Acadia Plantation
Acadia Plantation | |
Queen Anne Revival | |
NRHP reference No. | 87000849[1] |
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Added to NRHP | May 29, 1987 |
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.[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1987.[3] It was demolished in 2010.[2][4]
Today
In 2010 Acadia Plantation was demolished and a plaque was placed on Hwy 1 next to Nicholls State University in memory of the plantation. Construction crews worked from the inside out as they dismantled portions of the historic plantation home. The land and home was purchased by Jake Giardina and partner Ron Adams in 2003 from the Plater family as part of a 3,000-acre transaction. The home's future had been a topic of local debate since that time, although there have been no organized attempts to save it. It was listed on the
History
Acadia Plantation, with its gables, dormer windows, and ornate gallery, was located south of Bayou Lafourche, along the crest of the natural levee. Highway 1 now approximately 50 meters to the north, and Nicholls State University is approximately 500 meters to the west-northwest.[6] The home was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Plater, Jr. The house was torn down in 2010.
The long history of this
In 1828 the brothers began buying several adjoining plantations naming the land Acadia. Separate homes were built only yards apart for Jim, Rezin, and the brothers' mother. On this land the Bowies built Louisiana's first
In 1831 Acadia Plantation was sold to Duncan, Robert Walker and James Wilkins. During this time the Union Bank of Louisiana opened a branch in
The land was then purchased by John Nelson and his son-in-law,
Architecture
The main house at Acadia Plantation was locally significant in the area of architecture as a landmark among late nineteenth–early twentieth century residences in
Interior layout
The layout of inside the plantation was a preliminary archaeological reconnaissance and assessment provided by Richard C. Beavers in August 1983.
The library was the part of the house that was originally a shotgun house with a side hall. It was joined by two other small houses to form the one structure that was the shape of an off-centered cross. The style of the library was a Victorian style. The living room had a Victorian settee, with paneled walls, hard pine floors, and deep molded baseboards. Inside the room was a paneled chimney and mantle. The small guest bedroom was turned into a connection bathroom serving the two guest bedrooms on the west wing of the house. Mr. Plater's office was once a porch and was later enclosed as an office, from the window you can see the bell stand upon which are mounted three bells that are important to the history of the Acadia Plantation.
The dining room is a formal dining room built as a connecting wing between the front part of the house and small two-room house owned by Mrs. Bowie. The fireplace has a paneled chimney breast, with slender ionic columns. The kitchen and breakfast room was at one time a pantry and later converted to an informal dining room. This room holds a New England style appearance. The kitchen had been remodeled over the years. Servant's peep hole was provided on the dining room door to prevent accidents and watch for signals when their attention was needed in the dining room. The boys room was another of the single houses joined to form a greater part of the room. The back porch had a view of the cisterns which were the main water supply to the house. The small house to the right was where the cooks lived and other buildings included a carriage shed, stable, hen house, and so on. Further back stood the Acadia Sugar Factory, the boarding house, blacksmith shop, barn, approximately 70 cabins of the Acadia quarters, and finally sugar cane stretched as far as the eye could see. Today, it is no longer. The land has been developed into residential and commercial enterprises, including Thibodaux Regional Hospital.. The old sugar cane industry is no more, but it is and was so much a part of the heritage at Acadia.[8]
Furniture and collections
The furniture and collections inside the plantation were a preliminary archaeological reconnaissance and assessment provided by Richard C. Beavers in August 1983.
In the library was a portrait of Edward George Washington Butler hanging on the wall. He was David Plater's great-great grandfather from Iberville Parish. Several pieces of furniture found in the library and throughout the house were passed down to the family from relatives. Some of these items included corner chair called a roundabout, a set of Staffordshire dogs on the shelves in the library, two tables that flanked the front windows, a sofa with a spindle-back settee of the 1810 era, and a rocker called a comb-back Windsor constructed of pine.
A bow-front chest and desk, made of Hepplewhite from New England sat in the corner of the living room. On the mantle was an oil painting of Mrs. Thomas Plater, née Mary Louise Bugg, Mr. Plater, and Jr.'s grandmother. Several chairs, spread about the room, dated to the time the Prices occupied the house. Against the wall was a three-tier table constructed of Chippendale, with claw feet. In the guest bedroom is a massive armoire and swan-neck cradle, a canopy bed made maple from the Sheraton style. Near the mantle is a drop-leaf desk made of pine. In the front of the fireplace was a Windsor rocker. On the mantel sat blue vases which were gifts from Mrs. Price from her sister, Mary Susan Gay Butler. The master bedroom in the corner nearby was a highboy chest that belonged to Plater ancestors of the 1700s. Near the bed stood a sewing table which still held wooden spools. On the chimney, and front wall hung Dawson Watson paintings.
In Mr. Plater's office there were several cane-seat captain's chairs from the plantation furniture. A map desk which was equipped with a lighted display surface that enhanced the details on maps. Over the window was a prize possession of a replica of the Bowie knife. In the dining room on the west wall near the door hangs a portrait of Edward J. Gay. To the right of the fireplace hangs a portrait of his wife, Lavinia Hynes Gay. On the back wall is Nellie Curtis Lewis, granddaughter of Martha Washington. Above the fireplace is a painting of Lord Byron. The furniture in this room was the finest antiques in the house. Against the wall was a Maryland sideboard, Sheraton in style. A corner cabinet nearby was made of mahogany and pine. It was 18th century Chippendale and came from the estate of Lord Thomas Fairfax of Virginia. The dining table was designed from two card tables and was Victorian mahogany. The rug on which the dining table and chairs was a turn of the century one.
In the kitchen and breakfast area, most of the furniture originated from New England. Against the back wall was a dresser with knife slots along the front edge of the shelves. On the left was antique clocks, below on the old pastry table and a child's toy wood-burning stove. One the east wall were two Clementine Hunter paintings entitled "The Nativity-Mary with child" and "Washday". On the east wall was a very old table with a drawing by David and Sheela Plater's son, Chris. In the boy's room was a twin four-poster bed that belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Plater's mother. A chest in the corner near the door was from the 1820s. A print over the mantle was of George and Martha Washington entitled "Courtship. The furniture in the guest bedroom was all striped maple, late eighteenth century. The bed was turned wooden post and broken scroll pediment of the headboard. A canopy was attached to the four posts. Near the bed on the right, a small wash stand that was used as a bed-side table. In the corner is a drop-leaf desk on which were two carved boats of Nicaraguan mahogany. Above the desk and hanging from picture frame molding was an old map of the
See also
- List of plantations in Louisiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d DeSantis, John (April 21, 2010). "Historic home's destruction angers former owner". The Houma Courier. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ "Arcadia Plantation". National Park Service. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ "Acadia Plantation" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018. with three photos and two maps Archived 2018-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Legendre, Raymond. "New Thibodaux subdivision to include a mix of stores, restaurants and homes". The Daily Comet.
- ^ a b Beavers, Richard. "Preliminary Archaeological Reconnaissance and Assessment of A Plantation, Research Report No. 6, Archaeological and Cultural Research Program, University of New Orleans". Louisiana Historic Structures Survey.
- ^ Stahls Jr., Paul. Plantation Homes of the Lafourche Country. Pelican Publishing Company.
- ^ a b Beavers, Richard (August 1983). "Preliminary Archaeological Reconnaissance and Assessment of Acadia Plantation, Lafourche Parish".
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