Historic Riverlands - 1811 Slave Revolt
Historic Riverlands Church is located in Reserve, a few miles upriver from where the Slave Revolt began in 1811. In 2005, this site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its local significance in the areas of religion, social history, and ethnic heritage. The church building is the original Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church which was built in the River Parishes specifically for African American parishioners due to segregation during the Jim Crow Era. The nationally acclaimed Slave Rebellion Reenactment held in 2019 utilized Historic Riverlands' grounds for meetings, costume fittings, and rehearsals (photos and full video of this event are on display). Also housed inside this beautiful sanctuary is the Soul River Music Journey, an exhibit covering the development and evolution of music inspired and produced by African Americans. The musical journey takes you from the African Musical Roots and Early Development: 1700 1865 in the context of slavery, emancipation and the slave revolt of 1811; all the way to hip hop, modern gospel, and jazz fusion. (Right in the middle of our musical journey, we recognize our local, legendary artist Kid Ory.) Travel the path of the 1811 Slave Revolt from the 1811 Kid Ory Historic House to Destrehan Plantation.
America's First Freedom March
On the night of January 8, 1811, up to 500 enslaved people took up arms in one of the largest slave revolts in U.S. history. The uprising began on the grounds of a plantation owned by Manuel Andry, now the 1811 Kid Ory Historic House in LaPlace, Louisiana. The group of revolutionaries marched down River Road killing two plantation owners and torching several buildings on their way to New Orleans. Other enslaved joined the two-day march along the way.
After an initial encounter with militia near Kenner, Louisiana, the group was forced back to near present-day Norco (New Sarpy), where a brutal encounter and subsequent trials at Destrehan Plantation and other locations left about 100 of the participants dead. Many of the enslaved were beheaded, with their heads staked on the levee in front of the plantations for nearly 60 miles as a warning to others. Though this action was technically unsuccessful, reverberations of the 1811 rebellion echoed across the young United States. It was the first of several large- scale, militant actions against slavery that occurred across the South in the decades leading up to the Civil War and Emancipation.
The 1811 Slave Revolt Trail commemorates the revolt and journey of these brave revolutionaries. Travel between the two trailhead locations, 1811 Kid Ory Historic House and Destrehan Plantation, and stop at specific points that highlight significant events along the journey. Nearby extended experiences at Whitney Plantation and Historic Riverlands Church also help visitors gain insight into these historic events.
The1811SlaveRevolt.com