Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park
The overseer of an antebellum plantation in the South was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm, which included supervising the work of the plantation’s slaves. The overseer, always a white, working class man prior to the Civil War, lived on the plantation with his family in his own house.
The Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park’s Oakland Plantation was built in 1861 by Seneca Pace, the overseer from 1852 until 1867. Pace is remembered for the detailed journals he kept that now shed light on life at Oakland when the slave-labor system still existed. His records also describe general activities at the plantation that now help pinpoint dates for construction projects that took place during his tenure. Pace continued as overseer for a few years after the Civil War when the sharecroppers, many of whom were former Oakland slaves, did the work for a percentage of the profits (if any).
Though post Civil-War overseers were not directly in control of the workers any more, they still decided what crops to plant and kept track of expenses owed by the workers. By the turn of the century, overseers mainly tended to yard work and took care of the livestock. Once farming became mechanized after World War II, the sharecropping system was replaced with day labor, for a large, full-time labor force was no longer needed to bring in a crop. The overseer, who could be a white or black man by this time, functioned as a typical boss of hired workers.
In the 1900s, the Overseer’s House became home to three generations (50 years) of the Metoyers, a family of Creole descent. Raney and Suzette, along with their son Leo and his wife Camille, were the first of the Metoyers to occupy the house. Leo and Camile had three children—Leo Jr., Mary, and Josephine—and all three were born at Oakland and lived in this house. Raney and Leo Sr. worked as overseers; Leo was the last overseer at Oakland. Suzette and Camille worked as cooks for the Prud’hommes. The children never worked on the plantation. Mary, however, came back on occasion to volunteer at Oakland Plantation when Cane River Creole National Historical Park opened. Mary was born in 1934, so I am not sure if she still comes to the park or if she is even alive, but she was making appearances at least through 2015.
The Overseer’s House at Oakland Plantation is open to visitors, but it is not furnished. There are, however, some items that were left behind such as an old stove, a few chairs, a toilet, and a bedframe.
Furniture items at the Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Bedframe left behind at Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House, Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Old toilet inside the Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Stove at the Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park
In addition to the furniture items are two information panels and an exhibit on how the house was restored. Many of the buildings at Cane River Creole National Historical Park were nearly falling down when the National Park Service acquired the property.
Exhibits inside the Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Exhibits inside the Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Two videos show on a loop inside the house. The first is about the sharecropping labor system that replaced the slave-labor system on Southern plantations after the Civil War. The film features interviews with actual sharecroppers as well as with Betty Hertzog, whose family owned the neighboring Magnolia Plantation, and Mayo Prud’homme, the last of the direct Prud’homme descendants to live at Oakland (extended family members lived their until 1998).
The second film gives an overview of the history of Oakland and Magnolia plantations and the formation of Cane River Creole National Historical Park. Betty Hertzog, Kathy Prud’homme, Mary Metoyer, and other people who lived and worked on the plantations tell about what life was like.
The films, while interesting, are extremely annoying due to narration for the blind. Nearly half of the run time is taken up by a guy giving long, detailed descriptions of the photos that appear in the videos, and the descriptions are often longer than the actual interviews that go along with the photos. Thus, you have to stand there watching 15-minutes worth of film for 25 minutes. I can understand the concern, but I doubt a handful of blind people—if any—step foot inside the Overseer’s House in the course of a year. These are the only films that I’ve seen at a National Park that do this, so it’s not some sort of requirement.
Two videos show inside the Oakland Plantation Overseer’s House at Cane River Creole National Historical Park
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Last updated on November 30, 2022
