Narcisse Prudhomme Plantation

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Narcisse Prudhomme Plantation
Beau Fort, 4055 State Highway 494, Natchez (Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana).jpg
Location4055 State Highway 494, Bermuda, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Builtc.1820
Architectural styleCreole, Greek Revival, French Colonial
NRHP reference No. 76000966
Added to NRHPJuly 13, 1976 [1]

Narcisse Prudhomme Plantation, also known as Narcisse Prud'homme Plantation, Beau Fort Plantation, and St. Charles Plantation, is a historic planation house and a former plantation, located in the unincorporated community of Bermuda, Louisiana near the village of Natchez. [2] It is one of the oldest plantations in the Cane River National Heritage Area. [3] [4]

Contents

It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 13, 1976, for its architectural significance. [5]

History

The first known owner of the plantation is Louis Barthelemy Rachal, and the plantation house is thought to have been built sometime between 1790 and 1821. [3] The name "Beau Fort" is derived from an oral history about the land the plantation occupies once being the site of an early French fort. [3]

The second owner of the plantation house was Louis Narcisse Prud'homme (1788–1844) and his wife Marie Theresa Elizabeth (née Métoyer). [5] [3] Prud'homme's father owned the Oakland Plantation and were the first to grow cotton in the area. [6] Prud'homme's daughter Marie Clarisse Prud'homme (1817–1908) was married to Charles Emile Sompayrac (1813–1878) and they owned the Cherokee Plantation. [6]

Architecture

The architecture of the Narcisse Prudhomme Plantation house is Creole influenced, but it is not designed as a typical Creole cabin. [2] [7] The original rooms have 12 foot tall ceilings with Greek Revival molding. [2] The house also has French Colonial architectural features such as a bousillage walls, a gable roof, french doors, a front gallery space, the floor plan layout, and interior chimneys. [2] The framing of the house is made with cypress wood. [2]

The plantation house was nicknamed "Luclora". [8] Remodels to the house occurred in 1937 with exterior changes; and in 1949 with a wing of the house added. [9]

Located nearby is Oaklawn Plantation, Cherokee Plantation, and Cedar Bend Plantation. [10]

See also

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References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Narcisse Prudhomme Plantation". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. July 13, 1976. Retrieved June 24, 2021. (with 5 accompanying photos)
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Narcisse Prudhomme (Beau Fort) Plantation". Cane River National Heritage Area. National Park Service. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  4. "Plantation Location". Los Angeles Times. 1997-01-19. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  5. 1 2 "Narcisse Prudhomme Plantation". NPGallery Digital Asset Management System. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
  6. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Cherokee Plantation". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. August 14, 1973. Retrieved June 24, 2021. (with 14 accompanying photos)
  7. Butler, Anne (2009-04-02). The Pelican Guide to Plantation Homes of Louisiana. Pelican Publishing. p. 81. ISBN   978-1-58980-709-9.
  8. Bizier, Richard (1998-02-28). Louisiana. Pelican Publishing. p. 347. ISBN   978-1-56554-350-8.
  9. The National Register of Historic Places. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. p. 205.
  10. "Natchitoches' Tricentenniel". Acadiana Profile. 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2021-06-25.