# From a museum of Louisiana Creole culture to a museum of slavery  
The Formosa Chemicals and Fibre Corporation intended to turn the historic structures on the Whitney Plantation into a museum of Louisiana Creole culture. Formosa commissioned a study by the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University. A team of researchers led by anthropologist Jay Edwards immediately recognized the historic and archaeological significance of the buildings at the Whitney Plantation and produced several scholarly volumes on various topics such as architecture, archaeology, decorative art and museum planning. The main focus of the museum was culture in the form of material objects found on the masters' premises. Although the topic of slavery was covered in some of the volumes produced by the team of researchers, none were devoted solely to the study of the people who were enslaved on the Haydel plantation.  
The Whitney Plantation is a genuine landmark built by enslaved Africans and African-Americans. It is now the site of the first museum in the United States exclusively dedicated to understanding slavery and its profound negative impact on the lives of the descendants of enslaved people. The Big House is not the focus of the museum because it should never be forgotten that the perpetual economic growth which led to such luxury was brought about by the blood, sweat and tears of people who were denied their freedom and put to work like beasts of burden. Gabriel, an enslaved person from the Congo nation born around 1790, knew better than anyone what it meant to be enslaved on the Haydel plantation, where he spent more than 50 years of his life under four different masters. He belonged to Jean Jacques Haydel Sr. and was sold to Marcellin Haydel in 1820. In 1860, Gabriel was listed as the property of the late Marie Azélie Haydel. He was then 70 years old and respectfully called Vieux Gabriel.