Jean Noel Destrehan descended from a long line of noble French families, and he inherited the property that would become historical Destrehan Plantation from his father-in-law. He perfected the granulation of sugar, was active in politics, known for his fairness and intelligence and fathered 14 children.

The plantation was established in 1787 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the oldest documented plantation in the lower Mississippi Valley. In addition to offering guided tours of the impressive home, you can also enjoy a variety of period craft demonstrations daily:

• Monday – open hearth cooking
• Tuesday – bousillage construction
• Wednesday – indigo dyeing
• Thursday – candle making
• Alternating Fridays – African-American herbal remedies / carpentry

Perhaps the highlight of a tour of Destrehan Plantation is a visit to the climate-controlled Jefferson Room which displays an original document signed by Thomas Jefferson and four other men, including Jean Noel Destrehan.

The agreement from 1804 assigns the men to the Orleans Territorial Council. One precedent established during this tenure is the division of Louisiana into parishes rather than counties like the rest of the nation.

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During your walk from the Mississippi River to the front door of the impressive antebellum home, you’ll find yourself in the pleasant shade of towering oak trees that line the walkway of the aptly named Oak Alley Plantation. The plantation has seen many owners lend a hand to the unique history of the plantation that proudly stands along River Road.

Current owner Zeb Mayhew Jr. grew up in New England, but spent many summers at Oak Alley and in New Orleans. He moved to the Big Easy before starting college at Tulane, and upon graduation he settled in Louisiana’s River Region. When the opportunity arose to take over Oak Alley Plantation, Mayhew gladly accepted the challenge.

With minimal operational funds and a daunting challenge, Mayhew succeeded in preserving the integrity of this historic Louisiana plantation…easily one of the most impressive and most visited plantations in the South.

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The Evergreen Plantation was built on the German Coast which was an area so named for the large number of German settlers who emigrated to present day St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes shortly after New Orleans was founded in 1718.

Germans flocked to this region to settle their own piece of land. These German immigrants are credited with helping the early New Orleans settlers survive by providing this region with food.

Pierre Clidamont Becnel built a Creole cottage on the same grounds now home to the Evergreen Plantation. This piece of history boasts the most intact plantation complex in the South to include 37 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Twenty-two of these buildings are slave cabins. The plantation has the country’s highest historic designation.

Along with Mount Vernon and Gettysburg, Evergreen Plantation has been granted landmark status for its agricultural acreage. This privately owned home is a working sugarcane plantation. To this day, people live and work at Evergreen.

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Houmas House Plantation was originally owned by the Houmas Indians. They sold the land to Maurice Conway and Alexander Latil in the mid 1700s. The original house built by Latil still stands behind today’s mansion, connected by a carriageway.

This home was later used as a living quarters for the staff. By 1803, the plantation was producing sugar, and in 1810, Gen. Wade Hampton of Virginia purchased the property.

Shortly after, construction of the great mansion began. As construction was being completed, Houmas House was building its sugar production and increasing it’s land holdings, ultimately reaching a staggering 300,000 acres.

The land changed hands over the years, but each new owner expanded and improved upon an already glorious plantation.

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This plantation is significant for its 19th century Creole-style raised house and several surrounding outbuildings that have survived the hands of time, including six slave quarters.

Laura: A Creole Plantation is one of only 15 plantations in all of Louisiana with this impressive degree of complete structures. This plantation is on the National Register of Historic Places and is also included in the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

Guillaume Duparc built a structure that was originally known as Duparc. Over time, the sugar plantation became Laura: A Creole Plantation. Unusually high and clear land was granted to the Frenchman by Thomas Jefferson.

Highly skilled slaves built the house in only 11 months. The interior of the big house is furnished with original antiques, as some pieces were donated to the plantation by families of the original owners. Some areas of the interior have been left untouched and unrestored to give visitors a true sense of the home’s past.

Laura Locoul Gore was the fourth owner of the plantation, and upon selling it to the St. James Sugar Cooperative, she guaranteed that it would always be called Laura.

It is also said that the slaves working on this plantation are responsible for bringing the popular West African tales of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox to America.

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The only castle in Louisiana, Nottoway Plantation was built for the John Hampton Randolph family and was completed in 1859. Nottoway survived the Civil War.

