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The institution of enslavement and the act of emancipation have left indelible imprints on many aspects of Cane River life, and the park has been working for years to uncover the stories of all the people that lived on the plantation. Generations of the same families of workers lived on these lands for over two hundred years. Their labor sustained Magnolia Plantation and contributed to the wealth of the LeComte-Hertzog family who founded the plantation. Enslaved people had a hand in every aspect of the operation of the plantation. However, even with all their contributions, it is difficult to describe their lives. Each person experience enslavement differently according to their occupation, sex, age, and status within the enslaved community. They also internalized the concept of being enslaved in different ways, so it is difficult to describe the "typical" experience. Furthermore, documents speaking to the enslaved experience are limited and primarily from the perspective of the White owners or overseers, whose main objectives were to document labor and crops, not the life of the enslaved. Despite these difficulties, information about the enslaved has been ascertained from account journals of Ambrose LaComte, succession, baptismal, and census records. 1700s 1801 - 1810 1845 1850s 1860
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Last updated: April 30, 2025