This is Laura: A Creole Plantation (Creole's were not as ostentatious in showing their wealth as their 'uncouth American' contemporaries.)They have a whole journal full of tragic stories about the original occupants.
The longest, most successful owner was a woman, and she was ruthless.
The slaves gave egregious testimony.
Her first granddaughter was supposed to secede her, but when the girl had an outbreak of acne and they took her to France for a cure, she fell over dead.
The daughter- in- law locked herself in the room for the rest of her life out of guilt. She was sure God had punished them for their vanity.
The next granddaughter refused to take her grandmothers place. She was adamant that it would make her as vicious and brutal as it had her predecessor; and the thought was revolting to her.
Although our guide claimed no kinship to the original cantankerous occupant (when asked the question- in my thinly veiled inference), I wouldn't have been surprised. Lonely Planet Travel named this "The Best History Tour in the U.S." but obviously they didn't have 'Pearl' (total misnomer) as their guide.
BE THAT AS IT MAY-
it just made it all the more authentic.
And I couldn't help but smile at the ending.
When the old grandmother retired from her post and passed the baton, she had her son build her this retirement home. She refused to leave it when the Union soldiers floated down. They fired a canon into the home, and it found it's target.
My snort was audible.
Laura also lays claim to fame for being the slave quarters where the west African folktales of the legendary Br'er Rabbit were recorded.Pretty dang cool.
Pal's first banana tree.
The next plantation was Oak Alley. Twenty-eight evenly spaced giant live oak trees, believed to be nearly 300 years old, were planted by an unknown person. Nobody knows his name, but he deserves to be mentioned none the less. They are GRAND. Totally breathtaking.
And they frame this:
It was worth 16 extra dollars to share 4 mint julips on the front porch; helping us to soak it in.
The final plantation we squeezed in was Nottoway - the largest in the South. It was completed just one year before the Civil War. One of the Union commanders had stayed there prior to his tour of duty. And as they floated down the Mississippi, just 100 feet from the home, with orders to fire on all plantations lining the route, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. It was too beautiful. We agreed.
We got there after hours but it didn't stop us from enjoying the grounds, or from watching the private wedding and the new bride walk down the isle under the canopy of trees. I prefer to think that we weren't intruding so much as we were adding to the ambiance, by providing the tourists. Because that's what it is - a tourist spot. No, I'm sure they didn't mind. Afterall they couldn't have two bigger fans than Maddie and myself. We were born Scarlett's and only need a Terra to complete us.
