VACHERIE, La. (WGNO) — The state of Louisiana provided over 24,000 soldiers of color to fight for the Union in the Civil War. That's more than any other state, and some of those veterans are still being honored.

Historian Katy Shannon explained, "Laura Plantation, which has existed since 1805. It existed as a sugar cane plantation; sugar cane is still grown here today. It was founded by a French Naval Veteran and many generations of his family lived here. French was the language spoken at this plantation and it's still here today."

While the history of Laura mirrors that of many plantations along the river, Laura's operators make a concerted effort to tell the story of not only the owners of the property but the enslaved that worked there.

"Not only were there the Duparcs and and Locoul

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