“Captain Johnson and his 4 sons built a thriving sugar cane plantation with one of the most modern mills of its time. William was also in partnership with the famous pirate, Jean Lafitte. Lafitte would pirate ships off shore then bring the slaves up Grand Bayou, which was a short cut to the Gulf of Mexico from Woodland, and hold then at 4 large two-story brick slave quarters. These buildings were built at the same time as Magnolia but on the site where Woodland would eventually be built. From there Captains Johnson and Bradish would pick up the slaves and trade them up and down the river…These quarters were knocked down in the early 1960s by hurricane Betsy. Spirits Hall, moved to Woodland in 1998, now sits on the site that had seen all of this pain and suffering. ”

Source: www.WoodlandPlantation.com/history