Shadows on the Teche

Shadows on the Teche c.1834 Sugar Plantation served as the home of four generations of the Weeks Family. The Shadows Visitor Center is open Thursday-Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM.
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Located in New Iberia’s Main Street District, the Shadows-on-the-Teche holds many layers of history in its walls and gardens. Built for wealthy sugar planters, Mary and David Weeks, the house remained in the same family for four generations. The story of the Shadows is as much about the hundreds of enslaved men, women, and children who lived and labored at this site and other family holdings as it

is about the Weekses. Their experiences, as well as those of their descendants, profoundly shape the house’s history and legacy--a history whose central figures are women, not men. Mary Weeks took on an active role in the operation of the plantation after her husband’s death. Louisa O’Brien, the enslaved housekeeper, oversaw the day-to-day operations at Shadows. Charlotte, a single woman, successfully sought freedom and was never recaptured. Charity, a skilled seamstress, is one of six women, white and black, residing at Shadows during Union occupation on the eve of emancipation. It is the Weeks Family Papers, a collection of over 17,000 letters, invoices, and receipts, that allow us to tell the story of these remarkable women. Guided tours are currently offered at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Please call to confirm the tour schedule. For more--
- History: www.shadowsontheteche.org/history
- Plan Your Visit: www.shadowsontheteche.org/plan-your-visit
- Purchase tickets on our website: www.shadowsontheteche.org

Join us tomorrow for our Faith & Freedom Symposium with keynote speaker, Dr. Kodi Roberts.Dr. Kodi A. Roberts is an Asso...
06/18/2026

Join us tomorrow for our Faith & Freedom Symposium with keynote speaker, Dr. Kodi Roberts.

Dr. Kodi A. Roberts is an Associate Professor of History at Louisiana State University specializing in African American history, with a focus on the intersections of race, religion, and resistance in the United States.

He earned his Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago, along with degrees from Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans.

Dr. Roberts is the author of Voodoo and Power: The Politics of Religion in New Orleans, 1881–1940, a widely recognized study of the cultural, political, and economic dimensions of Voodoo in New Orleans. His research and teaching explore Afro-Atlantic religions, racial ideologies, and movements for social change, with particular attention to the historical and contemporary significance of African diasporic spiritual traditions.

Register for this event here: https://www.shadowsontheteche.org/upcoming-events/faith-freedom-symposium

Funding for the 2026 Program Mini Grant has been provided by the State of Louisiana and administered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by this organization do not necessarily represent those of either the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities or the State of Louisiana.

Exhibit Intern Alexandra recently rebuilt the dress form displaying clothing worn by an enslaved child in our permanent ...
06/17/2026

Exhibit Intern Alexandra recently rebuilt the dress form displaying clothing worn by an enslaved child in our permanent collection. She padded the form with quilt batting to protect the garments and ensure a proper fit. This hands-on work is preparing her to build out the mannequins for our upcoming Fashion Through the Ages exhibit.

Our Faith and Freedom Symposium is only three days away! Here's the event schedule: 9:15 — Jim Crow South and the Cathol...
06/16/2026

Our Faith and Freedom Symposium is only three days away!

Here's the event schedule:

9:15 — Jim Crow South and the Catholic Church: Uncovering the History of Desegregation at Loyola University New Orleans

- Em Lessley, Loyola University New Orleans

- Mare Lodu, Loyola University New Orleans

- Janine Smith, Loyola University New Orleans

10:15 — Rural Churches as Tradition Keepers

- Phebe Hayes, PhD, Iberia African American Historical Society

- Harlan Mark Guidry, MD, St. Augustine Historical Society

11:15 — Keynote: Voodoo and Power, The Politics of Religion in New Orleans

- Kodi A. Roberts, PhD, Louisiana State University

12:15 — Book Signing with Dr. Kodi Roberts

Learn more and register for the event here: https://www.shadowsontheteche.org/upcoming-events/faith-freedom-symposium

Funding for the 2026 Program Mini Grant has been provided by the State of Louisiana and administered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by this organization do not necessarily represent those of either the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities or the State of Louisiana.

Please join us in welcoming our summer intern, Alexandra!👋🎉Alexandra is an undergraduate student at NC State University ...
06/12/2026

Please join us in welcoming our summer intern, Alexandra!👋🎉

Alexandra is an undergraduate student at NC State University studying Fashion and Textile Design and Anthropology. She is interested in the relationship of developments in history and culture with changing fashion and social norms. She aspires to work with historical garment and textile collections in the future within the museum sector.

Alexandra is assisting with the development of our “Fashion Through the Ages” exhibit for our fall program series. As part of the exhibit’s development, Alexandra is inventorying and assessing the textiles in the collection, rehousing and photographing objects as needed, updating catalogue records, and selecting textiles for the exhibit. She is also assisting with writing interpretive panels and object labels, creating mounts, and installing the exhibit.

We're so happy to have her on our team! 🤩

06/11/2026

History and beauty...all in one place. 😍

Did you know...Charity Polk, an enslaved woman born between 1820-1823, labored at the Shadows as a skilled seamstress an...
06/09/2026

Did you know...

Charity Polk, an enslaved woman born between 1820-1823, labored at the Shadows as a skilled seamstress and gardener. She contributed not only to the Shadows' gardens but also those at Allie Weeks Meade’s plantation near Patterson and at Mary Palfrey Weeks’ home on Grand Cote.

Learn more about her: https://www.shadowsontheteche.org/history/charity-polk-biographical-sketch

Save the Date! In celebration of Juneteenth, The Shadows and the Iberia African American Historical Society are hosting ...
06/02/2026

Save the Date!

In celebration of Juneteenth, The Shadows and the Iberia African American Historical Society are hosting the Faith and Freedom Symposium.

Faith and Freedom will explore how African Americans have used religious beliefs, spiritual practices, and sacred spaces as tools of community organization across freedom movements — including Abolition, Civil Rights, and Black Lives Matter.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Kodi Roberts of Louisiana State University. Roberts explores race, resistance, and community through the lens of faith and faith-based traditions, and is the author of Voodoo & Power: The Politics of Religion in New Orleans.

The event will be held Friday, June 19, from 9am -12pm and is free to attend (registration recommended).

https://www.shadowsontheteche.org/upcoming-events/faith-freedom-symposium

Funding for the 2026 Program Mini Grant has been provided by the State of Louisiana and administered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by this organization do not necessarily represent those of either the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities or the State of Louisiana.

05/28/2026

Exploring, learning, and picturing what life might have been like at the Shadows...

Today we remember and honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country. 🇺🇸
05/25/2026

Today we remember and honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country. 🇺🇸

Address

320 E. Main Street
New Iberia, LA
70560

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+13373696446

Website

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