Henry Watkins Allen’s plantation was one of the most profitable sugar producers in West Baton Rouge Parish. Hundreds of enslaved people toiled in the fields or worked as skilled laborers (cooks, coopers, blacksmiths, etc.), yet we know very little about the lives of these people who truly built, ran, and cultivated Allendale. Those who were first and second generation Africans retained West African languages, customs, cooking techniques, and Islamic or spiritual traditions. Aspects of this culture were passed down throughout the Antebellum period. French was the primary language used in West Baton Rouge in the first half of the 19th century. However, English permeated the region and was the primary language at Allendale by the 1850s.
The enslaved people of Allendale and neighboring Westover lived in simple cypress cabins in what was known as the Quarters, situated behind the Big House. These cabins were typically one to two rooms, housing families of as many as 5-10 individuals. Field workers such as members of the Washington, Perkins, and Jackson families (ie Maria Jackson, b. 1827), worked in the sugarcane fields using cane knives. It was back-breaking labor. House servants like Harriet Jackson (b. 1812) prepared meals for both enslaved and planter households. Stephen Jackson (b. 1817) served as a driver and was entrusted with overseeing field laborers, a position that placed him between overseers and workers.
Valery Trahan (b. 1829), purchased shortly before the Civil War, served as Allen’s personal servant--shining shoes, carrying messages and bags, and polishing silver. Valery even traveled with Allen during the Civil War. When Allen became Governor, he freed Valery who continued to work as a valet for wages paid by the state. After the war Valery returned to Allendale and his wife Lavinia. The descendants of the Trahans remain in the region to this day, notably near an area known as Stick Alley. Some continue the family’s legacy through art and community engagement.
When Allen left to go to war, a business partner, Barnabus Stevens, managed the plantation. During the war, Union troops occupied the site in 1862 and eventually burned the mill and the main house. Stevens took some of the enslaved workers with him to Opelousas. Others fled or were dispersed. The property went up for sheriff’s sale on several occasions afterwards. Eventually two brothers from the Kahao family, who had worked as laborers and overseers at Allendale and neighboring Westover, purchased the failing plantation in 1882. They added more land over the years and built a new sugarhouse. Today Allendale is still managed and owned by the descendants of the Kahao brothers. Many descendants of other enslaved people at Allendale still live in West Baton Rouge Parish including the Jacksons and the Washingtons. The Perkins family even resides on the tract of land in what was once the enslaved quarters of Allendale.
In 1959, a historic marker designating the site of Allendale Plantation was installed. The museum preserved several of the Allendale cabins where enslaved people and (later) tenants lived by relocating them onto the museum grounds. The Allendale Plantation Historic District was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.