Follow-up on, "What would you do?"

[DutchmenSport]

As a follow up to the What would you do? post I made a few weeks ago, here’s an update.

We left Anderson, Indiana on December 26 and stayed at a small private campground in Gilbertsville, KY for the night.

Our next stop of the night of December 27 at Cosar State Park in Mississippi.

The next night, December 28 we stayed at Lake Lincoln State Park in Mississippi and remained until the morning of December 31 (Sunday).

Sunday afternoon we arrived at the Audubon State Historic Site in Louisiana, near St. Francisville. I met with the park manager and he directed us to the “campsite” where we will be sitting through March 31.

After, basically, just unhitching and getting the slides out, my wife and I met with the manager and he started giving us information we needed immediately …. like the code to the main gain and when we would meet again.

Although January 1 (Monday) was a holiday, the park had a Viking Riverboat Cruise coming in and my wife and I followed along this group and went through the entire tour. There was a real skeleton crew, but enough people to do a really, really nice tour.

The tour started with an 11 minute video about this history of the Plantation and then moved on to the Oakley Plantation house itself (which is what I’ll be doing). It then went outside and to the kitchen, and the weaving room. From there, past the black smith hut (which was fired up and someone working the exhibit live) and then ended with a talk and a walk through the enslaved houses.

After everything was over, the place went dark, gate secured, everyone gone! It was awesome! 100 acres of State Park to “play” in. We took the rest of the evening to finish setting up the camper and exploring the park. It was solitary, really, really dark at night, except for a couple street lights in the parking lot.

The next morning, I set up the sewer hose lines. That took a bit of engineering, but with the available materials laying around, I was able to create a support that flowed down hill to a high sewer outlet.

I met with my supervisor again (Tuesday) and really wasn’t given much direction. He was going on vacation for the next few days, and all he really asked of me to fix an electrical problem in one of the museum light displays. And, as I felt, shadow whoever is doing the house tours. So I did.

Since then, I’ve been shadowing all the tours. There are 4 or 5 people who does the tours and it’s interesting listening to each one throw a slightly different emphasis on the history and the way they present it. I have not figured out my own “style” yet. As I started getting more comfortable, I started piggy backing the main guide and we’d start sharing information. I’m working my way up to actually doing my first room of the house completely by myself, then an entire floor, and finally, the entire house. I’m glad no one is pushing me to “perform” (yet).

The area here is interesting. Louisiana drivers seems to be a little more aggressive than I’m use to. Fuel prices are about the equivalent of what’s happening in Indiana, but the drive down, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, was all cheaper.

I did find out that I am only the second “camp hose” position they’ve ever had at Audubon. The first took the trails maintenance position. He was here over a year ago. There are only 8 people total running this place. Cleaning staff and maintenance is supplied at the State Park “state” level out of Baton Rouge. So they come into the park only a couple times a week. (interesting).

Two of the 8 “workers” are volunteers also. But they live locally, like within 5 minutes of the park. And this place is screaming for help.

My wife and I can’t figure out for the life of us, why they can’t get more volunteers as “camp hosts” for these 2 positions, except maybe, folks don’t want to give a commitment for 3 months. Still, if anyone is interested in a really, really sweet “gig”, free campsite in exchange for 3 days of work a week (that’s all they require), well…… this is the place! 100 acres in the woods, locked in, all to yourself to play in! It’s fabulous here.

Our campsite:



Sewer hook-up:



New friends:



The slave cemetery:



The Oakley House – Outside:







The Oakley House – some photes from Inside:

Original kitchen before the outside kitchen was built, and John James Audubon’s room when he stayed there in 1821:


The “library” by day and the “man parlor” / aka – man-cave by night! Gambling, drinking… smoking cigars, drinking… talking politics, drinking… talking business, drinking!



Third floor, Master bedroom, “hat tub”, 4 post “nursing bed”. It was made low to the ground and wide so kids could crawl in bed with their parents.

[newowneroldmontana]

So interesting! Thank you for the update.

