Last updated: June 10, 2022
Place
Oakland Overseer's House
NPS Photo/Annabel Jones
Quick Facts
Location:
Natchez, LA
Amenities
2 listed
Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
This building was the home of the plantation overseer. The overseer was employed by the Prud’homme family as a manager of the farm. He made sure the cotton was planted, chopped, picked, ginned, and pressed. The overseer was responsible for management of the laborers. Delegating labor to repair buildings, mend fences, and tend to livestock.
Built of bousillage around 1860, it served as a home for overseers until the 1960s. The first overseer to occupy this home was Seneca Pace. Pace kept a journal of his activities at Oakland. His journal provides readers with a record of the planting cycle and numerous other labor activities. One of Pace’s most frequent topics was the weather, which of course was one factor that could make or break a growing season.
During the first half of the twentieth century this building was the home of the Metoyer family. Leo Metoyer lived here with his parents, wife, and three children. Leo was the yardman at Oakland. He tended to the animals and the yard in front of the main house.
Built of bousillage around 1860, it served as a home for overseers until the 1960s. The first overseer to occupy this home was Seneca Pace. Pace kept a journal of his activities at Oakland. His journal provides readers with a record of the planting cycle and numerous other labor activities. One of Pace’s most frequent topics was the weather, which of course was one factor that could make or break a growing season.
During the first half of the twentieth century this building was the home of the Metoyer family. Leo Metoyer lived here with his parents, wife, and three children. Leo was the yardman at Oakland. He tended to the animals and the yard in front of the main house.