Captured in 1708 by French explorer St. Denis in raid on Chitimacha Indian Village in Lafourche Parish. Sold at Mobile to a French officer, Jacques Guedon. They married in 1721 at Los Adaes. Descendants settled the Black Lake Community in 1763. The . . . — — Map (db m182989) HM
Home of Kate Chopin 1880-1883, renowned writer of Creole Short Stories set in famed Cane River Country. Best known for "Bayou Folk" and "A Night in Acadie". Home built in early 1800's by Alexis Cloutier on Spanish Land Grant No. B 17.01. — — Map (db m87871) HM
This structure provided shelter for
diverse groups of plantation residents,
including enslaved workers, the planter
family, and plantation overseers.
Historical records suggest the building
originally served as a hospital for the
enslaved . . . — — Map (db m227611) HM
From antiquity, farming was done by
people with basic tools. Mules and
other animals provided more power.
From the 1700s to the mid-1900s, the
use of workers, enslaved then
sharecropper, allowed the growing
of labor-intensive crops.
The . . . — — Map (db m227618) HM
Throughout the history of Magnolia
Plantation, the LeComte-Hertzog
family relied on livestock for a variety
of purposes. As early as 1765 Jean
Baptiste LeComte owned eight cattle,
four horses, and eight pigs. By 1787
his livestock included 90 . . . — — Map (db m227812) HM
Mules are a hybrid offspring from a male donkey and a female horse.
They are generally smaller than horses, but stronger and more sure-
footed. They were preferred over horses for farm work were an important
part of agricultural production in . . . — — Map (db m232075) HM
You stand between two worlds
Magnolia's physical landscape is
divided into two distinct but
interrelated spaces-Main House
and Quarters. The buildings are
arranged for both function and
aesthetics and illustrate how the
meaning of a place can . . . — — Map (db m227610) HM
Pigeonniers (pee-zjuhn-yay) were once
common on Louisiana Creole plantations. Constructed of timber framing with bousillage infill, it is one of the most direct links between French and Louisiana architecture. Originally built as coops to raise . . . — — Map (db m227432) HM
Louisiana's abundant rivers and
bayous provided essential paths
for travel and trade. Merchandise,
people, animals, communications,
and even diseases were carried on
the waters by dugouts, barges
and steamboats over the centuries.
The Red . . . — — Map (db m227880) HM
The roar of the fire and the ring of hammers filled
the air as the blacksmith moved from forge to anvil
heating and shaping iron. Many African cultures had
an iron-working tradition which they passed down
from father to son. Plantations . . . — — Map (db m227429) HM
"Around December... I can hear [Dad] and Mom talking. 'Didn't break even;
didn't break even....when he finished at the end of the year, he owed them
money, rather than them owing him money, and that's exactly what it meant." The Store, . . . — — Map (db m227426) HM
After harvest and while still
on the cob, corn was placed in
the Crib to dry and be stored.
The Crib, constructed around
1850, had no chinking between
the logs allowing air flow to
promote drying.
Corn was an essential
component in the . . . — — Map (db m227427) HM
Although written documentation is scarce, Magnolia Plantation
is associated with an escape by enslaved Africans during an
1804 Insurrection from Rivière aux Cannes (Cane River), where
at least 30 enslaved people, including six men, one woman . . . — — Map (db m227818) HM
Magnolia Plantation is associated with an 1863 freedom seeker
named Arnold who escaped with two others named Anderson and
Alfred from adjacent plantations. Arnold belonged to Ambroise
LeCompte (or LeComte), and Anderson and Alfred belonged . . . — — Map (db m227821) HM
Although almost bare of plantings
now, former Quarters residents
recall gardens, bushes, and
flowering fruit trees that provided
food, color, and shade. The area
around each cabin was space
tenants could treat as their own.
They planted . . . — — Map (db m227820) HM
Forced to remove cotton seeds by
hand, each enslaved worker could
pick seeds from only one pound of
cotton per day. The hand-cranked
cotton gin (short for engine),
patented by Ell Whitney in 1794,
revolutionized the industry by
removing . . . — — Map (db m227823) HM
Rarely do you encounter
original outbuildings where generations
of the same families of workers and
owners lived and worked. Here people
produced the wealth that supported
Magnolia for more than two centuries.