[newowneroldmontana]

p.s. What is a "hat tub?"

[mlh]

Sounds great. I commend you for volunteering. Everybody can give something but most give nothing.
Hats off to you and your wife.
Lynwood

[DutchmenSport]

Originally Posted by newowneroldmontana

p.s. What is a "hat tub?"

The hip tub or French hat style tub is constructed of tin and is shaped like an upside down ladies hat. As a result of the belief held at the time by people that bathing could be unhealthy it was done infrequently. Wealthy families tended to bathe about once a week and poorer families even less often than that. To bathe in this tub you sat on the seat and placed your feet in the center of the tub where the water was located resulting in it often being called a “hip tub”.

[newowneroldmontana]

Thank you for the response! Google just kept wondering if I meant to ask what a "hot tub" is. Lol. Um, no.

Edited to add: That must have been a pretty stinky room back then, during a Louisiana summer.

[DutchmenSport]

Originally Posted by newowneroldmontana

...

Edited to add: That must have been a pretty stinky room back then, during a Louisiana summer.

The original house was built on a "raised basement". The "basement" was the ground floor and the walls were built of bricks, (manufactured by enslaved labor with clay dirt from the same location). Think of a our houses today built on crawl spaces with cinder blocks as the foundation, only the blocks are 1 floor high.

Then the original house was only 4 rooms, 2 in the basement, and two on the main floor. Outside there were "galleries'" built on the second level.

The floor in the basement was all brick, absorbing the cool earth, keeping the bottom level cool. The top floor had the "galleries" on both sides. A gallery is a "porch" on a second level or higher that is held up by supports (usually columns or heavy posts) from the ground up.

The "gallery" floor was built sloped to ensure rain run-off. The outside "screen" in area is actually a West Indies design. Solid louvers built at 45 degree angles would keep rain from blowing in, and it would also catch the wind, blow it in the "gallery" across an arched ceiling along the back wall, through the windows, and into the house, out the back windows and create a constant steady air flow.

In the hot summer months, the family would sleep on these galleries (in the South, these are called "sleeping porches", which was very common 100 and more ago.

So, actually, the house stayed relatively cool, even in the hot summer Louisiana months.

Yes, the original house was only 1 room wide. It was laid out North - South so the galleries would catch the wind blowing East - West and circulate.

In time, the galleries were enclosed, a 3rd floor was added and an attic. The outside stair case was now inside, and new galleries were built extending the house width further. Inside the house, between the original back outside wall of the house and the additional new "gallery" that was added, they left the original windows. So the 2nd and 3rd floors have inside windows.

In it's day, they would open those windows to keep the air circulation through the entire house. When you think about it, the design is rather innovative considering the construction of the original 4 room house started in 1805 and the existing 3 story, 14 room house was completed as it stands today by 1818.

This time period was some 50 - 60 years before the Civil war. So the images of Scarlett O'Hare on a plantation with crystal chandlers and ornate furniture from the Civil War Era "Gone with the wind" didn't exist yet. In it's day, this house was the cream-of-the-crop.... when the average working man and family still had dirt floors in log cabins.

Today, the air conditioning and heating system is in the attic. They use the fireplaces to force the air (hot and cold) through the house. I am able to go into the attic and see the original construction (no nails anywhere) and gain a better appreciation for the amount of work that went into constructing this house. Originally, the slaves who were the servants of the family would have lived in the attic, so they were readily available at any moment, day or night. The attic would have been hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter. It's hard to imagine in our culture today living like this. But, in it's day, this was the life style and no one new the better.

Unlike other historic plantations in this area, those are mostly set for the time period during the Civil War. It was the intention of the historical experts and the State of Louisiana to fashion the interior of the house as it stood in 1821, the Summer that John James Audubon stayed in the house.

Yes, this entire experience is a fantastic learning endeavor. The more I read, the more I listen, the more I research, the more fascinating this entire part of the country gets.

