Before looking at the websites, I would consider plantation museums not museums in our typical sense of the concept, but instead a kind of “monument”.  By “monument”, I do not mean it as a tribute, but instead a physical representation of an event, or series of events.  I certainly do not think that the people running these places should be hosting wedding receptions, but I do think that we as a nation should be more aware of all of our history, especially the unsavory parts.

Based off of a cursory reading of the websites, it seems that Oak Alley is billing itself as a place for tourists and leisure with its cottages, restaurants, and event hosting.  The site discusses all the things there are to see and do in the area around the plantation.  Their descriptions of the property’s history focuses exclusively on the history of it since 1925 when the current owners purchased it.  You have to go to the “Plantation Tours” tab before you can find a mention of slavery, and it is a very small paragraph.

Whitney Plantation seems to be a more academic and serious affair.  Their website has a tab called “education”, which is no where to be seen on Oak Alley’s website.  They explicitly mention slavery on the home page, and the important role it plays in their museum.  They either do not have cottages and restaurants, or they just do not mention them.  They have not redone much of the property like Oak Valley has.  It has been left as a “monument” to what happened there centuries ago.  Their photo galley consists of photos of the slave quarters and the old plantation owner’s house, showing the history.

These two places have similar histories, but their approaches to displaying them in the modern era vary greatly.  It seems to me that Oak Alley wants to cover up their past, and present themselves as a family-friendly place to have a vacation in Louisiana.  While I do think they should be a bit more upfront about their history, its ownership has changed so much I feel that the current owners don’t have the responsibility to do so as much as the descendants of the owners during slave times would have to.  Whitney Plantation certainly seems like it wants to educate and remind people of this period in American history that we would like to forget.  I hope that we do not forget, lest something similar happens here or elsewhere in the world.