Ambrose LeComte . . . — — Map (db m227457) HM
Cane River Creole National Historical
Park was established by Congress in 1994, along with the
Cane River National Heritage Area. The park consists of Oakland and
Magnolia Plantations, which are located within the heritage area. In establishing . . . — — Map (db m227422) HM
A few miles upriver, Oakland
Plantation was founded on a 1785
Spanish-era land grant by Jean Pierre
Emanuel Prud'homme. A small
enslaved work force grew tobacco and
indigo. From domestic and agricultural
workers to craftsmen such . . . — — Map (db m227523) HM
Plantations resembled small
towns with numerous buildings
surrounded by fields, pastures,
and gardens. Planters added,
re-purposed, or removed buildings
as the needs of the plantation
changed. The original outbuildings
are where generations . . . — — Map (db m227881) HM
Recreational opportunities were
abundant for those living on the
plantation in the 1800s. Planter
Ambrose LeComte was known for
his fine racehorses Horse racing
remained popular in the 20th
century and most plantations
including Magnolia had . . . — — Map (db m227462) HM
Though far from the fighting for most of
the Civil War, the Red River Campaign in
the spring of 1864 brought the war and
its destruction to Magnolia Plantation.
Retreating Confederates contributed to
the first wave of destruction in . . . — — Map (db m227835) HM
The Cotton Gin was central to the
economic life of the plantation.
By 1820, the U.S. grew over 30
times more cotton than when
Eli Whitney's gin was patented,
making it the world's leading
supplier, Meeting the demand of
textile mills of New . . . — — Map (db m227879) HM
Built as early as 1845, as many as
twenty-four brick cabins stood here
as housing for the enslaved workers,
of which eight remain. Originally
housing two enslaved families, each
cabin was constructed with
locally-made brick, dirt . . . — — Map (db m227813) HM
The bell marked the times of day for the
enslaved laborers. Most planters or overseers
used bells to communicate with their workers.
It could be rung to signal that it was time to
start the day's work, time to break for meals,
time to quit . . . — — Map (db m227420) HM
In January 1939, a tornado
ripped through Magnolia
Plantation. A newspaper article
noted that
"Ten persons were reported
injured, one mule was killed,
and much other livestock
injured by flying debris."
According to Betty Hertzog, . . . — — Map (db m227526) HM
The Quarters was home to generations of
workers, enslaved and tenant, but the cabins
give few hints into the lives of the people. Oral
traditions, historical papers, and archeological
artifacts provide insight into life in . . . — — Map (db m227815) HM
About 2 miles NW. Occupied 1816-17 and 1819-22. Purpose was to police southwestern frontier and guard Red River and Bayou Pierre. Gen. Edmund P. Gaines, commander of the Western Department, had his headquarters here for a time. — — Map (db m106124) HM
Constructed by soldiers of Fort Jesup
1827-1828
Extension of Old San Antonio Trace.
Grand Ecore supplanted Natchitoches
as a river port as early as 1836.
Fortifications of 1861-1865 nearby.
Two miles to Fort Selden, est. 1822. . . . — — Map (db m106126) HM
Here lies an unknown Confederate,
killed by Union troops, April 2, 1864,
during the Red River Campaign.
This soldier had been cut off from
his unit following a skirmish at
nearby Crump's Hill. He was shot
at this site while attempting . . . — — Map (db m175894) HM
Civil War
Cook, Columbus A. • Lacy, William
World War
Carroll, Rufus • Ferguson, William • Free, David Greenwood • Jennings, E. R. Lige • Parker, James Dallas
Korean War
Ferguson, John D. • Ganey, Clarence A. • Gentry, . . . — — Map (db m214329) WM
In memory of William Hodge
Barnhill, his family and descendants. Here on his homeplace
April 3, 1864 he and his sons
buried a Confederate soldier
killed by Union forces. This
gravesite was maintained by
the Barnhill family for 98 yrs — — Map (db m175224) HM
How was African House built?
