By Jeanni Ritchie
Did you know that Jane Austen had one sister and SIX brothers?
That’s the fact I heard most often as Jane in June campers at the Kent Plantation House shared details of Austen’s life as well as all the Austen-inspired activities they’d participated in during the week long camp last week.
The camp has been around for over 20 years. The Kent House has been around even longer.
The Kent Plantation House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was built in 1796, prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The plantation house is one of the oldest standing structures in the state of Louisiana.
Kent Plantation House preserves and promotes its historic site to educate the public about the history and culture of central Louisiana between 1795 and 1855.
At the Jane in June camp, young ladies aged 8-12 experienced life during that time period through games, writing, art, and tea time.
I arrived shortly after the girls had practiced writing invitations with quill pens. Lylah Stanford, 9, and Sydnee Kelsey, 11, showed me their practice sheets. “It was so hard,” they said in unison. I laughed. I remembered my short-lived calligraphy writing hobby at their age.
Frances Descant, 9, enjoyed painting at the camp the most. She showed me her painted rock. Picking a smooth rock for an even canvas is important in rock painting!
Evangeline Jones, 10, explained what outdoor play time was like in the 1800’s. “We played spillikins where you had to pick up sticks without moving the others. It was fun to play games with stuff outside.”
They also played jacks. I shared my story of my grandmother’s wall-to-wall carpeting in the 70’s and how I’d go sit in her shower just to play jacks. I’m pretty sure they thought I was also from the 1800’s when I shared that story!
While I was born almost two hundred years after Jane Austen, we had a lot of similarities, something Genevieve Walker, 9, noted. “She was a writer too.”
They proudly showed their artwork, shared Austen anecdotes, and modeled the social etiquette they’d been learning. Friendships had been formed and lessons learned, especially about hosting authentic tea parties.
That was the favorite part of eight year-old Piper Pearce’s day. “I love the tea parties.”
The girls dressed up in vintage gowns provided by the Kent House and had formal tea. On Friday they wore hats they’d created and shared tea with their parents and grandparents.
To schedule a tour or inquire about next year’s Jane in June camp, call 318-487-5998. The Kent Plantation House is located at 3601 Bayou Rapides Rd, Alexandria.
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. See more of her visit to the Kent Plantation House at https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNRrgUUE/