A Woman Rice Planter

An elderly planter recounts managing a coastal rice plantation, detailing the rhythms of planting, flooding, harvesting, and daily household and field routines; the landscape of rivers, marshes, live-oak avenues, and boat travel; and interactions with formerly enslaved laborers, neighbors, and animals. Practical descriptions of tools, seasonal tasks, and culinary and domestic life are interwoven with anecdotes that range from humorous to poignant. The account reflects on the economic decline after emancipation, the struggle to maintain traditions and religious instruction among freed workers, and the perseverance required of a woman stewarding land and community amid changing times.