Oh no! This was one of my favorite homes on the Mississippi. I hade been there several times, and always enjoyed the tours. I think we even stayed there and ate at the restaurant one time years ago. It is so sad to learn of the destruction of one of these great old houses. Future generations will never get to see their grandeur.
Even sadder are the comments of parish residents, who regard it as an early Juneteenth gift. It was important in part because it documented a little recognized historical migration: the movement of wealthy Virginia planters into Louisiana in the 15+ years before the Civil War. Depleted land, the desire to be independent of large families,and the profit in sugar production created a boom all along the MS River. Descendents of Martha Washington, the Randolphs, and their ilk made the move for money. Women found the heat and diseases almost intolerable. They disliked French men's habit of socializing w/o women. They missed family. But the migration brought American (cf French) great wealth into the area. The cost for slaves was heavy: sugar production was a 24-hour job in season, and temperatures in the sugar houses were unbearable. When slaves feared being sold Down River, this was why.
Not only that, but many of the enslaved were brought to the region from Virginia on foot, via the Slave Trail of Tears. I did not know this until doing the research for a book about the pirate, Jean Laffite, co-written with my daughter. The stories are heartbreaking, indeed. And when we lose the physical remains of these places, a piece of those stories dies also. We should not gloss over or glorify our past, but erasing and ignoring it is not the answer.
Oh no! This was one of my favorite homes on the Mississippi. I hade been there several times, and always enjoyed the tours. I think we even stayed there and ate at the restaurant one time years ago. It is so sad to learn of the destruction of one of these great old houses. Future generations will never get to see their grandeur.
Susan Graben
Even sadder are the comments of parish residents, who regard it as an early Juneteenth gift. It was important in part because it documented a little recognized historical migration: the movement of wealthy Virginia planters into Louisiana in the 15+ years before the Civil War. Depleted land, the desire to be independent of large families,and the profit in sugar production created a boom all along the MS River. Descendents of Martha Washington, the Randolphs, and their ilk made the move for money. Women found the heat and diseases almost intolerable. They disliked French men's habit of socializing w/o women. They missed family. But the migration brought American (cf French) great wealth into the area. The cost for slaves was heavy: sugar production was a 24-hour job in season, and temperatures in the sugar houses were unbearable. When slaves feared being sold Down River, this was why.
Not only that, but many of the enslaved were brought to the region from Virginia on foot, via the Slave Trail of Tears. I did not know this until doing the research for a book about the pirate, Jean Laffite, co-written with my daughter. The stories are heartbreaking, indeed. And when we lose the physical remains of these places, a piece of those stories dies also. We should not gloss over or glorify our past, but erasing and ignoring it is not the answer.
So sad.
History lost.
Heartbreaking loss. It was a true testament to beauty and craftsmanship which sadly will not be seen again.
Sad to see this happened