Port Allen in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

Gear from Cinclare Mill

Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, September 5, 2015

1. Gear from Cinclare Mill Marker

Inscription. This gear came from West Baton Rouge Parish's last remaining sugar mill, Cinclare, located near Brusly. The property was once called Marengo Plantation. James H. Laws of Cincinnati, Ohio purchased Marengo for $26,000 in 1878 and renamed the plantation Cinclare after one of his business partners, Lafayette Cinclare Keever.

Due to labor shortages and financial losses after the Civil War, local sugar planters abandoned smaller mills and sent their cane via railways to Cinclare for grinding and refining. The Laws family built a new modern mill in 1897; the mill was expanded again in 1906 due to high demand for Cinclare's services. The mill was now called the Cinclare Central Factory.

Gears of varying sizes were used throughout Cinclare. This gear was used to drive one of five mills on the mill floor. It would have turned the rollers that squeezed the juice from the cane. Cinclare had its last grinding season in 2005. The fields at Cinclare still produce cane but many of the factory workers and much of the mill equipment were relocated to a larger mill at Alma Plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish.

Erected by West Baton Rouge Museum.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location.

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30° 27.617′ N, 91° 12.368′ W. Marker is in Port Allen, Louisiana, in West Baton Rouge Parish. Marker is at the intersection of North Jeffeson Avenue and Courthouse Street, on the right when traveling south on North Jeffeson Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 845 N Jefferson Ave, Port Allen LA 70767, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Third Parish Courthouse (here, next to this marker); Port Allen Prisoner-Of-War Sub-Camp No. 7 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); West Baton Rouge Parish Bicentennial (approx. ¼ mile away); Port Allen High School (1936-1978) / Port Allen Middle School (1979-Present) (approx. ¼ mile away); Stone Square Lodge No. 8 (approx. half a mile away); Mississippi River (approx. 0.6 miles away); Mississippi River Old Ferry Landing (approx. 0.6 miles away); Louisiana Purchase - West Baton Rouge Early History (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Allen.

Also see . . . West Baton Rouge Museum. (Submitted on September 7, 2015.)

Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, September 5, 2015

2. Gear from Cinclare Mill Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2015. This page has been viewed 429 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 7, 2015. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.