24 Jun 2010

Magnificent Chretien Point

In 1776 a Spanish land grant awarded Pierre Declouet a rise of ground about eight miles from what is now the city of Opelousas. Hippolyte Chretien, one of three brothers from France, purchased the property in about 1800 to raise cotton, the popular crop of the area. Stories mention the friendship that Hippolyte had a […]

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21 Jun 2010

Catalpa Plantation St. Francisville

This charming Victorian cottage was built by William J. Fort in 1885 to replace the I original house, which was destroyed by fire. William Fort came to the Feliciana country from the Carolinas with skilled servants to erect the first Catalpa. The Forts raised both cotton and sugar. They were successful planters and shared their […]

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19 Jun 2010

The Shady Retreat, Bocage Plantation

Bocage translates to Shady Retreat. The plantation home was built in 1801 by I Marius Pons Bringier as a wedding gift to his daughter Francoise and her husband Cristophe Colomb, an alleged descendant of the famous explorer. Bringier, head of the wealthy and powerful Bringier family, owned several plantations along the Mississippi River in South […]

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19 Jun 2010

The American Castle

Nottoway also referred to as the “American Castle” is the largest of the existing plantation homes, was built in 1857 near Bayou Goula on the west bank of the Mississippi. Nottoway has sixty-fIve rooms and almost 65,000 square feet! In 1841, John Hampton Randolph, a descenqant of a famous Virginia family, left Woodville, Mississippi, to […]

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1 Jun 2010

New Orleans Pelicans

Charles Abner Powell (1860-1952), the “father” of the New Orleans Pelicans, came to New Orleans in 1887 and became a member of the city’s first professional team. As manager of the Pelicans, he invented the rain check, conceived the idea of covering the diamond with tarpaulin to prevent flooding of the field during rainstorms, and […]

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