It’s only wound is a grapeshot to the far left column of the house. Determined to spare no expense in the completion of his impressive castle, Randolph hired popular New Orleans architect Henry Howard to build his lavish home.

The Plantation consists of 64 rooms on three floors with six interior staircases, three modern bathrooms, 22 square columns, 165 doors and 200 windows included in the 53,000 square foot living area.

There are 365 openings, one for each day of the year.

During Randolph’ day, the home had chamber pots (flushing toilets) plus hot and cold running water in all the bathrooms which doesn’t sound so impressive today, but these luxuries were unheard of at the time.

On site was a gas plant which provided gas lighting throughout the home, plus Randolph had a bowling alley installed for his children.

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Though this plantation built in St. John the Baptist Parish is antebellum by period, it doesn’t resemble period antebellum homes in any way.

San Francisco Plantation is original and unique in it’s style, that’s for sure! Built by Edomond Bozonier Marmillion in 1856, the plantation has undergone rigorous restoration so that it mimics its most elegant period upon completion of Antoine Valsin Bonzonier Marmillion and Louis von Seybold Marmillion’s redecoration.

The home was restored to reproduce every single aspect of this house to this period: the structure, the ceiling, wall paintings, light fixtures, accessories, carpets, furniture and draperies. The restoration was completed in 1977 and the house has been declared a National Historic Landmark.

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Located on the Grand River Road of Louisiana, this impressive 1,000 acre ancestral home is a working sugarcane plantation built circa 1830. Neighboring plantations include St. Joseph’s sister plantation Felicité, Oak Alley and Laura: A Creole Plantation.

Over the years, the plantation has changed hands from one generation to the next and from one family to another. H.H. Richards, one of America’s greatest 19th century architects, was born here.

A French doctor who was hired to care for the plantation masters, their families and the slaves acquired the maison principale. From the hands of Valcour Aime, the “Louis XIV of Louisiana”, to his daughter Josephine Ferry the plantation was passed.

Once slavery was abolished after the Civil War, it was impossible to maintain the sugarcane production and all was lost due to back taxes. Joseph Waguespack purchased St. Joseph in a sheriff’s sale in 1877.

The Simon and Waguespack families, descendants of Joseph Waguespack, have kept the plantation thriving since the 19th century. In the past five years, the family has been very busy giving the beautiful home a facelift, and finally in October 2004, this bit of history was ready to host eager tourists. Most of the knowledgeable tour guides are family members.

A visit to St. Joseph includes a wonderful journey through time with interesting tales of the people who’ve called the grand house a home. Because it’s a working sugarcane plantation, exhibits about the sugarcane industry from its beginning in 1795 to present day are on display.

You’ll also see an informative film produced by the Sugarcane League. Another exhibit you’ll find is the narrow gauge rail train that brought the sugarcane from the fields to the plantation’s mill.

Items from the St. Joseph Plantation Store are on display, such as the tokens used to pay the freed slaves during the reconstruction era. The tokens were redeemed for goods at the plantation store which still stands on the property.

Also on the property are the detached kitchen, two original slave cabins, school house, overseer’s stable, blacksmith shop and carpenter’s shop that have been restored and are open for viewing.

For a look around the grounds, you’re invited to dine on a picnic lunch while enjoying the scenic property under a canopy of 300-year-old Oaks that shade the backyard.

The “mourning room” is also of great interest to tourists. It features customs of 19th century Creole mourning like dresses, mourning jewelry, intricate flowers of human hair and imortalles (beaded porcelain funeral wreaths) used by the family as grave site memorials.

The predominantly French, German and Spanish Creoles of Louisiana brought they’re deeply religious Roman Catholic beliefs with them from abroad. The rituals and traditions of this religion were very important to the Creoles in life and in death, as were the Holy Days.

November 1, All Saints’ Day, was one of the most celebrated Holy Days of the year and required weeks of preparation. Family tombs were cleaned, repaired and white-washed. Whole families could be seen visiting their family’s tomb on All Saints’ Day.

A modified version of this custom is still popular in south Louisiana today. In honor of this important tradition, St. Joseph Plantation presents an annual “Mourning Tour” from Oct. 1 – Nov. 2.

The home is dressed in full “deep mourning” with black crepe drapes and wreaths. Pianos and organs are closed, mirrors are covered and white candles and flowers accent the black draped coffin on display in the main hall. Each room is appropriately prepared for mourning.

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