Rural LIFE museum

The "Rural life museum" is a mesuem of Louisiana history. The land that the museum is located on, called the Windrush plantation originally belonged to Philemon Thomas. He was a soldier, statesman, and leader of the force that captured Baton Rouge and West Florida from the Spanish in 1810. The land was later owned by this guy named William S. Pike, a pioneer settler and prominent businessman in Baton Rouge.It has a history of many people on the land, and is currently still standing.

Today the land on which these people lived is open to the public so that we may learn about the lives of the them. From gris mills to cemitaries, this museum is by far amazing. The tour guides there offer help in explanning what each building was used for. For instance, one of the smaller cabins, which mainly consisting of a small wood plastered bed and very little living space, was I believe the slave's cabin. The much larger cabins that had the access to lighting (simple candles being hung by the roof that were lit)was the home of the owner of the land and his family. In these rooms it's fully furnished with ancient and elegent attire.

Anothe buliding was the church. This buliding is wooden box building that has pews. In the front there is a podeum where the pastor or priest would teach the local village people about God's word. The sugar mill is another amazing place. I believe that there is actually a live deminstration on how the people back in the 1800's made the sugar, and it wasn't an easy task. Alot of work was put into the making of it, which only makes me more happy that we don't have to do that much work anymore. There is also a video that goes thought the entire history of the Windrush plantation and helps vistitors understand what they are looking at.

The garden is approximately 80 years old. A lovely lake has been added with two small islands in the middle. Duck houses for nesting wood ducks fill the island, and both Louisiana and Japanese irises have been planted around the lakeshore. As years have passed, the gardens have become too shaded for many flowers, and others have become root-bound. Shortly before his death in 1995, Mr. Steele said, “The garden has become old, like me.” But visitors from around the world still stroll the curving paths through a part of Baton Rouge history

The envirement that this place creates is of a decade old village. It is really like walkiing through the 1800's and experiencing the full effect of time when everyone had to work for EVERYTHING. Life back then wasn't as simple as the lives we ;ive today, and taking a tour of this plantation lets everyone see that. So go ahead, learn about the way of life of the people that lived in this state before me and you by visiting the museum.