This hut-like structure was constructed by skilled slaves in the 1820s. Their toil
included digging clay, shaping it into molds and firing to create bricks for the first
floor. The second floor was crafted with . . . — — Map (db m227883) HM
Rare surviving example of a poteaux-en-terre (posts in the ground) house, an ancient form of construction prevalent in Mississippi Valley during 18th and early 19th centuries. Probably fewer than 10 extant examples in U.S. — — Map (db m86903) HM
Louis Metoyer Plantation
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974,
the Metoyer Plantation (aka Yucca Plantation:
Melrose Plantation) is one of the largest plantations
in the United States, built by and for "free people
of color." It . . . — — Map (db m229077) HM
This simple frame house was the
home of Clementine Hunter
from 1954-1977. Hunter gained
fame in the mid-20th century as a
self-taught folk artist whose works
captured her memories of plantation
life with images of picking cotton,
washing . . . — — Map (db m228937) HM
The Louis Metoyer or Yucca Plantation, known since 1885 as
Melrose Plantation, was established in 1796 by a remarkable family
of formerly enslaved people. Five of its buildings: Yucca House,
African House, Ghana House, Big House, and the Barn . . . — — Map (db m227910) HM
Louis Metoyer built the barn c. 1810 in the Creole style. It is one
of only two Creole barns still standing in Louisiana. The single
room storage area is raised on piers and is floored. A French-style
hipped roof extends out to cover the . . . — — Map (db m228936) HM
Originally located at Grand Ecore (a small community four miles
north of Natchitoches on the Red River), the one-room log cabin,
now known as the Bindery, is made of wooden planks with
half-dovetail notches and contains a storage attic. . . . — — Map (db m229074) HM
Since childhood, Cammie Henry was enamored by the artistic skills
of past generations. She took up weaving as a hobby and became
a master of many techniques. A collector of looms and spinning
wheels, in 1934, Ms. Cammie needed to enlarge her . . . — — Map (db m229076) HM
Writers In Residence Yucca House was occupied by two writers during the years
when Cammie Henry ran Melrose Plantation as an
artists' retreat.
Lyle Saxon (1891-1946) began visiting in the early 1920s, and
in 1933, he moved into Yucca . . . — — Map (db m227888) HM
Yucca Plantation
Has been designated a
National
Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance
in commemorating the history of the
United States of America
1974
National Park Service
United States Department of the . . . — — Map (db m87098) HM
About three-quarters of a mile west of this spot is Butte Hill, the burial mound of White Smoke, first chief of Butte Tribe of Bayou Bourbeaux. He was baptized as Franco José Pereda Montano (10-Mar-1778) in Mexico City. With his band of warriors, . . . — — Map (db m225524) HM
The allée, which means path in French,
was crucial to the landscape of the Main
House. Live, oaks (Quercus virginiana) were
transplantet for both beauty and purpose.
Transplanting trees is an enormous
undertaking and required a planter who
had . . . — — Map (db m242151) HM
Pigeonniers (pee-zjuhn-yay) were once common on Louisiana Creole plantations. Constructed of timber framing with bousillage infill, it is one of the most direct links between French and Louisiana architecture. Originally built as . . . — — Map (db m232121) HM
This historic house is the only surviving example
of poteaux-en-terre (post in the ground) and
bousillage architecture in Louisiana and features
a single central chimney and dirt floors. This
house is also the only one of five . . . — — Map (db m227368) HM
Like most plantation outer buildings
the Badin-Roque kitchen was originally
located behind the main house. The
building is a cypress and bousillage
structure set up on piers.
The kitchen was moved
to the
city of Natchitoches as early as . . . — — Map (db m227371) HM
Welcome
We invite you to take a cultural journey and immerse
yourself in the rich, diverse heritage and vibrant
living traditions of Cane River. In 1994, U.S.