What's interesting also, this exact spot was never part of the 1803 Louisiana purchase. It remained as a Spanish Territory until 1810 when the local plantation owners had a rebellion and broke away from Spain and this little part of the (now) USA declared themselves as their own sovereign nation. They had their own government, money, and law ..... for 74 days! They were officially "The Republic of West Florida" and St. Francisville was their nations capital.

The history goes on and on.

Anyway.... that's how they handled the hot Summers in Louisiana.

(The "enslaved" .... their story was completely different dealing with daily life. But, just to state for the record, there is no record of any severe punishments or cruelty that occurred on this plantation. The "owners" were extremely diligent in keeping everyone healthy and happy as possible. Healthy and happy people ensured good productivity). This plantation raised to the top 1% of America's wealth .... the equivalent of Bill Gates or Elon Musk today. )

[newowneroldmontana]

I find this stuff fascinating as well. Please keep it coming, as much as you're inclined. I eat it up.

About true Southern history and culture--I grew up in Missouri, which is strongly Midwestern in some aspects and areas, and pretty Southern in others. Missouri was a border state during the Civil War, with lots of supporters for both sides living within the same close areas. And I grew up in Callaway County, Missouri, which I think seceded from the Union and never officially rejoined! Callaway County is also known as "The Kingdom of Callaway."

Since high school I've lived in Minnesota briefly, then much longer in both Massachusetts and Oregon, and for the past 20+ years in Alabama--and it's just amazing, the different perceptions people have of other parts of the country, depending on what part of the country they themselves grew up in.

I thought I grew up basically in the South--there's a part of Central Missouri actually called "Little Dixie"--but no, Alabama is a whole different South. Alabama is the South, for real. I hated it here for a long time, but I actually love it here now.

Of course the whole country seems to be moving these days, from one state to another, and regional differences are fading, which I think is a bummer.

[mlh]

I too enjoy reading about this plantation. Please keep us informed.
Lynwood

[ScottnSue]

Howdy Dutch,

Looks like a fun job for the winter. Good thing you got out of Indiana as we're getting some snow and then next week some really cold temps.
I also enjoy these historical sites. It shows the true history of our great nation.
BTW, how did you find this job ? When I retire my wife and I are interested in doing some work camping a few months at a time.

[brycesteiner]

Sounds like a great way to learn and share!

My wife and I can’t figure out for the life of us, why they can’t get more volunteers

Welcome to about ever volunteer fire/ems and every other service organization in America. People do not volunteer like they used to. I blame it on the rise of our time being taken up by social media, internet etc. Heck, people don't even know their neighbors anymore.
Good for the site they found you!

[newowneroldmontana]

I think part of the reason why they don't get volunteers there is today's political climate. You can't talk about a Southern plantation without acknowledging the fact that some people were held on that plantation against their will, as slaves to the plantation's owners--so people are afraid that if they say anything interesting or positive about a plantation at all, others will think they're condoning the practice of slavery.

Of course that's absurd--I've never met anyone personally, anywhere I've lived, who thought slavery was okay.

The practice of slavery in the US was wrong on every level--that's indisputable--but there is much more to American history, and Southern history, than the fact that slavery was once legal in the US. True history, politics, and culture are complex and nuanced topics, and we as Americans ought to be able to learn about and discuss them all freely. So I'm glad the plantation is open for tours, and I think it's great that you're volunteering there.

And when I mentioned people's different perceptions of different regions of the country, depending on where they grew up, I wasn't just talking about race relations, I was also talking about sterotypes about things like Southern accents and the use of the word "y'all." (Both of which I grew up with. And for your reference, the plural of "y'all" is "all y'all.")

The high sewer connection at your campsite, and lack of specific instruction about what your job was at first, are both indicative of an intangible aspect of Southern culture which was different than what I grew up with, and hard for me to get used to for a long time--a sort of "casualness," if that's a word. One aspect of Southern culture that I love, though, is that people down here seem much more open about their lives and feelings than anywhere I've lived before. It's common for me to have an hour-long conversation with a stranger at Walmart, for instance.

