Last updated: May 8, 2022
Place
Magnolia Overseer's House
NPS/Annabel Jones
Quick Facts
Location:
Derry, Louisiana
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot
The Magnolia Overseer's House has been used for various functions since it's construction. It was likely built as a hospital for enslaved people. Large plantations had hospitals to provide medical treatment for the enslaved people. A doctor made rounds to the area plantations to treat the ill. The enslaved laborers fell victim to a variety of illnesses because of their strenuous work schedule and environment in addition to poor diet.
After the Civil War it served as home for the Hertzog family, while Magnolia’s Main House was rebuilt after it was burned by US troops in 1864. From the late 1890s to the mid-1960s, the structure was used as the Overseer’s house. Overseers were usually white men who were paid an annual salary, provided with a house, and a domestic worker, they managed the day-to-day plantation operations. The overseer made sure the cotton was planted, chopped, picked, ginned, and pressed. He was also responsible for delegating labor to repair buildings, mend fences, and tend to the livestock. Overseers in the post-bellum period were often multi-racial.
After the Civil War it served as home for the Hertzog family, while Magnolia’s Main House was rebuilt after it was burned by US troops in 1864. From the late 1890s to the mid-1960s, the structure was used as the Overseer’s house. Overseers were usually white men who were paid an annual salary, provided with a house, and a domestic worker, they managed the day-to-day plantation operations. The overseer made sure the cotton was planted, chopped, picked, ginned, and pressed. He was also responsible for delegating labor to repair buildings, mend fences, and tend to the livestock. Overseers in the post-bellum period were often multi-racial.