OAK ALLEY FOUNDATION GRADES 6-9 Plantation Life Supplemental Materials for Oak Alley Plantation 6-9

What is a “Big House”? The planter’s house. It was given its name because it was usually the largest building.

What is a Slave? What is a Plantation? A person who is owned by another person. Not free.

• A plantation was a very large farm that grew crops for sale such What is as cotton, tobacco or sugarcane. Sugarcane? • Plantations were owned by men and women called planters. They did not work in the fields, but instead owned slaves. • Oak Alley was a sugarcane plantation. Owned by a French Creole family, the Romans, it was a large estate with a “Big House”, barns, sugar mill and 1200 acres of land planted in sugarcane. A reed-like plant that holds syrupy juice which is turned into sugar. PLANTATION LIFE: OAK ALLEY GRADES 6-9

1

THE ALLEY In front of the plantation’s “Big House” stands a row of Virginia Live Oaks. These trees are not only beautiful to look at, but the tunnel they form forces air from the river to the house, creating a continuous and cool breeze. While the alley trees are very old— approximately 300 years—the average age for a Live Oak is 600 years, making these only middle aged!

There are 28 trees, to match the 28 columns on the “Big House”.

Each tree in the alley is named after a person who owned Oak Alley Plantation at one time over its 170 year history. The largest tree, “Josephine Armstrong Stewart” has a girth of 30 ft in circumference and has a 127 ft. limb spread. Its namesake, Ms. Josephine, was the last owner of Oak Alley, and it was she who established the Oak Alley Foundation, which preserves the plantation today.

A green fern grows on the trunk and limbs of the trees. This is called the “Resurrection Fern.” It gets its name because it dies back when there is not enough water, but with one good rain, the fern “resurrects” by turning bright green again.

2

THE PLANTATION BELL Before cell phones and walkie talkies, messages were sent across the huge plantation by ringing the plantation bell. It could be rung in a variety of ways: quickly, with long tolls, or by longer pauses between each ring—and each combination had a different message. Some of the reasons the bell was rung were to signal work time, lunch time, or raise the alarm if there was an emergency.

It is so loud, a person 2 miles away at the end of the plantation could still hear it. 3

THE “BIG HOUSE” Jacques and Celina Roman’s mansion was built over 175 years ago by their slaves. It’s architecture has classical elements, and is also well-suited to Louisiana’s weather.

The Romans chose a popular 1800’s style called “Greek Revival.” Mimicking ancient Greek temples in Europe, it showed off how sophisticated and wealthy the Romans were as sugar planters. It included very large columns around the entire house and was very symmetrical by being a perfect square, both of which are characteristics of the Greek Revival Style.

However, there are aspects of the house that represent it is a house made for Louisiana. Thick brick walls were 16 inches thick were made thicker by a dense coating of plaster, keeping the hot weather out and cool air in. The Greek Revival columns form an enormous porch, or “gallery” around the entire house, additionally protecting the house from the sun, and creating a comfortable out-door space for the family to lounge. Lastly, all of the French doors are positioned directly across from each other. The breeze made by the alley of oaks was funneled inside the house by opening these doors, creating a kind of 19th century air conditioning system.

4

SUGARCANE Oak Alley Plantation was a sugar plantation. Slaves weeded rows of sugarcane in the summer and harvested them in the early winter, a season known as grinding. Sugar kettle

Since sugarcane needed to be harvested before it froze, the grinding season turned the plantation into a hive of activity and exhaustion. Slaves worked in 14 hour shifts, and there were no days off until the grinding season was complete.

After cutting the canes, loading them onto carts and bringing them to the sugarhouse, slaves used a series of machines to squeeze the sweet juice from the canes into large metal bowls called sugar Skimmer kettles. They put the kettles over fires and cooked the juice until the moisture evaporated and only thing that remained was a syrup. This process was called a “Jamaican Train.” They packaged the sugar into barrels, and shipped it to New Orleans. 5

SLAVERY Plantation life depended on slavery. Africans were brought to Louisiana and sold to planters until 1808, when importation was banned. After that, planters like the Romans bought slaves from other planters, or from slave traders bringing slaves from the east coast.

The Romans kept many slaves at Oak Alley plantation. Most worked in the sugarcane fields: planting, weeding, and harvesting. They were called “field slaves”; their days were long and very tiring and they were not paid for their work.

Other slaves worked in the “Big House” cooking the Roman family’s meals, doing their laundry and cleaning. These were called “house slaves”.

