Thurs-day, August 7, 2014, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Jackson Elementary School. Prin-cipal: Megan Phillips

• Meet and Greet will be Friday, August 8, 2014, at 1 p.m. at Clinton El-ementary School. Principal: Thelemese Porter, Assistant Principal: Tonjia Sanders

• Parent Orientation will be Sat-urday, August 2, 2014, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at East Feliciana Parish Enrichment Academy. Principal Ella Philson

4 Tuesday, July 29, 2014

OAKLEY continued from page 1

Dr. Tilley is accepting new patients of all ages.

Brandon Tilley, MDF A M I L Y M E D I C I N E

Dr. Tilley is located at Daniel Clinic,5326 Oak Street, St. Francisville, LA 70775

Call 225-635-5848 for an appointment.

are.” Most, he says, can’t identify with the extremely wealthy people who occupied the three-level West Indies-style plantation home on thousands of acres. Perhaps few young people can identify with those who lived in the cabins. “History is not so much a black and white issue,” he says. “It’s how these folks got along. How did the system work for them? You can’t get a sense of it unless you know all the pieces.

“We want to provoke thought. We want our visitors, both schoolchil-dren and tourists, to compare their own lives with the lives of Oakley’s residents. We want them to ask, ‘What would I have done?’ We want people to come to their own conclusions.”

Oakley director proposes Afri-can American Studies program

In lieu of a cemetery to honor the lives of Oakley’s slaves, House pro-poses a memorial “similar to a war memorial” that would include “regular park signs with all of the slave names and the few photographs that survive of children of Oakley slaves, from the sharecropper stage.”

The slaves, after all, “built this plantation,” House says, “built every-thing you see. That’s whose hands fit-ted the boards, made the day-to-day repairs, cooked the meals, tilled the soil, made the plantation function and thus created the wealth.” Because of the deaths of Oakley owners in 1800, in 1828, and in the 1830s to ‘40s, three slave lists survive as “part of the value of a person’s estate.”

In addition to the enslaved persons memorial, House’s wish list includes:

1) The restoration of the slave cab-ins. The owners of Highland Planta-tion, “the old John Barrows plantation in St. Francisville,” donated the Oak-ley cabins—which are identical to the originals at Oakley—in 1986. House moved the cabins from the rear of the Main House to alongside it, where the slaves who worked in the house, the kitchen, the spinning and weaving room, the barns, the blacksmith shop and the gardens once lived.

2) A sound system for the cabins so that visitors who enter will hear the background sounds of the enslaved family conversing, of a child playing with clay marbles, of a pot rattling on the hearth. The sounds of life would mingle with the odors of the wood burning in the fireplace and the food heating on the hearth, and with the sight of the wooden shoes under the rope-slung mattress; this enwrapping of a visitor with information through all of the senses would help make the slave’s life real, would say to visitors, House notes, “People lived here.”

House explains his task: “We’re trying to re-humanize a person who’s been dehumanized.”

3) Online programs, including talks on the historic period that is Oakley’s focus, which is, like the period of Jane Austen’s life, from 1803, the time of the Louisiana Purchase and the West Florida Parishes’ separation from Lou-isiana, to 1824, the end of the Federal Period.

House explains: “The Spanish con-sidered the Florida Parishes, both East and West, not part of Louisiana. When the French sold the Louisiana Purchase to the United States (basically Spanish territories given to France supposedly for safe keeping), the Spanish immedi-ately made their position known vis a

vis the Floridas. Hence the 1803 sepa-ration. The focus of our interpretation here at Oakley is that late colonial pe-riod to the end of the Federal Period, 1803 to 1824. If you are in Europe you hear this called The Regency Period.”

House’s own area of expertise is the history of the slave trade in Louisiana.

Online demonstrations could in-clude: open-hearth cooking; family and social activities; woodworking; fashion; music; dancing; Civil War-related activities and artifacts; and tours of Oakley’s nature trails. Talks could address: John J. Audubon, who taught Eliza, a daughter of the planta-tion when he lived at Oakley; the War of 1812; the slave trade. One popular presentation was the May 30 program, “Becoming Jane Austen School for Young Ladies,” which teaches 1821 etiquette and activities such as “speak-ing with the fan, attending a tea, sew-ing, spinning, weaving and making bath salts.”

4) On-site computer access to Oak-ley history, area history, regional his-tory. In one section of the museum, House envisions four computers on pedestals so that visitors could “push a button” and access a) the genealogy of those who lived in the Main House, b) the genealogy of the African enslaved persons, c) life on Oakley and perhaps other nearby plantations as well, that is, the history of West Feliciana, and d) the history of the larger area, of the West Florida Parishes back to the Rev-olutionary War.

