Southdown Plantation | |
 The restored plantation house as it appears today. | |
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| Location | Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana |
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| Coordinates | 29°35′19.5″N90°44′25″W / 29.588750°N 90.74028°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1858 [1] |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002188 [2] |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1974 |
Southdown Plantation is a historic Southern plantation in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.
Southdown Plantation was founded in 1828 by William John Minor, son of Stephen "Don Esteban" Minor, former secretary to the Spanish Governor of Louisiana, Manuel Gayoso de Lemos and James Dinsmore. [3] The land had first been a Spanish land grant and was later owned by brothers Jim and Rezin Bowie, [4] who began planting and harvesting indigo there. [5] Minor purchased the land, approximately 1,020 acres, together with James Dinsmore. In 1831, sugarcane became the principal crop, and the first sugar mill was built in 1830-31. [6] Dinsmore sold his half of the plantation to Van Winder in 1842 & Winder was bought out by William John Minor. By 1852, Southdown was home to 233 slaves, most of whom lived in family units on the property. [7]
The second plantation house was built by Mr. Minor in 1858, and was named for a breed of sheep that the family raised. [5] The house was built of hand-fired brick and wood from local cypress and pine trees. [8]
The original one-story brick home was expanded in 1893, after William's death by his son, Henry Chotard Minor, when a second story and Virginia-style colonnaded walkways were added. [9] In the same year, Favrile glass panels depicting the plantation, palmetto leaves, magnolia branches, and sugar cane stalks were installed in the house. [8] The plantation consisted of over 10,000 acres of sugar cane fields, a sugar mill, and a race track. [4] Through Southdown Plantation, the Minors were instrumental in introducing and sustaining the sugar industry in the area, and ensuring the survival of the crop by developing a variety of sugar cane that was resistant to mosaic disease. [8]
The Minor family was known for frequently entertaining guests and hosting many extravagant balls and receptions. [9]
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the Minor family lost ownership of the house. [4] It was acquired by Realty Operators, which later renamed itself Southdown Sugar Inc. [10] In 1979, the Southdown sugar mill was closed. Its parts were shipped to and reassembled in Guatemala, where it continued operation. It was the last of the 86 sugar mills that had operated in Terrebonne Parish during the sugar boom of the 19th century. [8]
In 1974, the plantation was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The following year, the owner Southdown Land, a subsidiary of Southdown Sugar, donated the property to the Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society. [4] [8] While the plantation house was being renovated, the original 1893 pink and green paint scheme of the exterior walls was discovered and restored. On June 27, 1982, the plantation house and servants' quarters were opened to the public as a museum. [8]
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 109,580. The parish seat is Houma. The parish was founded in 1822. Terrebonne Parish is part of the Houma-Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.
Thibodaux is a city in, and the parish seat of, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 15,948 at the 2020 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.
Houma is the largest city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government was absorbed by the parish in 1984, which currently operates as the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government.
The Magnolia Mound Plantation House is a French Creole house constructed in 1791 near the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Many period documents refer to the plantation as Mount Magnolia. The house and several original outbuildings on the grounds of Magnolia Mound Plantation are examples of the vernacular architectural influences of early settlers from France and the West Indies. The complex is owned by the city of Baton Rouge and maintained by its Recreation Commission (BREC). It is located approximately one mile south of downtown.
Melrose Plantation, also known as Yucca Plantation, is a National Historic Landmark located in the unincorporated community of Melrose in Natchitoches Parish in north central Louisiana. This is one of the largest plantations in the United States built by and for free people of color. The land was granted to Louis Metoyer, who had the "Big House" built beginning about 1832. He was a son of Marie Thérèse Coincoin, a former slave who became a wealthy businesswoman in the area, and Claude Thomas Pierre Métoyer. The house was completed in 1833 after Louis' death by his son Jean Baptiste Louis Metoyer. The Metoyers were free people of color for four generations before the American Civil War. This is not accurate. The Métoyer family was derived from Marie (a former slave and Claude, a Spanish military gentleman who bought and married Marie. They had many children but they were also one of the largest plantations and owned slaves themselves.
The Varner–Hogg Plantation State Historic Site is a historical site operated by the Texas Historical Commission. The site was the home of former Governor of Texas James S. Hogg and his family. The site is located outside West Columbia, in Brazoria County.
Kent Plantation House is the oldest standing structure in Central Louisiana. Listed since 1971 in the National Register of Historic Places, Kent House is located in Alexandria in Rapides Parish. The plantation house is a representation of southern plantation life between 1795 and 1855. The main structure was erected in 1800 with the labor of people enslaved by Pierre Baillio. The bousillage Creole house and restored period outbuildings are now a showcase for tourists.
The Butler Greenwood Plantation is a plantation in Louisiana. It is on U.S. Route 61, 2.2 kilometers (1.4 mi) to the north of St. Francisville, Louisiana. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ardoyne Plantation House is located on Highway 311 in Schriever, Louisiana, just northwest of Houma, Louisiana. It was built 1894 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1982.
The Thibodaux Massacre was an episode of white supremacist violence that occurred in Thibodaux, Louisiana on November 23, 1887. It followed a three-week strike during the critical harvest season in which an estimated 10,000 workers protested against the living and working conditions which existed on sugar cane plantations in four parishes: Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Mary, and Assumption.
The Ormond Plantation House is a French Colonial-style, Creole plantation house located in Destrehan, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States.
Andres Molinary (1847–1915) was an artist, art teacher, restorer and photographer who painted for most of his career in New Orleans, Louisiana. His works were prominently displayed in New Orleans during his career, with exhibitions at the Southern Art Union, the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, and the Artists' Association of New Orleans. At the time of his death, the Delgado Museum of Art sponsored a retrospective exhibition of his works.
Bocage Plantation is a historic plantation in Darrow, Ascension Parish, Louisiana, about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Baton Rouge. The plantation house was constructed in 1837 in Greek Revival style with Creole influences, especially in the floorplan. Established in 1801, the plantation was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 20, 1991.
Stephen Minor (1760–1815) was an American plantation owner and banker in the antebellum South.
Captain William J. Minor was an American planter, enslaver, and banker in the antebellum Southern United States. Educated in Philadelphia, he lived at the Concord plantation in Natchez, Mississippi, and served as the second President of the Agricultural Bank. He was the owner of three large sugar plantations in Louisiana and supported the Union during the Civil War for the stability of the sugar trade.
The Acadia Plantation was a historic plantation house in Thibodaux, Louisiana, U.S.. It was the plantation of James Bowie, Rezin P. Bowie, and Stephen Bowie. James "Jim" Bowie, served in the Battle of the Alamo. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1987. It was demolished in 2010.
The Asphodel Plantation is a historic building and former plantation, completed in c.1830 and located about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Jackson, Louisiana, United States. It was built by Benjamin Kendrick, a cotton planter and slave owner.
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. It is one of the oldest plantations in the Cane River National Heritage Area.
Caspiana Plantation Store is an American historic building and a former plantation store built in 1906, located at 1300 Texas Street in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The store served as part of the crop-lien system, during the time of sharecropping which impacted the lives of many African American workers.
Charles Henry Chapin (1830–1889) was an American landscape and portrait painter. One of his paintings is at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz.
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