Shadows on the Teche

New Iberia has its own ante-bellum house called Shadows on the Teche. We did the tour but weren't allowed to take photos inside. It was much better value than Oak Alley being half the price and there were no costumed docents just an elderly lady guide who was very, very knowledgeable. The Weeks family who built it were still occupying it when it was made over to the National Trust of America and they had kept all the documents bills and letters in boxes in the attic so they know more or less everything about it .
The Weeks family owned a plantation at Grand Cote 15 miles out of town but as his wife felt isolated there David Weeks bought the in town plantation  and the built the house. The plantation was very long and narrow, big enough to employ 180 slaves but only 2 blocks wide. All the New Iberia Plantations were like that because it gave them all 2 blocks worth of access to the Bayou Teche which was the only feasible method of transportation. The summerhouse marks the site of the landing stage where if they wanted to  go into New Orleans the river steamer would stop and they could make the 3 day ,2 night journey.

The roof water was collected for use because the river water is so muddy and stored in the "beehive" cistern

Sadly the David Weeks never moved in dying in 1834 in New York where he had gone for medical treatment whist Mary moved in with the children. She later remarried  Judge  John Moore who was important in State politics and signed the Louisiana secession from the Union.
The house survived because after the war William Weeks sold much of the town plantation for development as the town expanded and spent much time at the Grand Cote plantation where he continued to employ his freed slaves who worked 10 hour days except Sunday, 18 in the sugar cooking season for housing , board and $8 pm.