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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
"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 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 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
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
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
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