Congress acknowledged the unique qualities of this
region by creating Cane . . . — — Map (db m232083) HM
The Cook's Cabin was originally located
behind the Main House in an area
known as "the yard." Records indicate
that enslaved cooks, laundresses, and
others lived in "the yard." Little is
known of the enslaved cooks other than
Venus who was . . . — — Map (db m241835) HM
Louisiana architecture was shaped
by culture and climate. Creole is
multicultural, blending French,
Spanish, African, and Native
American heritages, and the
architecture reflects this diversity.
A Raised Creole House featured
wide, . . . — — Map (db m241832) HM
As the Civil War descended into the Red River valley in 1863, the presence of U.S. soldiers located in nearby Alexandria
began to disrupt plantation life and watchmen were posted each night. On June 20, 1863, Oakland Overseer, J. T. McNeely
wrote . . . — — Map (db m242183) HM
"Grandpère" Nicolas Augustin Metoyer, the oldest son of Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer
and Marie Thérèse Coincoin, was born a twin on January 22, 1768 Grandpere, a
visionary and spiritual leader, is the Founder of St. Augustine Catholic Church and . . . — — Map (db m227367) HM
The Horse Soldiers, a 1959 film, starring John Wayne, William Holden,
Constance Tower and Althea Gibson, attempted to capture the drama of
Benjamin Grierson's Union cavalry and through Mississippi during the 1863
Vicksburg Campaign. . . . — — Map (db m229532) HM
The pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) is
native to North America growing it
natural groves near rivers or lakes.
Due to the pecan's availability and
taste, native peoples used them as a
food source. Most native pecans are
small but . . . — — Map (db m241834) HM
A few miles down river, Ambrose LeCompte established Magnolia
Plantation in 1835. However, Magnolia Plantation's early history is rooted in colonial
Louisiana. In the 1750s, the LeCompte family received a French-era land grant on
Cane River, . . . — — Map (db m232087) HM
The carpenter was an important craftsman.
Carpenters built and repaired houses, barns,
and shops. The Carpenter Shop, built of hand-
hewn timbers held together with half-dovetail
notching, may be one of the oldest remaining
structures as it . . . — — Map (db m241830) HM
Mules are a hybrid offspring from a male donkey and a female horse. They are generally smaller than horses, but stronger and more sure- footed. They were preferred over horses for farm work were an important part of agricultural production in the . . . — — Map (db m232076) HM
The Overseer was the link between
the planter and their enslaved
laborers during the Antebellum
period. His primary duty consisted
of overseeing the daily work of the
enslaved people. Knowledge of
weather patterns and soil
conservation was . . . — — Map (db m242153) HM
Rarely do you encounter original outbuildings where generations of the
same families of owners and workers, enslaved and tenant, lived and worked. Inside
these barns, smokehouses, sheds, coops, kitchens, storehouses, and cabins, the people . . . — — Map (db m232077) HM
(side 1)
This c. 1836 center hall Creole cottage is of poteaux sur sole, (hand-hewn pegged cypress sills on brick piers) and bousillage construction on the 1780s land grant to Claude Pierre Thomas Metoyer. The lower 68 acres given to a . . . — — Map (db m70645) HM
Prior to the end of the Civil War, many enslaved people worked in the house cooking and
serving meals, cleaning, attending family members and caring for the children. They lived in
cabins behind the house except for the Prud'homme children's . . . — — Map (db m241833) HM
The Helaire family traces its history back to the late
1700s and two enslaved workers whose son, Helaire,
was born on Oakland in 1809. Known as Jean Baptiste
Helaire after Emancipation, he and his wife Filis (or
Phillis) raised seven children . . . — — Map (db m242194) HM
The grand Live Oaks in the allée or alley were planted around 1826
according to the Prud'homme family. The interlocking canopies cool
a large area in front of the house, but they also help channel cool
breezes toward the house.
From formal . . . — — Map (db m241837) HM
Many African cultures had an
iron-working tradition which was
passed down from father to son.
Plantations required blacksmiths
to make and repair tools and
hardware. While the Blacksmith
Shop no longer stands, the work
of these craftsmen . . . — — Map (db m242152) HM
Begun in 1852 and completed in 1889, this is the fifth Catholic Church in Natchitoches. The first was associated with the French colonial Fort St. Jean Baptiste. Proclaimed a minor basilica by apostolic decree from his holiness Benedict XVI in . . . — — Map (db m109539) HM
During the French and Spanish Colonial Period, 1714 - 1803, this bayou emptied into the Red River, now Cane River Lake. It was the rendezvous when the river trade from New Orleans met the pack animal trains from Old Mexico.