[DutchmenSport]

Yes, I'm beginning to adjust to the relaxed attitude that exists in this region of the country. It's been driving me batty, but I had to put on some of my North Carolina experience and just re-adjust my attitude about being aggressive to get things done and go back to ..... just relax and don't break a sweat and just go out and "do it!". If you don't get direction or a time line on a task, then just wing it and take a coffee break!

After a week of drilling facts and information in my head, and witnessing many different styles of how the guides do the tours, I was kind of relived when I was told today to do something different.

I'm only obligated for 24 hours a week, and I'm sure my inpatients is driving them as batty and my experience of, "don't rush it!" is for me.

So, to keep me busy ... way beyond my requested 24 hours, they gave me a task. I gladly jumped on it. Cleaning, sweeping, and dusting out the slave cabins and the "big house" kitchen (house) sounds like a simple task ..... Well .... nope!

I started on the 2 slave houses. One is completely empty and the other house was the estate's main cook's dwelling. It has artifacts inside. It's sitting on the original location, but the building itself was moved from another Louisiana State Park in the 1950's and also dated from the 1800-1840 time frame. What appeared to be an easy task, ended up taking hours. Cobwebs, hornet nests, dirt, dust, and leaves, sweeping rough unfinished 200 year old wood ... well, it took hours to move everything around, get behind it, under it, over it, "in" it.

It turned out, I used my RV camping 10 foot extension painter's pole with my RV (soft) brush to reach the ceiling and the rafters of the building so I didn't have to use a ladder. It worked great! Oh my, the dirt!

So, tomorrow, I start on the kitchen building. It's packed full of artifacts and probably just as dirty and dusty and aged wood just as rough. But, it does give me something to do on these days "off" so I'm really happy to be doing this.

About the slavery issue. I've noticed the way the tour guides approach the slavery issue really is handled well. I've talked extensively with the guides and the manager about his, and have a good understanding of what the expectation is. Basically, in it's day, this was the life style. Right, wrong, or indifferent (this topic is avoided). It's history here. They share the facts and straight forward as possible without any interpretation or self prejudiced injections. There is also a good balance between the lifestyle of the property owners and the enslaved lifestyle.

BUT! The real emphasis is not on the slavery issue. The REAL emphasis is on the fact that 4 generations of WOMEN ran this plantation from 1799 until 1947. The women owned the property, the men were married into it. The property was handed down from woman to woman who ran everything.

The men (husbands) were involved in the politics of the current day and were secondary to the affairs of the plantation. For example, the first lady (first generation) had 3 husbands, all three were heavily involved in government affairs (if that was collecting property taxes or serving in military campaigns). That's the emphasis here. Long before women "empowerment" was ever thought of, the women of Oakley were remarkable breaking cultural and political barriers that didn't happen until the 1900's. That's what's really remarkable about this plantation and it's history. It was run by 4 very strong generations of women, not men.

When folks start hearing about this, everything else seems to fade a little.

OK, so much for another history lesson. I'm really beginning to feel the passion for this place, and really feel blessed to be here, to actually handle the artifacts, to even clean a cabin. Touching, feeling, and working makes one appreciate in a much deeper way all the people who lived and worked here. Spending the time and working the grounds is something the 1 hour tourist will never experience. When it becomes part of your soul, the experience takes on a new dimension. That's what I'm experiencing now! Awesome experience here ... Awesome.

The "cooks" slave cabin:

[newowneroldmontana]

Fascinating! But just a note for when you've cleaning things up--watch out for black widow spiders! They could be hiding inside pots, under furniture, etc. Brown widows are becoming a thing in Alabama and Georgia now, too--don't know if they've reached Louisiana yet.

[mlh]

Quote
was also talking about sterotypes about things like Southern accents and the use of the word "y'all." (Both of which I grew up with. And for your reference, the plural of "y'all" is "all y'all.")

