Corn Crib at Oakland Plantation, Cane River Creole National Historical Park

Corn was grown at Cane River Creole National Historical Park’s Oakland Plantation to feed the animals, the landowner and his family, and the workers, whether slave or sharecropper, depending on the time. The corn was stored in a corn crib, which was an important building on the plantation. The one standing today was built in the 1820s. Visitors are welcome to take a look inside, but there is nothing much to see.

The concrete structure next to the corn crib is a jug cistern. Ground water at Oakland Plantation was not potable, so rainwater was collected for use as drinking water. The brick “jug” cistern is connected to the corn crib’s gutter system by a pipe. Rainwater flowed from the gutters into an underground storage tank that could hold nearly 5,000 gallons of water.