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
The French name for this tree is Bois d'arc (bwa-dark), which means bow wood. The tree has many common names including Osage orange, horse apple, and hedge apple. The wood is strong, heavy, hard, and flexible and was reportedly used by native . . . — — Map (db m290583) HM
In July 1911, the Police Jury, led by President
Pierre Emmanuel Prud'homme, voted to
construct a bridge over Cane River near
Bermuda. According to the proceedings of
the Police Jury the site and plans needed to
be approved by the US War . . . — — Map (db m250975) 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
Corn was an important staple crop for people and animals. The Corn or Square Crib was used to store corn to feed the livestock or to grind into cornmeal. The notched log construction of the central room shows this is the earliest section, while the . . . — — Map (db m290602) HM
The cotton gin included the ginning machine, press, and buildings that housed the machinery and cotton. High cotton prices in the 1850s led Phanor Prud'homme to expand his enslaved workforce. Enslaved worker Raymond was trained to run the gin in . . . — — Map (db m290601) 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
Jujube or Zizi trees (Ziziphus jujuba), a member of the buckthorn family, are native to south Asia. It is referred to as a Chinese or red date, as it matures from greenish-yellow to reddish-brown and wrinkled. The consistency and taste are like a . . . — — Map (db m290586) 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
Reconstruction brought changes to all the people on the plantation. The Store was originally built for members of the formerly enslaved community who remained as sharecroppers and tenant farmers. It later became an important community store, . . . — — Map (db m290584) 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
What is it? The grist mill was used to grind corn into cornmeal and grits. This type of mill was considered obsolete by the early 1900s.
How does it work? A steam or gasoline engine was connected to the mill by a large drive belt. Corn was fed . . . — — Map (db m290604) 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
Cane River is home to a unique
culture, the Creoles. In 1994, the U.S.
Congress acknowledged the unique
qualities of this region by creating
Cane River National Heritage Area
and Cane River Creole National
Historical Park. Consisting . . . — — Map (db m250979) HM
Cane River Lake was formed by the construction of two dams on
the river in the early 1900s. The lake was made a game and fish
preserve in 1912, leading to the establishment of fishing and
hunting camps along the shores. The Prud'homme family . . . — — Map (db m250981) HM
The Quarters provided shelter and refuge for generations of laborers. In 1860, enslaved workers were housed in thirty cabins constructed of cypress with bousillage (boo-zee-aj) infill with brick fireplaces and galleries on two sides. Each one-room . . . — — Map (db m290603) HM
For 80 years barges and steamboats
traversed the river at Oakland
Plantation. After the Red River
shifted course, the water level in
Cane River often dropped quickly
stranding boats. In the early 1900s,
Cane River was dammed at the
northern . . . — — Map (db m250926) HM
Before entering World War II,
the U.S. Army carried out the
Louisiana Maneuvers, important
training for the nation's generals,
including Dwight Eisenhower,
Omar Bradley, and George
Patton. In 1940, approximately
66,000 troops were deployed . . . — — Map (db m250970) 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
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 work, and . . . — — Map (db m290587) 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
It took decades to bring the railroad here, and the arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P) was welcomed by many in the region who recognized the new economic possibilities. For others, the railroad provided a way to escape oppressive . . . — — Map (db m290541) HM
This cemetery was established early
in the 18th century in association
with the Catholic Church of
St. Francis near Fort St. Jean Baptiste.
Many of Natchitoches' pioneering
families are buried here. — — Map (db m250510) HM
Although abolished in 1865, the legacy of slavery remained in the adoption and enforcement of segregation laws.
These laws - known as Jim Crow - sought to separate White from Black in every aspect of daily life. Although segregation had become a . . . — — Map (db m290556) 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
In Memory Of
Colonel William Houston Jack
who on May 15, 1890 organized the
Louisiana Society, Sons of the American Revolution
in the Senate Chamber of the
Louisiana State Capitol Grave marker W.H. Jack June 4, 1836 June 8, . . . — — Map (db m250512) 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
On this spot in the 1870s, Chief Powder Face (Joseph Pereda Desadier) and his son, Chief Hawkeye (Joseph Desadier Jr.), built the first school for Bayou Bourbeaux's Native American children. The land and school where provided by the chiefs. Oral . . . — — Map (db m257808) 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
“And there were soldiers coming from the war risking their life and limb some having made the ultimate sacrifice...and even then, Black people were not put on the same social level..."
Edward Ward, Natchitoches resident.
During World . . . — — Map (db m290564) 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 . . . — — 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
Sometimes, trains provided special express services for statewide events like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. For some people, train travel was a way to connect families, take vacations, or have an adventure.
Sylvia Morrow, a Natchitoches resident, . . . — — Map (db m290561) HM
Nun, renowned for her beauty, tragically died in former Sacred Heart Convent on Normal Hill. Since 1904, her spirit has roamed campus buildings. — — Map (db m290527) HM
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