Whitney Plantation

 Whitney Plantation | The Story of Slavery

Within the boundaries of Habitation Haydel, as the Whitney Plantation was originally known, the story of the Haydel family and the slaves that they owned were intertwined.

The Whitney Plantation is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, on the historic River Road in St. John the Baptist Parish, less than an hour from New Orleans. Today, Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum in Louisiana dedicated to understanding the facts of slavery. As a Site of Memory, with the focus on the lives of the slaves and their legacies, visitors can experience the world of an 1830’s sugar plantation through the eyes of the enslaved people who lived and worked here. 

Ambroise Heidel (1702-1770), the founder of this plantation, emigrated from Germany to Louisiana with his mother and siblings in 1721. He became a modest farmer, beginning his farm with a single pig for livestock. In 1752, Ambroise Heidel bought the original tract of land of this plantation and became wealthy in planting indigo. His son, Jean Jacques Haydel Sr. transitioned the plantation from indigo to sugar in the early nineteenth century. 

Whitney Plantation | The Story of Slavery
Whitney Plantation | The Story of Slavery
The Haydel family continued to operate the plantation until the death of Marie Azelie Haydel in 1860. Her heirs sold the property in 1867 to Bradish Johnson of New York, who named the property after his grandson, Harry Whitney. 

During the 90 minute walking tour, Visitors will gain a unique perspective on the lives of the enslaved people on a Louisiana sugar plantation, learning their histories through the oral histories recorded by the Federal Writers’ Project during the Depression. 

Whitney Plantation | The Story of Slavery
Whitney Plantation | The Story of Slavery
The Whitney Plantation Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. The site includes the last surviving example of a true French Creole Barn, what is believed to be the oldest detached kitchen in Louisiana, and the Big House, considered the earliest and best preserved raised Creole cottage in Louisiana, all built by slaves. With the original structures nestled in a working sugar cane field, visitors are sure to marvel at the authentic representation presented at Whitney. 

Through these restored buildings, museum exhibits, memorial artwork and thousands of first person slave narratives, the Whitney Plantation gives a voice and respect to the slaves who lived, worked and died here. 

Whitney Plantation is open for guided tours every day except Tuesday. Tours are offered hourly from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.