A third group of slaves worked on the plantation, called “craftsmen.” These were men who were taught a specific task, such as making barrels for the sugar, making shoes, or working as a blacksmith.

6

THE ROMANS Jacques and Celina Roman were the Planters at Oak Alley Plantation and owned the estate, animals and slaves. They were considered French Creole because while Jacques was born in Louisiana, his grandparents came to Louisiana directly from Jacques Roman Celina Roman France.

The Romans were very wealthy. From the luxurious “Big House” Jacques oversaw plantation operations, while Celina raised their children Louise, Octavie and Henri. Jacques and Celina brought in teachers to teach the children French and English, and the young Romans were never short of toys or amusements or visitors.

While the Romans lived at Oak Alley much of the time, they took many trips to New Orleans. There, the woman bought clothes and things for the house, while Jacques ordered machinery and materials for the sugarhouse. Because the trip was lengthy—it could take a day by steamboat—Jacques and Celina kept a house in the French Quarter. This way, they could visit with other elite French Creoles in addition to attending to their errands and business. Oak Alley Crossword Oak Alley Word Search Mississippi River Mississippi River Levee New Orleans Baton Rouge ENTRANCE N MAP LEGEND: MAP WATER RESTROOMS Alley ofAlley Oaks W E S Garçonnière Garçonnière

Sugarcane Theater Big House & Foundation Office Foundation & Officer’s Tent Commanding Confederate each planting. Oak Alley Plantation was established as a sugarcane plantation, and the fields fields the and plantation, sugarcane as a was established Plantation Alley Oak planting. each December. Sugarcane rejuvenates after each harvest and produces 3 or 4 annual crops from crops from 3 or 4 annual produces and harvest each after rejuvenates Sugarcane December. and covered. Each stalk consists of numerous joints with buds which germinate shoots that shoots that budsgerminate with which joints consists of numerous stalk Each covered. and During planting season, August thru September, mature stalks of sugarcane are laid in rows in laid are of sugarcane stalks mature August September, thru season, During planting Ticket Booth Ticket Sugarcane produce the sugarcane crop. Harvest occurs a full year later from October thru late late thru October from later year full a occurs Harvest crop. sugarcane the produce that surround our historic grounds are planted on private land by local farmers. by local land on private planted grounds are surround our historic that is a tropical, perennial grass that grows into 10 foot tall, 1 inch round stalks. round stalks. 1 inch tall, grows10 foot grassinto that perennial tropical, is a Kettle Sugar Entrance Slavery at Oak Alley Exhibit 1875 Humphreys Hector Humphreys 1873 Bonzano Armstrong / Hector / Bonzano 1867 Hubert John Armstrong / 1866 John Armstrong Roman 1836 T. Jacques Aime 1820 Valcour Visitor Parking Visitor Oak Plantation Alley Ownership Picnic Area Picnic 1972 Foundation Oak Alley Stewart 1925 and Josephine Andrew Davis Hardin 1917 Jefferson 1911 Efriam Rosemberg Pittman J.D. Hotard and 1905 O. Etienne "Antonio"1881 Sobral Marcelene Blacksmith Shop V30a 10/2015 V30a House) and surrounding twenty-five (25) acre National Historic Landmark site House)and surrounding twenty-five (25) acre National Historic Landmark site for public exhibition as an historical monument to the times and area in which publicfor exhibition asan historical monument thetimesandto area in which Oak AlleyFoundation isa501(c)(3) private non-profit organized trust and Oak operatedexclusively charitable,for literary and educational purposes. Its information,edification and cultural benefit thecitizensof of theState of Enhanced Education Tour theproperty was built and theinstruction,for education, enlightenment, trusteesare charged with maintaining and preserving themansion (Big Pinterest.com/oakalley/all-about-oak-alley-plantation/ "Slavery at Oak Alley," "Sugarcane Theater," at Oak "Slavery Alley," "Confederate Commanding Officer's Tent," Tent," Commanding"Confederate Officer's BlankPDF for Oak Plantation Alley FaceBook: facebook.com/OakAlleyPlantation FaceBook: "French Creole Life," "Alley of Oaks," "Alley Life," Creole "French Guided Walking Tour of Tour Guided Walking Louisiana,theUnited andStates thepublic generally. Vacherie, Louisiana 800-44-ALLEY • Vacherie, Historic Grounds Web: OakAlleyPlantation.org Web: and "Blacksmith Shop" Featuring: Visit us online: us Visit