5) A computer with software to as-

sist visitors with genealogy research.How Oakley’s museum records

its people - Oakley owners.One bank of exhibits details—with

photographs, dates, and names—the “long-lived ladies,” the so-called ma-triarchy that owned Oakley. Lucretia Alston, La Grange, Homochito, Mis-sissippi, married Ruffin Gray of Ho-mochito. After Gray’s death, Lucre-tia married James Pirrie of Scotland, whom an Oakley brochure describes as “one of the last Spanish Alcauldes, or chief magistrates, of the Feliciana area.” Oakley was completed in 1803, during their ownership. They were the parents of Eliza, Audubon’s student. Lucretia’s father, John Austin of Nat-chez, took part in the rebellion against Spanish rule; during that period, his wife fell, broke her back, and died, af-ter which James Pirrie, the son in law, avoided involvement on either side of the struggle.

From Lucretia and James Pirrie, the plantation went to Eliza, who mar-ried three times and had six children. Eliza’s family did not approve her first husband, Robert Barrow, the standoff, House says, a familiar one between an old family and “new money,” and perhaps due also to politics: Robert’s father was a leader of the “successful rebellion against Spain in 1810 which had cost James Pirrie his title of Alcaul-de.” Eliza eloped to marry Robert in Natchez. After the couple had walked about in a rainstorm, however, Barrow contracted pneumonia and died, and Eliza returned to Oakley to face her

Tuesday, July 29, 2014 5

See OAKLEY CONT. on page 8

parents, eventually giving birth in 1824 to her son, Robert Hilliard Barrow. At that point she lived with her husband’s family, the Barrows.

“Although her marriage to Robert had been short,” the Oakley brochure states, “it created a powerful family connection between Eliza and the Bar-row family that would eventually con-nect her by blood or marriage to nearly every other plantation home in the St. Francisville area.”

Her second husband, the Rev. Wil-liam Bowman of Philadelphia, arrived in St. Francisville in 1827 to found Grace Episcopal Church, a wooden structure that eventually burned and which the present-day brick structure replaces. The union produced two chil-dren, one of whom, James P. Bowman, married Sarah Turnbull, the heiress of Rosedown, a marriage that produced 10 children. The couple’s daughter, Is-abelle Bowman, married William Wil-son Matthews and bought Oakley from her stepfather, Henry Lyons. Isabelle and William Matthews had six chil-dren, among them daughters Lucy and Ida Matthews who inherited Oakley. In 1947 the State of Louisiana acquired Oakley for use as an historic site.

A few feet away from the Main House exhibit rises a large poster with the names that cause many to gasp, names like: Alfred, Allen, Alsey, Bet-sey, Bartlet, Carter, Catherine, Celeste, Charity, Clem, Comfort, Dave Gillard, Eliza, Elphy, Essex, Eve, Gardiner, George, Harrison, Jim Davis, Luke, Martin, Moses, Nancy, Nelly, Peter, Pero, Queen, Rachael, Robert, Rose, Sud, Sally Weeks, Sam, Sylvia, Wil-liam Griffin, Willis.

At Audubon, as elsewhere, en-slaved persons lost not only their free-dom, but their identity and links to their

past; they lost their African names. The Slave List at Oakley Plantation records, for example, the purchase on July 9, 1804, from Leonard Claiborne in Kentucky, of, among others, Allen, son of Jenny and brother of Gabriella, and Alsey, daughter of Mary and sis-ter of Elephy and Harry. Betsey, the mother of Hanna, Nancy and Clarin-da, was 28 at the time of Ruffin Gray’s succession and “valued at $600.” Like their owners, the enslaved at Oakley marked their lineage through maternal descent.

With the death of an owner, the es-tate listed all property, including the enslaved persons, thus preserving a record of first names, family relation-ships, and sometimes birth and death dates.

Pursuing genealogy a daunting

task for African AmericansHouse, in answer to a question

about African American genealogy, said that the task is daunting; however, families who live near historic planta-tion homes and who have occupied their property for generations may very well have had ancestors who worked on Oakley as sharecroppers and, before that, perhaps, as enslaved. Many Afri-can American families, House says, hold family reunions on the grounds of Oakley, perhaps because the grounds are beautiful, perhaps because the practice, for some, dates back many generations to a time when some could trace their families to Oakley.

