Most tours of plantations in our area do not tell the full story of the history of the era, only telling the story of the White families that owned the plantation with nary a mention of the vast majority of the plantation’s population, the enslaved persons who were forced to erect the buildings, farm the land, cook the meals, and do the hard work that made the plantation run.
Alexandria’s Kent House is addressing this historic imbalance with its “Enslaved Persons Tour”, now in its third year. The tours were founded and are conducted by local historian and author Michael Wynne. The brick foundations of the Kent House have several bricks that bear finger and footprints of the enslaved brickmakers, poignant reminders of the people who lived and worked there over 200 years ago and whose forced labor built the Kent House and Louisiana’s other plantations. The house tour delves into details seldom found in the usual tours, such as the fan over the table that was worked by an enslaved person throughout the meal. In the master’s bedroom, two enslaved persons slept on mats at the foot of the bed, at the beck and call of the master and his wife throughout the night. These and other details help bring a more honest and complete picture of life in the antebellum plantation era.
The Kent House’s “Enslaved Person’s Tour” is an eye opening event. Upcoming tours will be Friday, February 20th at 5:30 and Saturday February 21 at 1:00.