1811 Kid Ory Historic House - 1811 Slave Revolt
The first bloodshed in the 1811 Slave Revolt Occurred within the walls of 1811 Kid Ory Historic House. The room where the initial unrest likely happened is furnished as it would have looked in 1811. Exhibits telling more of the story of the rebellion and the actions of its participants are on display within the home tour. The locations of some of the executions associated with the revolt that took place on the property are also marked. Begin your own journey, taking steps closely resembling those of the original marchers from this trailhead along the levee path to the end of the trail at Destrehan Plantation. Nearby locations of Whitney Plantation and Historic Riverlands Church provide valuable, extended experiences regarding the 1811 Slave Revolt. The home has a long history since its grim claim to initial fame. It was also the boyhood home of famed jazz trombonist Kid Ory. The historic home has opened as a museum to his music and will contain the largest Kid Ory archive in the world.
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