A family in Clinton, for example, easily traces its ancestry to The Shades in Wilson. Descendants remembered, as young children, a “very short wom-

an who wore long skirts,” who, upon receiving her freedom and her piece of land, spent the rest of her life add-ing to her property. Her descendants include the founder of a long-time church on Highway 19 in McManus and, more recently, a Clinton funeral home owner/director and cattleman. With that much oral history, and with plantation records of the purchase and bequeathing of slaves, with family members whose churches record their birth and whose service in the Armed Forces provides further records, the tracing of family history, even before the ancestors’ arrival in America, is at least possible.

House tells stories of Oakley’s people: It’s complicated --consider, for example, the story of Eliza, Audubon’s student. Imagine, House says, that you grow up, as Eliza did, with another child, whose people probably came from Africa through Havana, Cuba, who does not look like you, but who is your friend. Black nannies raise both of you, and you play together. At some point, however, that time inevitably comes when your friend must under-stand fast that she is now your servant and that, “by the way,” House says, “you own her.”

At a time when Eliza owned Oak-ley, approximately 1830, when her mother was still alive, Eliza’s house servant, her former best friend, is up-stairs in the bedroom with her mistress. The story goes that Eliza becomes an-gry and strikes the servant with a hair-brush, whereupon the woman snatches the brush and hits Eliza back.

The servant, the former near-sister, is arrested and sent to the St. Francis-ville jail and then on to New Orleans

In the museum at Oakley, the visitor encounters the text of a Louisiana law that defines slavery. Photograph by Patricia Stallman..

6 Tuesday, July 29, 2014

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Workshop of Wonders Vacation Bible School was held the week of July 14-18 at Jackson United Methodist Church in Jackson. The theme for VBS this year was “Workshop of Wonders: Build with God.” The students experienced the wonders of God. A puppet named “Rivet” gave the children the name of Visioneers. The visioneers were to explore how the ordinary people become extraordi-nary with God and the love of Jesus. The opening assembly was filled with all sorts of fun for the children, including a short video, a puppet show, and music. Then they moved on to several other activities including Interactive Bible lessons, Vision Verses, Craft Lab, Science Station, Song Studio, recreational activities at Game Garage and tasty snacks from the Snack Stop.It turned out to be a wonderful week of fun for children and volunteers alike. They also participated in community projects. Each day they brought a food item to give to Helping in His Name Food Bank and they collected over 225 pounds that they donated on Mon-day. They also accumulated $150 to donate to Grace Camp.

Workshop of Wonders VBS at Jackson United Methodist Jackson Fire to Host Blood Drive

The Jackson Volunteer Fire De-partment and the Jackson Town Hall are sponsoring Replenishment Blood Drive for Edgar “Carneal” Wood-year. The blood drive will be held on Wednesday, July 30th from 2:00 p.m. thru 7 p.m. The Donor Bus will be parked between the Town Hall and the Fire Department. Carneal needs to replace 66 pints of blood. Let’s show him our love by support-ing this project and help him to re-plenish this blood that he has used.

Carneal’s daughter, Mariah Bow-en, stated “We are so thankful for everyone’s prayers and thoughts for daddy. This has been a much lon-ger and more intense recovery than anyone expected for a valve replace-ment. Just during this stay in the hospital, he has now used over 70 units of blood. As a family, we’ve all given blood but it doesn’t come close to replacing what daddy has needed. We are incredibly apprecia-tive of the generosity and unselfish-ness of this gift and thank everyone who can participate.”

Outback Steakhouse stated that if you help, you will receive an offer from them for $5 off and a summer blood donor t-shirt for your life-sav-ing donation! If you would happen to give two times before Sept. 15 they will mail you a free lunch offer and be entered to win Outback for a year.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014 7

