River Road African American Museum facts for kids
The River Road African American Museum is a special place in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, USA. It teaches visitors about the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. This includes both people who were enslaved and those who were free. The museum shows how much they helped shape the River Road area, both before and after the American Civil War. Because it's so important, the museum was chosen in 2008 as one of the first 26 places on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.
Contents
The Museum's Story
Why the Museum Started
Kathe Hambrick started the River Road African American Museum in 1994. She wanted to celebrate the amazing culture and contributions of African Americans in Louisiana. She also wanted to make sure their history was told accurately.
Kathe began working on the museum in 1991. She had returned to Ascension Parish after being away for many years. She noticed that many people visited the large plantations in the area. However, they learned very little about the history of African Americans. This was true for both enslaved and free people.
Even in the 1990s, most plantations didn't share the stories of African Americans. Yet, people of African descent had lived in the region for 300 years. They had greatly helped the economy and culture of the area. Many also continued to work on plantations well into the 1900s.
Finding a New Home
The museum first opened in 1994 at a famous place called Tezcuco Plantation. Sadly, the plantation had a bad fire in 2002. The owners decided not to rebuild it. This meant Kathe had to find a new home for the museum.
She moved the River Road African American Museum to Donaldsonville. This city is about 70 miles from New Orleans. Donaldsonville has a strong connection to black history. In 1868, the city elected Pierre Caliste Landry as the first African-American mayor in the United States. He was a lawyer and a minister.
Many enslaved people escaped to Donaldsonville during the Civil War. Some even fought with Union soldiers in 1863 to defend Fort Butler. This fort is now on the National Register of Historic Places. After the war, many freedmen (formerly enslaved people) moved to Donaldsonville. They wanted to build communities and start businesses. The city had the third-largest black population in the state at that time.
Kathe was able to move several important buildings to the museum's new site. These include the first black elementary school in Ascension Parish. There's also the meeting house of an early African-American insurance agency. Another building is the African Plantation house, which belonged to the first African-American doctor in the parish.
What You Can See and Do
The museum has many interesting exhibits. You can learn about black inventors, jazz musicians, and important community leaders from the area. One exhibit tells the story of the free people of color in the parish. This information came from old census records and town documents.
The museum has a great collection of items and memories from plantations along the River Road. Some items were given by the plantations themselves. Other things were donated by families who wanted to share their history. The museum also hosts special traveling exhibits from other places. They often have educational programs and workshops about culture.
See also
