Set among towering live oak trees in New Iberia, Louisiana's historic Main Street District, The Shadows paints a vivid picture of life for the plantation owners and the enslaved people who lived and worked here. Built on the banks of the Bayou Teche in 1834 for David Weeks and his family, The Shadows was once part of a large sugar cane plantation that enslaved over 200 men, women, and children by the start of the Civil War.

William Weeks Hall, great-grandson of the enslaving family, acquired The Shadows in 1922. He stewarded the estate until 1958, when he donated the property to the National Trust. Shortly thereafter, the National Trust embarked on a series of repair and restoration projects based on an extensive architectural survey, the Weeks Family Papers collection, and other artifacts and home inventories.

A rich collection of 17,000 family letters, photographs, and receipts preserved in trunks in the attic continues to be researched, in tandem with the archives of the Iberia African American Historical Society, representing descendants of those enslaved at Shadows. The resulting tours provide a nuanced and balanced tour experience.

The Shadows is owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The first National Trust Historic Site in the Gulf South, The Shadows is a Classic Revival-style home with a Louisiana Colonial floor plan and a garden as breathtaking as the history preserved here.