BUSINESS DIRECTORY | CLASSIFIEDSClassifiedsPRICE REDUCED! Country living in the City of Zachary! 1.61 Acre homesite is ready to build upon. Site prep already prepared, and you can enjoy fishing off the sandy beaches of Redwood Creek located on the rear of the property. Brokered by Monte Real Estate 225-658-1515. Listed at $69,000 and will entertain all offers. Nanny Needed. Must have own transportation. Call (225) 926-1900.Vinyl sign production and graphic installer needed. We need a well motivated individual to produce and install vinyl graphics and vehicle-wraps on cars, trucks, ambulances, trailers, walls, signs etc. Signshop or screen printing experience a plus but not required.Call 225-683-9595. Yard Sale- Sat.Aug 2 ,20747 Watson Dr.[off Blackwater] Lots of brand new home improve-ment/household items CHEAP!For Sale – 1 yr. old, Table-Dinette Set - Rect-angle Table with 4 Ash colored chairs, sea foam green cushion seats. Matching Bench. Table is faux granite green color. $425.00. Call 978-4276 or 570-2781.For Sale – 2 Box-Shaped TVs. 19-in Color Emerson TV with Remote and 19-in Curtis Mathes Color TV with Remote. Both for $75.00. Excellent Condition. Call 978-4276 or 570-2781.1840’s Farmhouse, heart pine floors, modern plumbing & electrical, with 6.33 acres. East Fe-liciana Parish. Call Steve DiLorenzo 683-5454 or 719-1810.52 mostly wooded acreage, has an excellent lake site. Ethel. Call Steve DiLorenzo 683-5454 or 719-1810.For Sale – 3 bedroom, 2 bath, Jackson home, 1.11 acre Villa real S.D. Reduced for quick sale. Feliciana Hill Country. Call Steve DiLorenzo 683-5454 or 719-1810.Downsizing Furnishings. Some antique fur-niture and glassware. Call (225) 933-5869 for information and appointment.Building for Rent starting Sept 1st. 4705 Sec-retary Drive in Zachary, across from Walmart. 1,000 sq feet. $950 per month. Call Johnny (225) 719-1116 or (225) 683-9677.FOR SALE. Rat Terrier puppies. 8 weeks old. Shots and wormed. $75.00. Call (225) 654-5297

Classifiedsor (225) 603-5227.FOR SALE BY OWNER. House and 1 Acre of Land. 22356 Sutter Lane in Zachary. Needs Updating. Asking $140,000. Call (225) 301-7214.2003 Ford T-Bird Convertible. 124K Miles, 4.6 V-8 Automatic, Exc. Condition, $13,975. Virgil’s Autoplex, 6865 Magnolia Bridge Road in Denham Springs. (225) 938-5515.1997 GMC Sonoma Truck. 118K Miles, Exc. Condition, V-6 Vortec 4300 Engine, Bedliner, Toolbox, $4,990. Virgil’s Autoplex, 6865 Mag-nolia Bridge Road in Denham Springs. (225) 938-5515.Driver Needed. Must have CDL. Fair Driving Record. Hours Vary. Apply in person at 4300 Groom Road in Baker or Fax resume to (225) 774-8500.Zachary area dental office seeking a hard working & reliable dental assistant. Please email resume to frontdesk70791@outlook.comFor Sale - 2004 Chevy Venture Extended Mini-van 5D, seats 7, lots of extras! 17+mpg, 134K miles, $3,250. 225-907-4194.Advanced Cosmetic Technique-Eyebrows, Eyeliner and Lips (full lips & lip liner). Call for Appointment (225) 571-6690.Help Wanted – Looking for a dependable ma-ture woman to work with a special needs lady. If interested, call 225-336-9770.Twenty beautiful acres with mature hard-woods, magnolia, pine and a creek running throughout it. Only minutes from Zachary and Central. $225,000. Call Sally, Keller Williams Realty Red Stick Plus (225) 301-7224. “Each office independently owned and operated.”Now Hiring! Medical office in Clinton is look-ing for a medical assistant. Fax resume to 225-683-3350. Must have reliable transportation.Specialty Maintenance Contractors LLC. Ad-ditions, Contstruction, Remodeling & Repairs. Whatever your needs may be, we do it. 225-572-3673.

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8 Tuesday, July 29, 2014

OAKLEY CONT. continued from page 5

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to be killed. At that point, Eliza has a change of heart. Do not expect, how-ever, House says, “a Disney ending.” Does Eliza rescue her friend and bring her home? No; she sells her in New Orleans, where gossip of the so-called unruly slave would not have penetrat-ed and damaged the sale.

House also imagines “a lady taking care of a white child; at some point, this 56-year-old stops being the care-taker and suddenly this young teenager is in control of your life. I don’t know how you deal with that.”

Freedom lore includes one method of dealing with slavery: outsmarting the powerful. House tells of a skilled enslaved person, a master carpenter in the 1830s—‘40s when Eliza owned Oakley, a man who had learned to read and write. When Eliza discovers he has been writing passes for slaves to go to town, he writes himself a pass and es-capes. “He takes a horse and his work-ing tools and makes his way to the river, and they lose him,” House says.

Another Oakley connection many find startling dates from 1796, when Carlos Trudeau was the surveyor for the Spanish king. Maria Joseph Trudeau sold her property to Oakley and returned to New Orleans, where one of her daughters, in her direct line, became famous.

