|
Interesting Facts About Louisiana Plantations
 The Oakley Plantation is in West Felician Parish in the city of St. Francisville and they began building it around 1799. It has the distinction of having John James Audubon as a guest for around four months where he painted 32 of his famous bird pictures. He fell in love with the area and he also was an art teacher for the young Eliza (daughter of the owner).
Propinquity Plantation - One of St. Francisville's oldest brick buildings, Propinquity was built of some 200,000 bricks in 1809 as the store of John Mills with cellar underneath and dwelling house above. Lucy Audubon was employed and carried on the plantation’s account ledger during the years she taught the plantation misses as a means of earning money which allowed her husband (John James Audubon) to publish his book, “Birds of America”.
Bagatelle Plantation - It was said that the home have been a shrine to James J Audubon who resided there and painted various murals throughout the home with bird scenes. It seems Audubon got around these plantations as they were both teachers to the children and owners of the plantations.
Laura Plantation - The French-Creole parents and family of New Orleans own singer-songwriter Fats Domino (known for "Blueberry Hill" and my favorite “Walking to New Orleans) had lived on the plantation. Alcée Fortier was said to have collected Louisiana Creole versions of the West African Br'er Rabbit stories here in the 1870s.
The Acadia Plantation was located in Thibodaux, Louisiana and was a sugar plantation built in 1809. This plantation was once the home of Jim Bowie who later died at the Alamo. Bowie was born in Kentucky but spent most of his life in Louisiana. The Acadia Plantation was in the National Registry but was demolished in 2010.
Evergreen Plantation is the most intact plantation in the South with 37 national land marked buildings.
Harlem Plantation - Pointe-a-la-Hache, Louisiana in Plaquemines Parish built in 1840. This is one of the few remaining Anglo-Creole style plantations.
Parlange Plantation - During the American Civil War, Parlange alternatively served as Union headquarters for General Nathaniel Banks and Confederate headquarters for General Richard Taylor.
Palo Alto Plantation - The “Log Cabin” lodge was built by Jacob’s great grandson, Arthur Lemann Jr., and was constructed with materials from one of the hideouts of the widely known pirate, Jean Lafitte.
Kenilworth Plantation is a Louisiana Plantation built in the West Indies style plantation house located along Bayou Terre-aux-Boeufs in St. Bernard, Louisiana which is in St Bernard Parish. A cool fact about this particular plantation is that it was built without nails, using only wooden pegs.
Oak Alley Plantation -The most noted slave at Oak Alley Plantation was named Antoine who was a master of the techniques of grafting trees. He succeeded in the winter of 1846 in producing a variety of pecan that could be cracked with one's bare hands; the shell was so thin it was dubbed the "paper shell" pecan. 
Rosalie Plantation is in Alexandria, Louisiana (Rapides Parish) and was built circa 1830 and was a sugar plantation. Rosalie Plantation has changed hands many time and is presently in the Norman family. It is now the home of Rosalie Sugarmill Inc. who offers select pecans. Also on this large property if the Rosalie Sugarhouse built in the 1830's used when this was a sugar plantation. Visit Rosalie Plantation for Pecans.
Aillet House - This plantation (The Aillet House built ca. 1830) is in the earliest French Creole architectural tradition. The Aillet House plantation uniquely offers re-enactors performing on the gallery.
Battleground Plantation - Sicily Island, Louisiana - The Battleground Plantation has the military significance as the site of the last major battle between the French and the Natchez Indians which occurred in January 1731 thus the name, Battleground.
Destrehan Plantation - One of the oldest homes in Louisiana, Destrehan Plantation was constructed beginning in 1787 and completed in 1790.
Cedar Bend Plantation - Cedar Bend Plantation is a French Colonial Plantation house that was once owned by Gabriel Prudhomme and his wife Algae. Investigating their family tradition I found that during the Red River Campaign in the Civil War, the family raised the French Flag outside their house to save it from destruction. Believe it or not, it worked!
Free African Americans themselves owned slaves and did so at least since 1654, continuing to do so right through the Civil War.
Melrose Plantation - Melrose, Louisiana (Natchitoches Parish) - Melrose Plantation is also known as Yucca Plantation and is one of the largest plantation in the US built by and for free blacks. The National Park Service describes the plantation as having the oldest buildings of African design built by Blacks, for use of Blacks, in the country. Melrose is 244 miles from New Orleans.
Albania Plantation was acquired by Samual and Isaac Delgado in 1885 who bequeathed it to the City of New Orleans who operated it through the Delgado-Albania Plantation Commission. The City of New Orleans later sold the property at a public auction in 1957.
Ardoyne Plantation - This Louisiana plantation home was named after a Scottish castle and is the largest and most elaborate remaining example of rural Victorian Gothic architecture in the state of Louisiana.
|
