Sunday morning, we left Memphis and headed south down I-55. We had one stop to make while en route to Baton Rouge, and that was in Jackson, MS. There is a Mississippi history museum located there. We got to learn more about the state’s history and they had fun, interactive exhibits.
Back on the road, we made it to Baton Rouge. The Warriors would be playing in Game 2 of the finals, and we needed to find somewhere to watch the game. McDonald’s and their WiFi wasn’t any help, but we found a coffee shop and parked out back. There, while the heavens opened up with showers, we ate dinner and watched the game. After that, we found a WalMart parking lot and snuggled down for some sleep.
The next morning, we drove through the LSU campus on our way to Magnolia Mound Plantation. This plantation isn’t one of those big, white-columned Antebellum style plantations. The main house is in the French Creole style.
French Creole style is when the house is built up off the ground, and a large, wide porch wraps around the home. In the summer, they could bring their beds out on the porch to sleep.
We did a self-guided tour around the grounds. The boys were sadly amazed at the living conditions for the slaves in comparison to the overseer and main house.
This is not a replica, but an actual dwelling that was used for slave quarters.
The folks there have done such a nice job of preserving the plantation’s history, and we’re glad to have spent time there.
A “fridge” from the 1830’s. They buried this in the ground under the house to keep things cool.
1. Coffee bean roaster. A little slave boy would have to wake up at 4am each morning to get coals from the fire. He’d put the coals in the box under the black cylinder. The beans went in the cylinder. He’d have to crank the handle for 45 min to roast the coffee beans, a daily chore. 2. A toaster 3. A waffle iron
A Malo Walkabout 