Mississippi River Boat Road Scholar Adventure-Part 6

We disembarked down the gang plank and up a steep but short paved bank
to a flat area where we could board the bus to climb the ridge to town.

Wed. Apr. 5: This morning found us moored along the bank of the river where the once rowdy, now bygone river port called Bayou Sara once flourished. Flood, fire, the boll weevil and the War of Northern Aggression wiped it away. But we were here to explore the oldest town in the Florida Parishes of Louisiana, St. Francisville, referred to as the town two miles long and two yards wide. It lies on a ridge safely above the river created by dust storms in the Glacial Period. The ridges are actually the foothills of the Appalachians. There is a plethora of antebellum period homes, two centuries of architectural influences, and a fascinating history as it served as the capital of the 8 parishes that made up the short lived “Republic of West Florida” which developed after Spain lost Florida to England. Our Road Scholar bus took us for our own tour of Rosedown Plantation. 

Our costumed house guide met us at the parking lot for
the short walk to the main house of Rosedown plantation.

Inside the mistress's bedroom

View from the porch of the front garden. To the left of the house is a huge
formal flower garden. Behind the house are extensive greenhouses where the mistress
and two highly trained slaves did extensive horticulture research and experiments.

A dress form for the tiny mistress.

The house remained with the family until the 1930's, when the State acquired the estate.
Two maiden daughters lived in the main house and then in this smaller cottage,
built behind the mansion, until their deaths.

Another Oak Alley lines the main drive up to the house.

We had plenty of time to wander the tiny historic district with its renovated 1819 Old Market Hall, Hardware store turned Historical Museum from 1896, and Grace Episcopal Church, built in 1827. 

United Methodist Church The sign in front says:
Established 1844 Present
Sanctuary 1898 from
Original Bayou Sara
Church

The lone white star on the blue background is
the flag of the Republic of Florida.

Courthouse for West Feliciana Parish

Grace Episcopal Church 1827 has an interesting story. During the Civil War a Union naval officer
committed suicide aboard his boat in the Mississippi River. All action ceased so that he could be
brought on shore, given a full Mason funeral, and buried in the churchyard.
The Union attendees returned to their boat and the War recommenced. 

Cruising all afternoon gave us time to attend our first “Riverlorian” lecture by Jerry Hay, our Road Scholar lecture to prepare us for the town of Natchez on Thursday, and to relax and enjoy the sun on deck. The show after dinner was “Curtain up!” celebrating the music of the Great White Way.

Ann wanted a picture of me modeling this antique hat from the Ladies' Parlor....

....while my own hat took its place in the display table.

We never tired of watching the beautiful red paddle wheel as we chugged along.

Mississippi River Boat Road Scholar Adventure-Part 5

Tue. April 4: We traveled at night but not very far upriver to our first stop.

The tiny white arrow shows our first stop

As we would do most days, we ate breakfast (and, later lunch) on the “Front Porch”, an informal buffet meal much like in the dining room but not as much variety, and there is no menu from which to order. The advantage of it is that we could eat at tables outdoors on the bow and enjoy the beautiful weather. The first stop was near Vacherie, Louisiana, where we visited a Creole plantation with our Road Scholar group, followed by a second plantation, which was across the road from where the boat had docked, with other American Queen passengers.  Our bus and driver, Nate, from New Orleans were supposed to follow along on land to be with us for the next five days but he was stuck in traffic by an accident so an American Queen bus took us a few miles down the road to Laura. Like all the plantations that used to line both sides of the river, Laura was a sugarcane plantation built in 1805. It was owned by the same family (rife with intrigue and scandal) for four generations right through the Civil War. When emancipation, came many of the slaves stayed on as sharecroppers, sometimes moving their original cabin miles inland from the river. The plantation and some outbuildings are restored now and it is at the forefront of interpreting the Creole slave experience in Louisiana. The following is from the Laura website, to explain what Creole means: Creole is the non-Anglo-Saxon culture and lifestyle that flourished in Louisiana before it became a part of the United States in 1803 and continued to dominate South Louisiana until the early decades of the 20th century. Native birth, the French language and Roman Catholicism were the benchmarks for identity in this Latin-based society that included people of white, black and mixed-race ancestry. Culturally, influences from three groups--west Europeans, west Africans, and significant input from Native Americans-- combined to become Louisiana Creole culture. The Creole functioned in an elitist structure, based on family ties. In its philosophy, economics and politics, European custom and modern thought were thrown out and, in their place, a strict, self-serving pragmatism was born out of the isolation and desperation that characterized Louisiana in her formative years. The earliest, tragic lessons of survival in Louisiana created a family-oriented world that would, for centuries, put little value in public education or public works and even in the rule of law. Creole Louisiana was a place where class, not race, determined social status, where rural life conformed to rigid disciplines, where human bondage created wealth, where adherence to the family business and tradition was paramount, where women ran businesses and owned property, where democratic ideals and individualism were held in contempt and where, until the 20th century, people spoke French and lived this way, separate from the dominant White-Anglo-Saxon-Protestant American culture.