Because of the many . . . — — Map (db m106517) HM
The ancestors of the Caddo Indians were agriculturalists whose distinctive way of life and material culture emerged by A.D. 900, as revealed in archeological sites in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. When members of Hernando de Soto's . . . — — Map (db m214666) HM
First sighted by St. Denis and Bienville in 1700, this hill was later St. Denis' vacherie. Here three paths met. From the Spanish West came cattle and horses; eastward were his home and the route of flatboats to New Orleans. A road wound North to . . . — — Map (db m66241) HM
Born May 19th, 1757
Sutton, Massachusetts
Died April 8th, 1837
Natchitoches, Louisiana
In 1776, at age 19, John Sibley served the patriot cause in the American Revolution as a surgeon’s mate with the Massachusetts Militia. In 1784, he . . . — — Map (db m106168) HM
This Building
Ducournau Building
1835
Has Been Placed On The National Register of Historic Places
By the United States Department of the Interior — — Map (db m109797) HM
Established in the late 1600’s by connecting well-worn Native American trails, El Camino Real de los Tejas was a major overland route from Mexico City to Natchitoches. By 1717, the trail had witnessed at least five major Spanish expeditions from . . . — — Map (db m106171) HM
“The first recorded, formal Christian religious service conducted in Nathchitoches was a holy Mass celebrated in 1716 in the open air beneath a large wooden cross. The celebrant, a native of Valencia, Spain, was Venerable Antonio Margil de . . . — — Map (db m109538) HM
On this hill stood Fort Saint Jean Baptiste, westernmost outpost of the French Colonial Empire in the west, erected by Saint Denis under Iberville's orders in 1720, seat of the garrison of the Post of Natchitoches, the oldest town in the Louisiana . . . — — Map (db m106119) HM
At this site on April 26, 1804, Fort St. Jean Baptiste was one of six garrisons in Louisiana where the American Flag was raised in ceremonies commemorating the transfer of the Louisiana Purchase. On behalf of the United States, Commissioner William . . . — — Map (db m106118) HM
At this location stood the home of Francois Rouquier, early Natchitoches Indian trader and farmer. The house foundations, dating circa 1780 were uncovered during archaeological excavations undertaken in 1975. — — Map (db m165444) HM
English
Built about 1715 by request of Saint Denis to halt the Spanish expansion eastward. Natchitoches Indians, allies of the French, gave their name to the city.
French
Fort St-Jean-Baptiste
(à 300 mètres au Sud) . . . — — Map (db m86859) HM
During the Great Red River Flood of 1945, the Cane River rose and crested 16 feet above it's typical
mean pool elevation of 98.0 on April 10,1945. The brick coursing variation above denotes the level to
which the waters rose during the 1945 flood . . . — — Map (db m175417) HM
On Feb. 17, 1690, Henri de Tonti, a trader and French army officer known as the Iron Hand, arrived in this area to search for LaSalle's lost colony. While here, he helped arrange a treaty between the Taensa and Natchitoches Indians. — — Map (db m109793) HM
In 1700 explored & established trade with Natchitoches Indians voyaging on Red River. In 1714 built a garrisoned post to repel the Spanish, promoted trade searched mines. Married in 1716 at the Rio del Norte Presidio. Leadership of Indians & victory . . . — — Map (db m86867) HM
Located on the United States/Spanish border, by 1804 Natchitoches was the third most important settlement in the Louisiana Purchase after New Orleans and St. Louis. Within months of the official transfer of Louisiana to American rule, a military . . . — — Map (db m106170) HM
Natchitoches Historic District
Has Been Designated A
National Historic Landmark
This Site Possesses National Significance in Commemorating the History of the United States of America
— — Map (db m109799) HM
According to legend, in 1835 a proclamation was read to the Natchitoches Indians, who assembled across the River from this spot, departing them to the Oklahoma Territory. — — Map (db m87305) HM
The history of Northwestern State University begins when a portion of property owned by Natchitoches founder Louis Juchereau de St. Denis was obtained by the Bullard family who in 1832 completed a mansion on a hill facing east towards Chaplin’s . . . — — Map (db m106519) HM
