Oakland Plantation (Natchitoches, Louisiana)
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Oakland Plantation
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| File:Oakland Plantation from the highway IMG 3480.JPG | |
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Oakland Plantation House
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| Nearest city | Natchitoches, Louisiana |
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Built | 1818 |
| Architectural style | French Colonial Creole |
| NRHP Reference # | 79001073[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1979 |
| Designated NHLD | January 3, 2001[2] |
Oakland Plantation, originally known as the Jean Pierre Emmanuel Prud'homme Plantation, and also known as Bermuda, is a historic cotton plantation in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. It is one the nation's best and most intact examples of a French Creole cotton plantation complex[3] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001, and is now owned by the National Park Service as part of Cane River Creole National Historical Park.
Contents
Geography
The plantation is situated on a bend of the Cane River Lake, off Louisiana Highway 119 in the Bermuda community near Natchitoches.
The Oakland Plantation grounds and structures are within the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, in the NPS Cane River National Heritage Area, and is on the state's Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.[2][3] It is a National Historic Landmark, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Oakland Plantation is associated with Atahoe Plantation and Isle Brevelle. It is located near the also significant Magnolia Plantation and Melrose Plantation.
History
19th century
The original owners, Jean-Pierre Emanuel Prud'homme and his wife Marie Catherine Lambre Prud'homme, completed building the Oakland Plantation house in 1821. The family tradition claims that Oakland was one of the first plantations to grow cotton on a large scale, cultivated and harvested by slaves. They also had farm animals, that were served by extant buildings, such as the dipping vat, the turkey shed, the mule barn, two pigeonniers, and several chicken coops.
The Prudhommes also owned and operated a general store on the plantation, which also housed the Bermuda U.S. Post Office for many years. The farm flourished in the 19th century.
20th century
J. Alphonse Prudhomme won the gold medal at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis for growing the highest-grade cotton in the South. The plantation was also used in John Ford's 1959 movie The Horse Soldiers.
In 1997, the National Park Service acquired the main buildings and surrounding land of Oakland Plantation, forming the Cane River Creole National Historical Park. Park Service work has progressed to advanced stages in the preservation and conservation of the many outbuildings, and of the plantation house, including furnishing interiors with furniture, paintings, and textiles as it was in the 1860s at the end of the plantation era.
The park's program includes interpretation of the history of free blacks and Creoles who lived and worked on Oakland Plantation for nearly 100 years after the American Civil War and emancipation. They were all integral to the region's community life. The community has strongly associated the plantation with the Prud'homme family, many of whom still reside in the area today.
See also
- Antebellum architecture
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana
- Cane River National Heritage Area topics
- Plantations in Louisiana
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oakland Plantation (Natchitoches, Louisiana). |
- NPS Cane River National Heritage Area: Oakland Plantation history
- NPS Cane River National Heritage Area: a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
| Topics | |
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| Lists by state |
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| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Related | |
- Historic districts in Louisiana
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Houses completed in 1821
- Plantations in Louisiana
- Plantation houses in Louisiana
- Houses in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
- Historic house museums in Louisiana
- Museums in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
- Open-air museums in Louisiana
- Cane River National Heritage Area
- Louisiana African American Heritage Trail
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
- National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana
- Antebellum architecture
- Creole architecture in Louisiana
- Cotton plantations in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
