58 (D-4) Houmas House Plantation / Oak Alley Plantation / Marie-Thérèse Coincoin

While it was largely French as we have seen, Southeast Louisiana also saw the arrival of many English planters.  Plantation owners in Southeast Louisiana influenced the region in several ways: first, they were more likely to teach English rather than French to their Africans slaves. Secondly, they were less isolated than people in Southwest Louisiana, because they were so close to New Orleans, and because they were on major transportation routes.

We have this last day, before heading to the airport, to visit the plantations. 

We'll be visiting Houmas House Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation. Houmas House Plantation was called "The Crown Jewel of Louisiana's River Road" or "The Sugar Palace."  At one time during the 19th century, Houmas House farmed sugarcane on tens of thousands of acres and became the largest producer of sugar in the country.

Houmas House Plantatation

http://www.houmashouse.com/recipes.htm recipes from the restaurant at the plantation. Looks good!  Get away from your computer and go to your kitchen!  

Oak Alley Plantation

A picture says 1000 words.  Here are 2000 words.

Oak Alley Plantation

This famous plantation is on the Mississippi River in the community of Vacherie, Louisiana.  It's well-known for its beautiful double row of live oaks.  They are called "live" oaks or evergreen oaks because they never loose their leaves. They were planted in the early 18th century, long before the present house was built (1837).  The plantation was originally called Bon Séjour Plantation and was established to grow sugarcane.

Don't these plantations make you think of...

GONE WITH THE WIND
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2oX0zQA67U  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgF-rcHcPqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlBc_nlA2so
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmljrj_autant-en-emporte-le-vent-extrait_shortfilms

Scarlett O'Hara and...Marie-Thérèse Coincoin!  
Who was Marie-Thérèse Coincoin?  
Quite a story: Born a slave in 1742 in Natchitoches, a Louisiana French outpost, she learned pharmacology and nursing.  After having 4 children with an American Indian slave (though we have no written proof), in 1765 she caught the eye of a young French merchant, Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer and she became his concubine. Metoyer gave her her freedom in 1778...and he also "gave" her ten children!  She went on to become a business woman.  She manufactured medicine, planted tobacco and trapped wild game to sell the meat and furs, as well as cured tobacco.  She became a landowner, a taxpayer and...the owner of slaves. She spent most of her money to buy freedom for the children she had when she was herself a young slave.  Before her death she was able to buy the freedom of three of those children and three grandchildren.
St. Augustine Parish Church was built in 1829 by one of her sons on land donated by another son.  It is the oldest church in America built for free people of color for their own use.  Melrose Plantation was started and run by her sons and descendants. It was one of the largest plantations in the United States built by and for free blacks.  It is a National Historic Landmark.  
Marie-Thérèse Metoyer (she had taken the name of her master) died in 1816.

Jane
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- 1 acre = 4087 m2
- Natchitoches = for pronunciation: 
http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=natchitoches 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeR7Ljv_tPc
- quite a story = http://www.linguee.fr/anglais-francais/traduction/it's+quite+a+story.html
- outpost = http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/anglais-francais/outpost/599499
- wild game = gibier sauvage
- cured tobacco = dried tobacco