The LSU Rural Life Museum, at least when we were there, blended quite seamlessly into the Windrush Gardens so I didn't quite catch the transition. Looking recently on Google it appears they have made substantial upgrades in the last decade and sheltered some of the equipment that was out in the open. While these pictures may be dated they still reflect their mission of preserving what life was like in the back country of the 1700s and 1800s.
The steam tractor represented the height of modern technology back in the late 1800s. The cane syrup evaporator is a style used on individual farms and much simpler than the multi-kettle factories that processed sugar cane for the eastern plantations. Hard to see behind the back right corner of the shed is the cane crusher with the long pole turned in a circle by slaves or farm animals or today kids. Today it is difficult to imagine that sugar was once a premium luxury product and some farms could not afford the extravagance of using it themselves. The picture shows the evaporator fueled by wood, but frequently both it and the tractor burnt the crushed cane or other farm waste.
As I remember the cabin is rather typical of the overseeer or foreman's and the family probably lived in a small clapboard home but probably not the elaborate plantation mansions we see preserved for tours.. The row of duplex cabins with a common chimney in the middle were typical slave quarters.
The dining table looks as it was probably used by the family with the house slaves bringing in the food from the outdoor kitchen. Fire was a constant hazard of cooking and an out building could be lost without risking the house. The stationary steam engine could be used to run a saw or other equipment. Most of the steam tractors also had a way to disengage or lift the drive wheels and use a power takeoff belt to run other equipment.
Stepping through the arch led to a whole other world of the Windrush Garden although it was not really identified as such. The change was so dramatic I was not sure I was still in the same facility or maybe stepped onto an adjacent property. I can see from the satellite maps that major changes have been made here and there is now a whole new rose garden area.
The stump was identified as a cut off banana plant showing the interior structure much like a cardboard box. A little further out behind the garden I was glad it was still February since this is obviously mosquito alley. I recognize the plant with the fronds as a palmetto bush but otherwise this is the great dismal swamp.