EVERGREEN PLANTATION

This part of the Mississippi River shore was very early taken by the German settlers, it is the German Coast . Ambroise Haydel (or Heidel) settled on what would become Evergreen Plantation in 1721. Growing indigo at first, the farm turned to sugar, more profitable. Very well preserved, Evergreen remains one of the most intact sugarcane plantations in the southern United States. The main house in Creole style was decorated in Greek revival fashion in 1832 following the renovation work done when Pierre Becnel bought the Heidel farm, inspired by the American style of neo-Orleans buildings. Now a plantation, it houses a French garden-style parterre, bachelor and dovecotes, Greek Renaissance amenities, the slave house, the kitchen and an alley of 82 two-hundred-year-old oaks lined with 22 slave cabins (two families per 20-square-meter cabin) that were occupied until 1947. It is this alley that has made many directors dream, such as Quentin Tarentino who came to shoot scenes from Django Unchained. But the original alley had to leave the role to its more telegenic neighbor. Designed later, its oaks are a century younger; straighter, they give a better impression of majesty. Evergreen's history is as complex as the history of Louisiana itself. The plantation is still in operation but is no longer open to the public. It is now reserved for research and education.