The Great River Road, an 11-mile stretch in Louisiana with deep ties to Afro-Creole culture and centuries-old sugar cane plantations, was on track for National Historic Landmark status following a multi-year National Park Service (NPS) review. However, state officials successfully lobbied for its removal, celebrating the decision as a win for economic development, while community groups decried it as a loss for cultural preservation.
The region, located in St. John the Baptist Parish within Louisiana’s heavily industrialized Chemical Corridor, has been a battleground between grassroots activists fighting industrial expansion and officials prioritizing economic interests. The Environmental Defense Fund ranks it among the nation’s most climate-vulnerable areas. Ashley Rogers, executive director of the Whitney Plantation, called the decision “the latest blow to a culture under attack.” She asserted, “It’s 100% because of the politics of the current administration, it’s not because we’ve suddenly decided that this place doesn’t matter.”
An NPS study in October confirmed the area’s “exceptional integrity,” stating that it vividly conveys the experience of plantation life in the American South. The region’s well-preserved buildings were even used in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. However, the study also highlighted the overlooked history of enslaved individuals, whose burial sites remain hidden in cane fields, with their descendants still residing in close-knit communities nearby.
Despite its eligibility for landmark status alongside Mount Vernon and Monticello, the NPS rescinded its consideration, calling the move “premature and untimely” due to the cancellation of a planned grain terminal. Joy Beasley, who oversees historic landmark designations, cited a request from Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality, which supports industrial expansion. Aurelia S. Giacometto, head of the department, welcomed the decision, stating, “The Trump Administration understands that states and localities are better at determining their interests.”
Port of South Louisiana CEO Paul Matthew argued that industrial development could spur economic growth without erasing cultural heritage, while Governor Jeff Landry stated, “If you really want to lift people out of poverty, you get them work and increase job opportunity.”
Community members, however, believe preservation can drive economic revitalization. Joy Banner of The Descendants Project, which is restoring historic properties, emphasized alternative solutions beyond industrialization. “It’s not too late to reverse this trend,” she said.
For residents like 76-year-old Isabella Poche, the fight is personal. Maintaining the cemetery where generations of Black families are buried, she reflected, “I don’t want to move anywhere else. I’ve been here all my life.”
Link: AP News
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