Laura Plantation

We visited a historic Creole sugar plantation. The word Creole means that you were born in Louisiana. There are French Creole, Native American Creole, German Creole, South African Creole to name a few. The plantation was begun in 1804 with the erection of the manor house by Guillaume Duparc. It remained in the family until 1891, when it was sold to Aubert Waguespack whose heirs resided on the plantation until 1984.

In Creole tradition, the house sits on 7 foot high piers hidden by the fence. 

There are no hallways in traditional creole homes, one room opens into the next. The porch was often used to pass between rooms. 

This door, like all the wood in the manor, is Bald Cyprus. Insect proof against even termites. Then in the custom of the day, the wood was painted to look like other woods,  called Faux painting. 

There was a fire in 2004 and one room was left unrestored. This shows the post and beam with brick construction. These wall are 16 inches thick with a covering of Spanish Moss, horse hair and plater.

Original slave cabins

By tradition, and maybe by law, slave cabins were a duplex, two 16 x 16 foot room. There were between 2 and 5 slave in each room. Each cabin had a garden and animal pens for the slaves to raise additional food. The door and additional roo in the back were added in the 1800's when they were used as workmen's cabins.

We also so visited Oak Alley Plantation, but enjoyed the tour at Laura more.