Goin' upriver

I drove up to Donaldsonville to visit the River Road African American Museum, which I’d heard so much about, but also because I wanted to see the town where my freshman year college roommate came from. Along LA 70, I stopped at a roadside stand and bought ripe peaches that later came in deliciously handy.

Crossing the Sunshine Bridge to reach Donaldsonville on the opposite bank from Baton Rouge and New Orleans and down a long winding road, I stopped at the chamber of commerce and rang the doorbell. The lady in charge didn’t have much time as she was preparing to pick up her granddaughter at school, but did say the city had burned down three times. No thanks to Admiral David G. Farragut, the U.S. Navy Flag Officer, made famous for shouting, “Damn the torpedoes” who decided to set the city afire in 1862. There was another fire in 1911 and I didn’t figure out when the third one happened, but that was enough. I did notice the city’s remaining grand buildings were mostly brick, so probably withstood the conflagrations.

This is very sad, indeed, because Donaldsonville had an auspicious beginning as the third oldest city in the state after New Orleans and Natchitoches with extensive sugar plantations. Landowner William Donaldson commissioned the renowned architect Barthelemy Lafon to plan the city center right after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Donaldsonville was state capitol from 1829-31, which is difficult to imagine now. James Freret, one of Louisiana’s most illustrious architects, trained in Paris, designed the Lemnan Store, built in 1878. Though it could use a new coat of paint, it is clear that riverfront building was once quite imposing.

Before all this, we must not forget, Native Americans peacefully enjoyed the land and waters of Bayou Lafourche, both Houma and Chitimacha. Acadians - Nova Scotians originally from France - and Islenos - Spanish from the Canary Islands - arrived in the 1700s. The militia built La Iglesia de la Ascension de Nuestro Señor JesuCristo de Lafourche de los Chestimaches, which pretty much covers everybody. Sicilians came in the 1880s to replace enslaved people working in the cane fields.

Near the chamber, two ladies were sitting in rocking chairs outside the local radio station as I passed. They proudly told me KKAY Radio 1590-AM has listeners all the way to New Orleans, covering everything, but mostly talk about local business, residents, high school sports - even girls’ teams - and music from Louisiana Swamp Pop to D-ville gospel.

Significant buildings lie on either side of Railroad Avenue, including the Grapevine Cafe & Gallery, First United Methodist Church, 5-Star Cabahanosse Bed & Breakfast, which has just changed ownership; and The First & Last Chance Cafe. The antique store was holding a big closing sale.

Railroad Avenue dead-ends at the river where there appears to be an excavation project. The Union Army constructed Fort Butler there in an effort to take control of the Mississippi during the Civil War. The fort was 5-star, not in the sense of luxury but as in shape, perhaps helping to fortify it. In any case, the Yankees were able to repel two Confederate brigades from Texas on June 28 1863 with the help of determined escaped slaves, whom Gen. Benjamin Butler referred to as "contrabands of war."

Donaldsonville continues to have one of the largest black populations in Louisiana and also elected the United States’ first black mayor, Pierre Caliste Landry, a former slave, in 1868. He is one of the primary reasons that the River Road African American Museum was founded in 1994 to tell the stories of Africans and African Americans, both slave and free. An impressive number of African Americans were elected to public office during the Reconstruction era (1865-1877) before white supremacy, disenfranchisement and - I hate to say it - the Democratic Party asserted control in the South.

I was fortunate to arrive just as Darryl Hambrick was beginning a tour with another visitor. Though I am familiar with much of the history, having lived in New Orleans and led tours, the other gentleman from Atlanta was continually horrified over two hours hearing about the injustices blacks faced before and after the Civil War. See below, freed people patiently waiting to be rescued from the 1927 floodwaters. Planters did not want to lose their workforce.

The museum covers African influences on food, medicine, arts, agriculture and jazz. Lots of contemporary jazz musicians were born in Donaldsonville, including Bill Summers, Dave Bartholomew, and Don Vappie.

In addition to the three-room museum there is an historic school house that was largely funded by the Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenthal. Rosenthal, president of Sears & Roebuck, who constructed more than 5,300 schools for African American students in rural areas of the South between 1912 and 1932.

Also, the Episcopal Church of Ascension, co-founded by Henry Johnson, a Louisiana governor (1824-28), who purchased enslaved people from Maryland plantations, helping to save Georgetown College from bankruptcy, has been converted into an extension of the museum.

In 1838, Jesuit priests sold off enslaved people to plantations just upriver. Although there were “rules” specified by the Jesuits as to how the families would be humanely treated, those were generally ignored and sold people off willy-nilly, separating children from their parents.

Darryl has big plans for the museum thanks to a recent grant from Shell International. Meantime, he is leading historic bicycle tours and hosting a gospel concert.

I liked the sound of the First & Last Chance Cafe, which has been serving meals since 1921, so I had a light dinner before heading home. The bar was particularly boisterous, even though the restaurant was otherwise mostly empty. The next table introduced themselves and we started talking about Bayou Lafourche and the Civil War. They were sure I was not from around there because they already knew everybody in Donaldsonville.

Breaking news! Lafitte's Landing at Bittersweet Plantation has reopened as of May 18th with Chef John Folse at the helm. So, you could treat yourself to a first class Creole meal at a white tablecloth restaurant.