Oak Ally is a place of sharp contrast, both in visual aesthetic and moral implications, a place where opulence and oppression coincide in lockstep. We walk down the historic #oakalley taking in the main house’s perfectly symmetrical architecture, then we take an abrupt turn into the shanty style slave cabins hidden off to the side. I saw what a man’s life could be bought and sold for. At this sugar cane plantation, a young skilled man was worth $1,500 – the modern equivalent would be $100K. Slave women were priced with her children as a lump sum, as they would also work alongside their mothers. Children could be sold for a lower sum, once they became “independent workers”, this designation was up to the discretion of the slave owner.

One disturbing story I heard was of a surveyor’s assistant shot by the Oak Ally plantation owner, in cold blood while doing his job. He was out taking measurements of the river bank to assist in a future water project. After a long and drawn-out debacle, the landowner was forced to pay only $500 for his actions. The price originally paid for the slain man.

Just outside of town this is the Laura Plantation. Colorful and “small” in the native #creole style. Taking in the nice breezy morning with a #mintjulep. It’s easy to find yourself enjoying a light and refreshing mint julep, on the breezy deck. Take in the beauty in the architecture, and the grandeur of the old oak trees, then snap back to the hard realization of the heavily tainted and dark history.