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They included an old kitchen, a pair of pigeonnieres, five large Moorish water cisterns, a school house, stables, green houses, service quarters and dozens of small service buildings. Dr. Crozat redesigned and remodeled the interior of the mansion then furnished the mansion with federal and early Louisiana antiques. The Inn at Houmas House is a collection of quaint cottages nestled along an ancient oak alley and surrounded by lush gardens, allowing guests to get lost in the tranquility of the South. The Mighty Mississippi River is just steps away and a peaceful setting to watch the sun rise or set. The cottages depict historic structures that once graced Uncle Sam Plantation, which was located downriver from Houmas House.
Houmas House Gardens
In June 1807, Clark and territorial Governor William C. C. Claiborne fought a duel on the property, in which Claiborne sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. If you don’t feel like walking, you can do a small group haunted history carriage tour and let the horse do all of the work. This haunted Louisiana plantation house features a 125-foot long veranda, which is well known for its ornamental ironwork. It also has a stained glass entrance that was hand-painted, etched and patterned after the French cross to ward off evil. At this point in time, only a caretaker and his wife lived on the Houmas House property because the plantation was out of the sugarcane business. (The couple lived in what is now used as the plantation’s Bridal Cottage).
A Guide To Houmas House: A Haunted Louisiana Plantation
Dr. George Crozat engaged architect, Douglass Freret, to remodel and redesign the Classic Revival Mansion into a Williamsburg federal-style country home. The house was stripped of its belvedere railings and cupola ornaments, along with the decorative ornate entablature over the columns as well as removing the second floor rear bedroom wing. Numerous out buildings, located just behind the main house, were demolished.
Plantation homes recall bygone era of splendor, suffering - The Columbus Dispatch
Plantation homes recall bygone era of splendor, suffering.
Posted: Fri, 06 Mar 2015 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Restaurants
Dixie Café, located inside The Great River Road Museum, serves breakfast and lunch daily, and dinner with live music every Friday night. This casual restaurant offers counter service with a full breakfast and lunch buffet. It was during the 1890’s that the Miles Family enlarged the mansion by connecting the 1829 mansion to the French House, to the rear. The carriageway was created between the two buildings and two additional bedrooms and a center hall were added to the 2nd floor of the mansion. In 1899, at the age of 77, William Porcher Miles died, and the Houmas Estate and Company was inherited by William P. Miles, Jr., and his sisters.
The Carriage House offers fine dining on the property in a beautiful room filled with historical artifacts and decor. Despite the national economic depression and decline in plantation life, “The Gentlemen” stood as a reminder of a more opulent time. The 24 stately trees leading from the river to the house continued to stand guard and provide cooling breezes. John Burnside was born in Tyrone County, Ireland around 1810 of a poor family.
The Inn at Houmas House and Gardens
The 1840 portion is three rooms deep with a wide central hall plan. It has a graceful helix staircase set in a rear vestibule opposite a corresponding curving wall. Significant exterior features include the handsome colossal Doric galleries, the Federal arched dormers, the cupola, and the movable louvered shutters. The axial formal garden, which extends to the sides and rear of the house, is largely the result of work done by former owner Dr. George Crozat in the 1940s. In the 1940s Dr. Crozat demolished a pair of rooms which had connected the older portion with the 1840 portion, and built a glazed breezeway with an arch at each end. He also installed a modern kitchen and bathrooms in the 1840s portion.
Another supernatural story told at the Houmas House plantation is close to my heart since it has to do with the impressive old live oak trees on the property. After doing research into the history of the house, the Houmas House staff thinks they may know the girl’s identity — though it remains somewhat of a mystery. Some say that all of that activity is what led one of the workers to see a young girl descending the beautiful freestanding stairway in the house. The crewman’s natural reaction was to express concern that a little girl was in a construction zone because it was not safe for children. The charm of the house, the land and the stately old oak trees is eternal and so are the memories you will make there.
Houmas House Mansion and Gardens Tour
Luxurious cottage accommodations are also available for an overnight stay. With its historic mansion, enchanting gardens, educational museum, delightful dining options, and even the opportunity to stay overnight, it’s a destination that caters to a wide range of interests. For those seeking a truly immersive experience, Houmas House offers luxurious cottages for overnight stays.
