Last updated: July 29, 2022
Place
Oakland Setting Pen, Fattening Pen and Wash House
NPS Photo/Corey Poole
Quick Facts
Location:
Natchez, LA
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
These buildings behind the Main House are further examples of the self-sufficiency of Oakland Plantation. The setting pen was used to house nesting chickens; the fattening pen was for chickens they planned to eat. The wash house was where laundry was done.
Chickens were a common site on plantations. In historian, John Michael Vlach’s book Back of the Big House he cited the following advantages to raising chickens: “they provided both meat and eggs; they could be maintained on very small amounts of feed; and they could be killed on short notice, thus reducing the risk of spoilage.”
Laundry was originally done by enslaved workers, and then by paid domestics. Louisiana lore contends that on laundry day, people would eat red beans and rice, since that meal required little attention giving folks time to concentrate on doing the laundry.
Chickens were a common site on plantations. In historian, John Michael Vlach’s book Back of the Big House he cited the following advantages to raising chickens: “they provided both meat and eggs; they could be maintained on very small amounts of feed; and they could be killed on short notice, thus reducing the risk of spoilage.”
Laundry was originally done by enslaved workers, and then by paid domestics. Louisiana lore contends that on laundry day, people would eat red beans and rice, since that meal required little attention giving folks time to concentrate on doing the laundry.