I’m a southern boy we all say y’all. My sister in law says youens. She comes from eastern Kentucky. I was in the service with a bunch of guys from Philadelphia. They said yous guys and they thought we were a bunch of hicks but we had them convinced we had a bred of cattle with longer legs on one side to walk around these hills.
My point is we should celebrate our differences and enjoy them.
Lynwood

[newowneroldmontana]

Originally Posted by mlh

we had them convinced we had a bred of cattle with longer legs on one side to walk around these hills.

I would like to purchase 4 head of cattle, please.

[mlh]

Originally Posted by newowneroldmontana

I would like to purchase 4 head of cattle, please.

You don’t know what you are getting into. Think about it when these cattle go as far around the ridge as they how do they get back with two long legs up the hill and two short legs down the hill. They can’t make it on flat ground so you will need to live in hilly country. Yea I thought you would see it my way.
PM me if you want them and I will start looking for them.
Lynwood

[twindman]

Wife and I lived in Austin one year in 1974. By the time we left the wife was saying y'all!!! LOL We noticed that people in the middle of the state and bigger cities didn't have of an accent. Those that came from NE over near La. were pretty 'hillbilly' talking!

[DutchmenSport]

Thursday.... another interesting day.

Helped clean up a supply room that was highly disorganized and stuff tossed everywhere.

There were 4 sections in the room... Revolutionary war clothing and uniforms, Early 1800's-1861's (called the Antebellum period, actually, "Antebellum is from 1814 to 1861.... look up that term in Wikipedia, it's real interesting history and this is the time period of the struggles for enslaved freedom, North and South "industry vs agriculture" too.) Then there is the Civil War memorabilia, uniforms and clothing. And, finally a section for all the parks activities, crafts, kids programs, events, hands-on experiences and of course .... birding!

When it was done, we had the room pretty organized again. I know I spent way to much time examining, touching, and admiring all these different artifacts, including Civil War filed medical boxes to dehydrated crackers stuff that they actually ate, not to mention the REAL cannon balls they still fire from a couple cannons on the property at certain events. Amazing stuff ... And I got to handle it and see it, and touch it .... upfront and personal!

So then , in the afternoon I cleaned out the loom / weaving room, pretty much the same as in the slave cabins, brushing everything down, spider webs, lots of dust, dirt, and leaves.

Here, it was a bit more "touchy" for sure. Many items I picked up to move simply fell apart! Yikes! But I was able to put them back together. No wonder they have this stuff blocked off. Well, I will say, this is the first time ever in my life, I got to see the insides of an actual, original, cotton gin!

After I got it done, my wife and I cut out and went to Baton Rouge. I needed ink cartridges for our scanner/printer in the camper. And we decided to go for a longer drive. Oh wow! What a zoo! We got into the 4:30 pm (rush hour) traffic that was sitting still. We've been pretty isolated for quite a while now and totally forgot what traffic is like! Sheesh! We have no desire to go back into Baton Rouge. People in the stores are friendly enough, but on the roads, it's another adventure into the twilight zone!

Granted, my wife and I are beginning to feel the affects of isolation. I mean, after 5:00 pm, we see nobody until about 7:30 the next morning when some of the grounds people come in and start working early. I always liked isolation, but maybe ... well ... after 5:00 pm, this place is a bit too isolated!

My 2 dogs (dachshunds) absolutely love this place here. They are driving us nuts wanting to go outside and walk and walk and walk and walk. The love smelling the ground where they are picking up the scent of the deer, the racoons, the squirls, and the armadillo roam.

I'm still looking and listening for that ghost that plays the guitar! I even pulled out my accordion a couple nights ago and bellowed away! I think the cow enjoyed it. I could her her bellowing back at me.

By the way, I found more new friends, and here's a couple photos of the loom / spinning wheels, and weaving room:

[DutchmenSport]

Few more photos. .... who says you can't have fun doing something like this:



cleaned out the "laundry room" today:



Some more photos from around the property. My doggies got in some of the photos .....







Around the property, the dogs are going nuts trying to get some small critter in that wood pile:






Grape arbor: