The African American Experience in Louisiana

. . . Changes that reflect income levels, community values, and individual aesthetic
preferences show how buildings and communities evolved. None of these changes
should be disconcerting when viewed through the larger lens of understanding the impact
of segregation on African American life. 232
For many resources of the African American Experience in Louisiana “location” remains
an important part of their eligibility because of the archaeological potential of the site itself to
yield important information about the broader aspects of the African American experience with
which the building is associated. Locational placement also speaks to historical patterns of
geographical segregation. The importance of the integrity of “setting” varies by property. For
some, the integrity of the setting contributes to the integrity of feeling and helps to reinforce the
property’s context and significance; for other properties, the fact that the setting has been
irreversibly changed should not be an impediment to eligibility as long as the building maintains
significant integrity on its own. Specific considerations of integrity for individual property types
are discussed in more detail below.
A. Residential
There is probably a greater diversity in residential properties than in any other single type. No
matter the time period or the conditions of the individual, every African American in Louisiana
resided somewhere, while not everyone always had access to a church or school, or many other
types of facilities. At present, the great variety of living arrangements experienced by African
Americans in Louisiana is not well-represented on the National Register. There are nine
National Register listed residential properties in Louisiana for which “Ethnic Heritage: Black”
was selected as an area significance. These are five twentieth century houses associated with
significant persons; three antebellum nineteenth century plantation homes; and one home
believed to be the eighteenth century residence of notable Free Woman of Color, Marie Thérèse
Coincoin. 233
This array of listings reflects the fact that houses are most often nominated under Criteria B for
their association with a significant individual, or under Criterion C for their distinctive
architectural characteristics. It is less common for a residential property to be “associated with
events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history” as Criterion
A requires. Nevertheless, our domestic lives are never wholly separate from the broad social
patterns of our times and to neglect to interpret residences as connected to the events of history is
to greatly limit our understanding of the past. It would be difficult for us to ever really
comprehend the events of history if we could not witness the places where the participants laid
their heads at night and the conditions that shaped their lives and actions. In addition, housing
conditions are often directly affected by important broad patterns of our history. Just one
232 Betty Bird, National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form for the African
American Historic Resources of Prince George’s County, Maryland. (2003), 49-50.
233 Recent archaeological and architectural research indicates that the building of this last property actually postdates
Marie Thérèse’s occupation of this property and it therefore is not discussed further in this document. National Park
Service, “Maison de Marie Thérèse – Cane River National Heritage Area: A National Register of Historic Places
Travel Itinerary,” National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/caneriver/mai.htm (accessed February
8, 2012).
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