Forget Hurricane Katrina and Look to the Area’s Glorious Plantations
Bert Gildart:Norman Marmillion makes no bones about it. Norman, like Laura, for whom the Laura Plantation was named, is Creole.
Once that designation might have carried negative connotations, for by definition that means Norman is not white, rather his bloodline derives from a mixture of other ethnic groups, specifically, French or Spanish with black African.
“Anything,” said Norman, “except white Anglo Saxon American. “By that account,” said Norman, “I’m Creole—and so was Laura.”
NORMAN MARMILLION: According to Norman, Laura Plantation was rescued from demolition, not because of its Big House but, more to preserve the Creole culture and the stories recorded in the 1870s. In other words, Laura Plantation interprets a Creole plantation and the life of the slaves who worked there. It does so in a unique manner in that it focuses on the recollections of Laura, and on some of the stories told by slaves.
What’s so absorbing is that some of these exact same narrations were once told in West Africa, but have now become classics. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Tales of Uncle Remus, which includes his classic story, “The Little Tar Baby.”
Or perhaps you’ve heard of Brother Rabbit better known in the vernacular as Br’er Rabbit.
SLAVE QUARTERS: As well, visitors to the Laura Plantation discover the hardships slaves endured and can see some of their implements. In one corner, Norman pointed out the oldest object in one of the remaining slave homes, which was an old chair, dating back to the early 1800s.
Like other plantations located just outside of New Orleans, all were affected by Hurricane Katrina, and that includes Laura Plantation. Certainly the storm affected Norman’s life. Prior to the storm he had been fulfilling his role as the President of the Historical Society from New Orleans. But his home in New Orleans was destroyed and so Norman moved to the Overseers quarters at Laura Plantation, where he is now working to bring travel back to the New Orleans area, specifically to the plantations along the Great River Road.
“We’re all recovering at the rate of about two percent a month,” said Norman. “We’re fully functional, so if you want a tour that is a personal one, now is the time to visit.”
OAK ALLEY: Though there are at least half a dozen plantations on the Great River Road, accessed following a 45 minute drive from downtown New Orleans, we had time but for two. We selected the second one specifically because of its reputation for being one of the nation’s most widely photographed of all plantations.
Over seven movies or TV programs have been filmed at Oak Alley to include The Long Hot Summer. As well, a segment from Days of Our Lives was filmed here, and so were portions of the movie Primary Colors, staring John Travolta.
If you saw the movie, you might recall the mansion was depicted as the governor’s mansion. It’s certainly stately enough, and when, Darlene, our tour guide, flung open the doors overlooking the quarter-mile road lined with 28 live oak trees, it was easy to understand why Oak Alley had been chosen for so many movies.
Not only is Oak Alley lined by 28 300-year old oak trees, but, appropriately, the mansion is surrounded by 28 columns. In the back, a number of much younger, but still old and quite stately oaks line yet another road leading to the mansion. All survived Hurricane Katrina, though one of the 300-year old oaks was damaged. As I strolled down Oak Alley, I saw the damage but would not have noticed if I had not been forewarned.
AZALEAS: Azaleas also lined the path of the younger oaks. As well, they grew in grand hedges around the mansion, and though it was but the first of March, blossoms had been out for weeks.
Darlene said it was way early for azaleas. “Normally,” she said, “we don’t see all this color until the end of March, but look at it now. Isn’t it gorgeous?”
Yes, it certainly is.
SHOO FLY: Though photography is not normally permitted inside, one of the advantages of being a card-carrying photojournalist with documentation is the opportunity to take certain shots needed for stories. After the tour, Darlene returned inside for a repeat tour of areas we wanted to photograph, specifically the dining room with its huge fly jar (on center of table) and the gigantic shoo fly suspended on hinges from the ceiling above the table.
Shoo flies are constructed from a huge slab of wood and, in this case, was covered with an expensive burgundy cloth. A rope is attached to the bottom of the device, and through a series of pulleys someone (generally a slave) would impart momentum to the shoo fly, thereby creating enough of a breeze to keep diners cool—and the flies away.
Both plantations provide a glimpse of a bygone era, and though Hurricane Katrina may be on the minds of visitors, the plantations live on in all their glory, simply waiting the return of an appreciative audience. You can join either Norman or Darlene at one or both of the plantations and if you do, the doors into a bygone life will be thrust wide open.
