THE HISTORY OF THE ENSLAVED From slavery to civil rights, hear local stories of triumph in the face of adversity. Out here, the impressive plantation houses along the Great River Road are a stark yet stunning reminder of our region’s wealthiest period and America’s darkest chapter. The streets of our towns hold the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and other marchers in the freedom fight of the Civil Rights Era. Experience the 1811 Slave Revolt Trail where America’s largest uprising of enslaved people took place. Destrehan Plantation, the oldest plantation in the Mississippi Valley, houses the 1811 Slave Revolt Museum for an in-depth depiction of the revolt. At the 1811/Kid Ory Historic House, tour the museum where the Slave Revolt began and where famous Jazz musician, Edward “Kid” Ory was born. Learn more about the enslaved by visiting 1811slaverevolt.com. At Whitney Plantation visitors become fully immersed in the lives of the enslaved. Evergreen Plantation is known as the most intact plantation complex in the South, presenting 22 original slave cabins. Take a narrated driving tour in St. John the Baptist Parish to discover key historical sites of the Civil Rights movement. Visit the final resting place of Ethel B. Robinson, Civil Rights leader and founder of St. John Rescue Mission Church, and see the Bethlehem Baptist Church and Knights of Peter Claver Office where the meetings of the Civil Rights Movement took place. See the Historic Riverlands Christian Center, the first Black Catholic Church in Louisiana. While you’re there explore the Soul River Musical Journey, detailing the vast influence African Americans have had on our shared music culture throughout history. In Louisiana’s River Parishes, history is remembered around every corner.
Learn more at The1811SlaveRevolt.com
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