Skilled slaves were often rented to friends and neighbors as a moneymaking venture for their owners, so it is possible that the laundress spent a day or two a week on the property doing laundry and then was rented out on other days.  When skilled slaves worked for money, they were sometimes allowed to keep a portion of their pay.  However, the amount of money that they got to keep (if any) was up to their owner. 

Over time, a number of enslaved laundresses worked on this property. The Hermanns owned, at different times, at least three slaves who were skilled at laundry.  Charlotte, who was on the property for about a year, was a “good ironer and cook in the French tradition;” Sarah, who was owned by the Hermanns for many years, was “a laundress and something of a cook;” and Mary, who also spent many years in the service of the Hermanns, was a “good washer and ironer.”  The Grima family owned Eliza, who was a “laundress and a cook.”

Washing was probably done directly outside this room so that the cistern would be handy.

Cisterns were used for storing rainwater that ran off the roof through gutters.  Cistern water was used for drinking, bathing, and washing

Mr. Hermann’s cistern was made of cast iron, although most cisterns in southern Louisiana were oak or cypress on a brick base

The current cistern is a copy of the original.  E.E. Parker of New Orleans manufactured the original in 1831.  It held 6,000 gallons of water and, when full, would have weighed 50,000 pounds.