L) We took a commercial bus up to Evergreen Plantation; R) We were immediately met by the friendly inhabitants. Here Brendan pets Becnel, who escorted us for most of the tour.
L) Our guide at Evergreen was Jane Boddy, who is a preservationist and an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. R) Jane spoke to the classes about the history of the plantation, as well as issues relating to the preservation of the plantation, its current operations, and the sociology of the past and present inhabitants.
L) The privy at Evergreen is a Greek Revival structure located on the main axis of the formal garden; R) Jane discussed how the plantation has been in continuous operation since the 1750s and how it is still an active sugar cane plantation. To Jane's right is Scott Frickle of the Sociology Department. Behind Scott is the pigeon house and behind that the "boys house." These structures emphasize the formal plan of the plantation design and also show how important the "dependencies" were to the occupants.
L) The main house at Evergreen is a magnificent Greek Revival structure with sweeping stairs and graceful proportions. It was a surprise to many when we found out that the house itself was actually quite small. R) The formal design of the plantation duplicated those in Europe. One aspect familiar to many were the tree-lined drives. This path leads to the "quarters" where slaves and later sharecroppers and laborers lived until the 1940s.
Evergreen is famous also for its remarkably intact "quarters." Jane told us of the efforts to preserve these structures, including archaeological research, as well as oral history projects that are ongoing. The work on the quarters indicates that there were slaves of different backgrounds (Creoles, Americans, and Africans) living in these buildings. The ongoing oral history work in nearby communities suggests that these ethnic and social distinctions are stilled maintained today. R) A view of the quarters.
L) The quarters. As part of an attempt to understand the history of the plantation Jane has undertaken archaeological research at the site. The were able to bring many young people from schools in nearby communities on to the site to both talk about but also to uncover their own history. R) A view of the inside of one of these quarters. When I noted that these were pretty small one student exclaimed that they were actually bigger than a dorm room. I guess it is all perspective!
L) Evergreen has been a working sugar cane plantation from 1801. Here we see the ongoing harvest in the fall of 2001. The red soil that is visible is imported from the Kaiser Aluminum plant, located a few miles to the north. The soil comes from Jamaica and the bauxite is removed leaving red clay. This soil is made available to farmers for road construction and other uses. R) We also spent a half hour relaxing and eating lunch. Scott Frickle and Willie Fontenot, our tour guide are on the left.
L) From Evergreen we traveled down River Road past the Taft Industrial complex. We crossed the river at Hahnville and went to Norco, where we met Margie Richard (with the megaphone) just outside of the Shell Chemical Plant in the Diamond Community. Margie was kind enough to talk to us about her experiences as a resident, mother, and activist. Her talk was inspiring as she encouraged the students as future leaders to speak the truth and to work for justice. R) We met Margie at a playground that had been the former location of a school. The fumes from the plant were at times quite strong and most of us marveled that people could have to live with the smell and the noise. Standing to Margie's right is Willie Fontenot. Willie is employed by the Louisiana Attorney General as a community liaison. His job is to organize community groups to fight injustice by providing information, training, and ideas. Willie's position is unique among states. Willie was a font of information and stories about environmental activism in Louisiana.
Margie's final words were to join together as people to recognize that we are all God's Children and as such we need to protect the earth from which we get our life.