Nestled on the banks of the Cane River, Natchitoches is
perhaps the most beautiful inland town in Louisiana. Founded in
1714 as a French colonial settlement, it boasts brick lined streets,
historic architecture, and a charming ambiance that . . . — — Map (db m188776) HM
Parents: Jefferson Davis Deblieux, Marie Dell Robieu Deblieux
Children: Cammie Deblieux Davis, Dene' Deblieux Mathies
Born and raised in Natchitoches, Robert Buford "Bobby” Delieux exhibited an interest in
historic preservation throughout his . . . — — Map (db m176370) HM
This French Colonial cottage was built by a freed black slave named "Yves" but called "Pascale". in 1797. Constructed of bousillage (adobe) between angular and upright posts, it represents the earliest form of what is now known in Louisiana as . . . — — Map (db m86861) HM
A freedman of color, Yves, likely constructed this French Creole building around the turn of the 19th century. It was named for its last occupant, Madame Aubert Roque. The house was moved to this location from downriver in 1967. — — Map (db m175423) HM
The ground upon which you are standing right now is sacred ground. In the early 1930s when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began construction of this hatchery, over 100 Caddo Indian graves were unearthed. At that time, the Native American . . . — — Map (db m214665) HM
Beneath this building, former site of the Church of Saint Francis, the first Catholic Church in Natchitoches, lie the remains of The Chevalier Louis Juchereau de Saint Denis.
Born at Quebec September 17, 1676, died at Natchitoches June 11, . . . — — Map (db m109435) HM
About 2 miles NW occupied 1844-45 by the 4th Infantry Regiment part of the "Army of Observation" to be near the Texas border should hostilities occur with Mexico. The camp located on the old Texas Road. Lt. Ulysses S. Grant was stationed there and . . . — — Map (db m109434) HM
Fort established here in 1804. Named after William C.C. Claiborne, then governor of territorial Louisiana. Protected U.S. interests on southwestern frontier. Garrisoned almost continuously until establishment of Fort Jesup in 1822. — — Map (db m86855) HM
Established in 1737, the American Cemetery is considered one of the oldest cemeteries in the Louisiana Purchase. The many civic, religious, military, and political leaders buried here reflect the long and colorful history of Cane River National . . . — — Map (db m106111) HM
Originally this was the site of the relocated Fort St. Jean Baptiste and the first formal burial ground at the Natchitoches Post. Graves date from the middle eighteenth century and represent the following French, Spanish and American founders. . . . — — Map (db m106116) HM
President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803. The Louisiana Purchase was the largest peacetime land acquisition in U.S. history, containing territory that eventually comprised 15 states. . . . — — Map (db m106110) HM
Once a primary channel of the mighty Red River, Cane River has defined the region for centuries. It has been home to various ethnic groups over the years, including the Native Americans, French, Spanish, Africans from various tribes, and Americans. . . . — — Map (db m106513) HM
The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was the first large step for the United States to complete its calling of Manifest Destiny to expand from sea to shining sea. Though national attention focused on east-west travel it would be another 114 years . . . — — Map (db m188373) HM
Catholicism has played a central role throughout the history of the Cane River region, with its emergence rooted in French and Spanish Colonial-era claims to the territory. Although many other religions have flourished in the area over the years, . . . — — Map (db m106172) HM
"Let the Land rejoice, for you have bought Louisiana for a Song." —Gen, Horatio Gates to President Thomas Jefferson, July 18, 1803 In 1803 the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory- 828,000 square miles of . . . — — Map (db m176317) HM
The first Natchitoches Parish Courthouse was built on this site about 1828. It was demolished in 1895 to allow for the present historic courthouse, which was built in 1896. The courthouse cost $20,555 to build. This Richardsonian Romanesque . . . — — Map (db m106173) HM
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