Washington, Louisiana: The Missing Dates

Important dates in Washington, Louisiana

Washington, Louisiana, is the third oldest settlement in Louisiana. From the late 1700s, the African-American population, best I can tell, has always been at least 50%.

So when I visited the Washington visitor center, I was struck by the above historic dates because of the dates that weren't on the list. 

Nothing about 1863 (Emancipation Proclamation) or 1865 (13th Amendment), when half the souls in the town were no longer considered property of the other half.

Sure, I get that the dates on the history time line are very local. But when you're an inventory item on one day and a free person the next, that's local.

It's very curious to me how Louisiana presents its history.