The mother is sometimes said to be a descendant of French aristocracy or a daughter of a wealthy white planter, or an illegitimate daughter of Charles LaVeau and Marguerite Darcantrel.

The daughter who gained fame, House says, took both her mother’s first name, Marie, and her mother’s maiden name, LaVeau, to become Marie LaVeau, the Voodoo Queen,

who practiced a blend of West Afri-can religion and Catholicism. Visitors will find the paper that documents the Trudeau land sale in a glass case at Oakley’s museum.

Director notes other little-known lore

In the skilled category of enslaved persons were those who had knowl-edge of how to operate, by 1810, a steam-powered cotton gin, a relatively new piece of technology at the time. “This shows, at least to me, that the owners of the plantation had great faith in the ability of the enslaved to operate this safely and efficiently.”

In what he calls “an interesting side note,” House writes: “At Oakley in 1821, John J. Audubon speaks in his journal of slaves from the plantation helping him find the birds for many of his pictures. Also in 1821 we can track by way of Audubon that Oakley employed him, a French colonial, as a tutor, along with an English woman as a seamstress, a Choctaw Indian as a hunter, and, of course, an overseer (possibly the Irishman we know of only as Patrick). The slaves would have included a few from Africa who were originally born free, along with those who had been born into slavery in the Americas. The plantation owner was from Scotland, and his wife born in the English Colony of West Florida. As you can see, Oakley plantation was in a small way quite the mixture of people and places.”

House sketches “the rich history” of Oakley and environs

“Slavery changes from when we first were a plantation during the Span-ish period, up to 1810,” House says, “when people were still bringing slaves directly from Africa to Havana, Cuba, and then here. These persons had not known slavery until they came to Oak-ley and received English names.”

Background of slavery:United States law of the 1800s out-

lawed the international slave trade; however, because “a slave born of a slave was automatically a slave with no rights,” people could still buy hu-man beings and enslave them.

Under Spanish West Florida law—“a strange old beast,” House remarks—as a citizen, a slave could petition the King of Spain, could take the master to court and even be removed from ownership. Slaves, whom the Spanish called “passive beings,” could “even own some possessions.” From 1779 to 1810, until the 1810 Rebellion of West Florida, slaves had some recourse. During the slave rebellion of Pt. Cou-pee in 1795, though the Spanish “did hang some slaves, very few were actu-ally punished.”

In 1811, a year after “our rebellion,” House says, 400 to 1,000 slaves of the German Coast (north of New Orleans) rebelled and marched on New Orleans, only to be defeated in a cane field with the help of the United States Army. “A huge trial took place in a plantation owner’s house,” House recounts, “and though there was blood on the hands of both sides, the slave owners got their retribution,” marching the enslaved back to their owners and beheading several “every few miles” as a lesson to all who encountered the bodies.

The French system of slavery, Code Noir, denotes a system “much more rigid, no recourse, no rights.” At that point, “the American slavery system kicks in,” House says, and the rules changed.

Historic tidbits:As he discusses life on Oakley so

long ago, House tosses off now and then an odd bit of history.

In 1733, a French Fort, St. Reine, stood near the mouth of Bayou Sarah on the south side of the Mississippi

River, at St. Francisville, and the Houma Indians had a settlement on the north side.

The troops of Johann Rall failed, during the American Revolutionary War, in the attempt to stop George Washington when he crossed the Delaware in 1776. Washington had planned a surprise attack against the Hessian troops in Trenton, New Jer-sey. The Ralls, House says, ended in an encampment on Thompson Creek and elsewhere, “probably as punish-ment.”

In 1779, during the American Revolution, the Battle of Baton Rouge was fought, and “that’s how we became Spain,” House says. “We beat the British in Baton Rouge. The British had a garrison on Thompson Creek” between East and West Felici-ana Parishes.

In 1780 the Acadians came to LaVille, a village “on Thompson Creek near the junction with the Mis-sissippi River and next to a fjord,” House says. “Apparently, the Acadi-ans were to join a pre-existing settle-ment there that we know even less about other than that it was impor-tant enough that during the American Revolution, the British army kept a detachment of soldiers there.” The Spanish welcomed the arrival of Catholic settlers.

Help establish the African American Studies Program at Oakley

To help Oakley, The History Place, establish its African American Studies Program, join the Friends of Oakley with a tax-deductible mem-bership fee: individual, $35; family, $50; sponsor, $100; patron, $250; memorial or honorarium for a person or group. Oakley’s address is P.O. Box 546, St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775.