Southdown Plantation | |
 The restored plantation house as it appears today. | |
   | |
| Location | Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| 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.
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The Ormond Plantation House is a French Colonial-style, Creole plantation house located in Destrehan, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States.
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Stephen Minor (1760–1815) was an American plantation owner and banker in the antebellum South.
Captain William J. Minor was an American planter, slave owner, and banker in the antebellum South. 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.
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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.
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