Guided Tours in Darrow, LA
Hwy 22 bends to the right in a long arc before you come to the light at LA HWY 44. Turn left on Hwy 44 and proceed a short distance to the River Road. Turn right at the levee and look for the entrance to Houmas House Plantation and Gardens parking area, about half a mile down the road just at the end of the white fence that spans the front of the property.
Each room was amazing to explore and our guide knew so much about everything. Pricing for this experience starts at $100 per person for dinner with the option to add wine pairings and any other upgrades. The slave girl appeared in the breezeway between The General’s Store and the Butler’s Pantry of the mansion. The Houma House Plantation is located at Highway 942, Darrow, Louisiana, which is about an hour’s drive from New Orleans.
Unfortunately, when the levee was built after a major flood in 1927, several of the gravesites were disturbed and the cemetery pretty much disappeared. Today the graveyard would be located under the levee and out onto the batture. In the hustle and bustle of bringing the house back to life and opening it up to the public, the mystery of the little girl was forgotten for the time being. Located near New Orleans, the 250-year-old house is just one of the estates located in Louisiana’s River Parishes that is open to the public. Soon after the death of Wade Hampton II on February 10th, 1858, John Smith Preston decided to sell the Houmas Plantation. On April 15th, 1858, the Houmas Plantations were sold to John Burnside, of the firm of J.
Mr. Burnside left one of the largest estates in America to his boyhood friend, Oliver Beirne. This two-and-one-half-story Greek Revival mansion is constructed of stucco-covered brick and shaded by a monumental Tuscan columned gallery along the front and sides. The house has a wide central hall and is three rooms deep, with a spiral staircase set in a rear vestibule. Wide doors connect the dining room and parlor, which have black marble mantles. On each side of the house is a hexagonal two-story brick garçonniere (ca. 1840) with an ogee-shaped roof, but these are more ornamental than functional, as they measure only ten feet on each side. A short allée of four live oaks leads to the house; the other trees were destroyed for a setback of the Mississippi River levee.
We took the guided tour, and our guide (Darren) was not only very knowledgeable, but also quite amicable. He provided lots of information about the house and was able to answer any questions we had about all the items of which we inquired. After the tour, you are free to roam the beautiful grounds for as long as you wish, and pretty much anywhere you wish. Kind of unusual given that the owner actually lives on the property.Our tour was at 7 pm on a Friday night (The house closes at 8 pm.), and we saw numerous couples dressed very nicely. We thought there was a wedding party on site, but it turns out that the "fine dining" restaurant was open.
Please support this magazine of trusted historical writing, now in its 75th year, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to American Heritage. Movies that feature Houmas House famously include the 1964 Bette Davis thriller Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, as well as episodes of All My Children, The Bachelor, and Top Chef. By 1803, Houmas House was already a working sugar plantation when it was purchased by Louisiana representative Daniel Clark. Notably, Clark suffered a leg wound on the property in an 1807 dual with governor William C. Claiborne.
At the age of twelve or thirteen, he somehow managed to obtain passage to America, with only a few pennies in his pocket. He began his young career in the grocery house of Talbot Jones in Baltimore. He quickly excelled, became a junior partner, and moved to Roanoke. John Burnside and Oliver Beirne, Andrew Beirne’s son, were the same age and matured together in Mr. Beirne’s business, becoming very close friends, a friendship that lasted through the years. John Burnside arrives in New Orleans with Oliver Beirne in 1837 to open a dry goods store named Beirne and Burnside. After the death of Andrew Beirne in 1845, Oliver returned to Virginia to manage the family interests and the business Beirne and Burnside became J.
Over 1000 cases and 500 varietals of wines are housed in these “cellars”. These wonderfully creative spaces are not on the tour, but we would be happy to show them upon request. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available in both casual and fine dining settings. Just minutes from Baton Rouge and New Orleans, these restaurants have varying menus reflecting traditional Louisiana cuisine.
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