The Whitney Plantation Museum (Edgard, Louisiana)
Dublin Core
Title
The Whitney Plantation Museum (Edgard, Louisiana)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Enslaved persons
Louisiana--Edgard
Louisiana--St. John the Baptist Parish
Plantations--Louisiana
Slavery--Louisiana
Sugar--Social Aspects--History
Enslaved persons
Louisiana--Edgard
Louisiana--St. John the Baptist Parish
Plantations--Louisiana
Slavery--Louisiana
Sugar--Social Aspects--History
Subject (Object Type)
History Museums
Commemorative sculpture
History Museums
Commemorative sculpture
Description
Dedicated to the history of enslavement in the Louisiana, the Whitney Plantation is sited on the grounds where enslaved people labored in bondage for over 100 years. The historical site, museum, and memorials are located in St. John the Baptist Parish in Edgard, Louisiana. The museum is comprised of twelve historic structures including restored slave cabins, a kitchen, and the main house.
Four memorials are also located on the grounds. The Wall of Honor is dedicated to all of the people who were enslaved at the Whitney Plantation including their names, places of origin, their skill, and dates of birth. The Allées Gwendolyn Midlo Hall memorial is is named for the histoiran Gwendolyn Midlo Hall (1929-2022). Hall created the Louisiana Slave Database to document the enslaved persons who lived in Louisiana from 1719-1820. She "rescued the identies" of thousands who were enslaved in the territory, and then, state. The memorial is made up of eighteen black granite walls engraved with the names of the 107,000 enslaved persons from the Louisiana Slave Database. The Field of Angels is dedicated to the 2,200 enslaved children who died in St. John the Baptist Parish (Louisiana) from 1823-1863, documented in the Sacramental Records of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. It includes a bronze statue of Black angel carrying a child to heaven and a low black granite, circular wall with the children's names engraved on it. The 1811 German Coast Uprising Memorial commemorates the largest slave revolt in U.S. history that took place on January 8-10, 1811. Enslaved persons from St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes rose up and planned to walk to New Orleans. They were stopped after a battle with local white militia. Dozens of enslaved persons were condemned to death and beheaded. Artist Woodrow Nash (b. 1948) created the 63 ceramic heads mounted on steel rods that make up the memorial.
Four memorials are also located on the grounds. The Wall of Honor is dedicated to all of the people who were enslaved at the Whitney Plantation including their names, places of origin, their skill, and dates of birth. The Allées Gwendolyn Midlo Hall memorial is is named for the histoiran Gwendolyn Midlo Hall (1929-2022). Hall created the Louisiana Slave Database to document the enslaved persons who lived in Louisiana from 1719-1820. She "rescued the identies" of thousands who were enslaved in the territory, and then, state. The memorial is made up of eighteen black granite walls engraved with the names of the 107,000 enslaved persons from the Louisiana Slave Database. The Field of Angels is dedicated to the 2,200 enslaved children who died in St. John the Baptist Parish (Louisiana) from 1823-1863, documented in the Sacramental Records of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. It includes a bronze statue of Black angel carrying a child to heaven and a low black granite, circular wall with the children's names engraved on it. The 1811 German Coast Uprising Memorial commemorates the largest slave revolt in U.S. history that took place on January 8-10, 1811. Enslaved persons from St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes rose up and planned to walk to New Orleans. They were stopped after a battle with local white militia. Dozens of enslaved persons were condemned to death and beheaded. Artist Woodrow Nash (b. 1948) created the 63 ceramic heads mounted on steel rods that make up the memorial.
Creator
Cummings, John, 1938-
(museum founder)
(museum founder)
Source
Photographs by Renée Ater
Date
December 7, 2014
Rights
The Whitney Plantation, 5099 Louisiana Highway 19, Edgard, Louisiana, 70449, United States
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Building and Structures
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
5099 Louisiana Highway 19, Edgard, Louisiana, 70449, United States
Medium
Black granite; Bronze; Ceramic; Brick; Wood
Bibliographic Citation
Armstrong, Kalim. "Telling the Story of Slavery." The New Yorker, February 17, 2016. Accessed May 1, 2021. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/telling-the-story-of-slavery.
Johnson, Jessica Marie. "Time, Space, Memory at Whitney Plantation." Black Perspectives, AAIHS, March 14, 2015. Accessed on February 17, 2025. https://www.aaihs.org/time-space-and-memory-at-the-whitney-plantation/.
Whitney Plantation. Teaching and Learning About American Slavery: Educational Resources for All. Accessed February 6, 2026. https://whitneyplantation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Educational-Resources-About-American-Slavery-3.pdf.
Rights Holder
Renée Ater
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Buildings and Structures
Collection
Citation
Cummings, John, 1938-(museum founder), “The Whitney Plantation Museum (Edgard, Louisiana),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 1, 2026, https://slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1218.