Sugar cane fields beside the road on the way to Laura

Laura is a typical Creole plantation house with its bright colors
and low profile, built on stilts to avoid flooding by the River.

This map shows how the Mississippi on both sides was solid
with narrow, deep sugar cane plantations.

Mounting the stairs to the living quarters on a raised level.

Our very knowledgeable guide tells us more about the family history

Laura's dining room

A typical slave cabin, which would hold two large families 

On our return we were on our own to visit Oak Alley, which represents what many people envision a plantation home to be: a graceful Greek Revival mansion, built in the late 1830s, with beautiful gardens and well-maintained outbuildings. It was undamaged by the Civil War, changed hands several times, then acquired in a deteriorated state by the Stewart Family. Now restored, it is a National Historic Landmark.

The walk up to Oak Alley is lined with 300+ year old live oaks
of unknown origin which predate the house itself.

The two of us are dwarfed under one of the largest trees.

Greek Rivival architecture, framed by the live oaks

The gracious first floor hallway at Oak Alley

The dining room at Oak Alley is highlighted with the wooden "Shoo Fly"
over the table that would be kept in motion by a small slave boy.

Look carefully and you will see the American Queen
moored at the other end of the alley of live oaks.

We had to be back onboard by 12:30 and had the afternoon to enjoy the calliope music as we departed, the sun on deck, and our first lecture by our Road Scholar expert, Brian. He told us all about the history of “La Nouvelle Orleans”, from visits by Alvarez de Pindea in 1519, Hernando de Sota in 1541, and La Salle in 1682 to its settlement for France in 1718 by brothers Iberville & Bienville through the French and Indian War when France lost it to Spain for three years before gaining it back, and then finally its acquisition by Thomas Jefferson in the Louisiana Purchase. By the time he finished our heads were spinning with information! We enjoyed dinner in the dining room, followed by “A Southern Celebration” in the theater by the American Queen Ensemble and with music by the Steamboat Syncopators. 

This arrangement of live orchids was outside the dining room
and stayed this beautiful for the whole week.

There was a lovely sunset that evening

We stayed up until midnight enjoying the balmy air on deck
in order to see the lights of Baton Rouge as we passed through

Mississippi River Boat Road Scholar Adventure-Part 4

Monday, April 3: We checked out and had to be on our bus first thing in the morning. After identifying our luggage in the lobby we boarded with our carryon luggage and went to the French Quarter for the last time. It was about a three block walk to the famous “Court of Two Sisters” for their amazing buffet lunch with local specialties from turtle soup to Bananas Foster and everything in between. Of course, they had me at the chilled shrimp. A jazz trio played right next to our table so it made conversation challenging but it was very nice. 

Shelby, ready to board the bus for the last time in New Orleans

Mary and Peggy outside the Court of Two Sisters

Our table for brunch was right next to the Jazz Trio

We had extra time before the bus was taking us to the World War II museum so the six of us decided to meet the Saint Charles Avenue street car and just ride for a while before returning to catch the bus. Everyone else was only 40¢ with transfers but I was $1.25 per ride so I bought a $3 all-day pass. We rode out for about 15 minutes and got off near Lee Circle, intending to catch the streetcar going back the other way.  But as our wait extended we realized that we were running short of time, and then we realized we were only blocks away from the World War II museum. So Ann called Sharon and told her we’d meet the group at the museum and I gave my all-day pass to a family waiting for the same streetcar on which we had given up. As we walked up to the monument at Lee Circle the streetcar finally came around the circle. 

