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LSU Rural Life Museum
The LSU Rural Life Museum is the
museum of Louisiana history that is located in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana on a 40 acre agricultural research experiment station
called Burden Plantation. The state has a very diverse cultural
history, with natives of Spanish, African, French, Native American,
Anglo American, Acadian and German heritage; that have helped the
region grow into the marvelous city and state it is today. The
museum is separated into three sections; the barn containing many
relics from the 19th century that were used in the every day life of
people in the rural areas of the state that includes a huge
collection of tools, furnishings, utensils and farming equipment;
the working plantation that was created to copy the lifestyles of
the 19th century that contains authentic furnishings and daily
activities; included in the complex are a kitchen, slave cabins,
commissary, schoolhouse, overseer's house, sugar house, grist mill
and blacksmith shop; and the Louisiana Folk Architecture displays
numerous structures that reflect the early settlers and their
construction techniques; which include a pioneers cabin, Acadian
house, dogtrot house, country church, shotgun house and Carolina
cabin. There are some marvelous gardens there called Windrush and a
gift shop that sells wonderful items that are related to the period
and the crafts these settlers created at home. The museum has great
articles, exhibits and information for those that are interested or
need to learn more about the early rural people of Louisiana, and
has a fantastic website that will help in many instances. The
history online sections include the Burden Family and the LSU Rural
Life Museum, Origins of Windrush, John Burden, the commissary, flat
boats, the kitchen garden and so much more. The section marked the
kitchen garden opened up another window that had the heading
Plantation Kitchen Garden, with an introduction and history, then
the design and layout of the garden and finally garden aids.
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