Aboard the Saint Charles streetcar

The monument at Lee Circle

We arrived at the museum with plenty of time as the bus was caught in traffic and made it just in time for the award winning film “Beyond All Boundaries”, narrated by Tom Hanks. Afterwards we all got dog-tags for different people to follow through the museum. Marv and I split up as he went to “The Road to Tokyo” to learn more about the war in the Pacific, where his dad served, and I went to “The Road to Berlin”. My dog-tag belonged to a medic who served in North Africa and then Italy, just like my dad did, but then he went on to Berlin while my dad stayed in Italy. I learned a lot, including more about the Merchant Marines, with whom my Uncle Harry served and I didn’t know much at all. The museum is so well done and the two or three hours we had was only time enough to do the one part we managed before we had to leave. 

From "Beyond All Boundaries"

It was a short ride to the dock where we boarded the American Queen, our luxurious home for the next week. As some of the first to board we had plenty of time to settle in our state room and explore the boat before our first fabulous dinner followed by a musical performance in the theater by the cruise director, Alex, called “All Hands on Deck” where he introduced a lot of the crew members. Afterwards we went to the Engine Room Bar, just down the hallway from our state room, to watch UNC beat Gonzaga in the NCAA Championship Game.

Our journey for the week on the Mississippi River

Some of the furnishings were antiques.

 Our stateroom was the James Buchanan Room.
That's his picture on the wall.

There was a small pool on the top deck.

While we waited The Creole Queen,, where Hank and Janis
were married, came chugging upriver past us!

We spent a lot of time in the rocking chairs on the deck overlooking the paddlewheel.

Safety First! We had the obligatory drill first thing after everyone had boarded.

Mississippi River Boat Road Scholar Adventure-Part 3

Sunday, April 2(Happy Birthday, Dear Mom): After our breakfast buffet a retired riverboat captain, Doc Hawley, joined us to give a lecture on Paddlewheelers, packets, and floating palaces. He has probably seen more of the Mississippi River system than any other living boatman, having worked on nine rivers in seventeen states. His presentation was illustrated by photos often taken from old stereograms, which are the only pictures that were taken of the historic old boats. 

A stereogram of an old Paddlewheeler.

A railroad engine disembarks from a River Boat for the last time.
After this they would be taking the new bridge across the Mississippi River.  

Afterwards we departed by bus for a field trip to Mardi Gras World, beginning with a film that documents the making of floats. A guide took us through the huge warehouse to show us some of the amazing floats that have appeared in Mardi Gras parades through the years, and we saw where artists have already begun working on next year’s floats. We also had plenty of time to explore and take photographs on our own. 

A work space where Styrofoam blocks are covered with paper mache before painting.
Much of the carving of Styrofoam is now done with a robot arm that can work 24/7.  

This year's hot pepper could be next year's banana with just
a new coat of paint.

The warehouse is an incredibly colorful place!

Lunch was at a New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood chain restaurant, where, like yesterday, we had ordered our meals ahead so eating was expedited. The afternoon was free so the six of us split up to do things on our own as couples. Marv and I got dropped off back in the French Quarter and went to the Cabildo and the Presbytère, key components of the Louisiana State Museum system that flank St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. The Cabildo features artifacts of Louisiana and, especially, New Orleans, history and the Presbytère has a very moving exhibit on Hurricane Katrina which gives one the feeling of being immersed in the horror. Upstairs there was an exhibit on Mardi Gras but since we had such a good exposure in the morning we skipped that in order to have time to go to Café du Monde for café au lait and beignets. All of the experiences for the day were pre-payed and all we had to do was show a ticket from our packets, which was very liberating. 

The Superdome was very near our hotel.

Andrew Jackson statue with St. Louis Cathedral behind

Yummmmm! Beignets and Cafe au Lait at Cafe du Monde.

For dinner the whole group met back up at the world renowned New Orleans School of Cooking where local Chef Michael demonstrated preparation of traditional dishes that we then ate. He was knowledgeable and flamboyant and very entertaining and it made for a wonderful evening of gumbo, shrimp etouffee, pralines, and bananas foster, all washed down with the local Abita Amber beer. Once again we were exhausted when we returned to the hotel for bedtime and sleep came easily. 

Note the mirror above the stove so we could see everything he was doing.

Michael serving the Shrimp Etouffee.

From left: Chuck, Mary, Peggy, Marv, Ann, Shelby

Putting the flame to Bananas Foster.