"East Bank" - August 18th, 2007 by Taylor Lasseigne |
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here for detail of church
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A little further down the road, still in in Convent, I came across St. Michael's Church and Lourdes Grotto. A marker near the church reads:
SETTLED IN 1722 - 1739 AS BARON NOW PARISH SEAT ST. JAMES PARISH ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH 1809 SITE OF ST. MICHAEL'S CONVENT ORDER OF THE SACRED HEART 1825 - 1932 SITE OF JEFFERSON COLLEGE 1831 - 1931 |
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This is the best shot I could manage of the Poché Plantation. The nearby historical marker states:
Judge Poché Plantation House. Felix Pierre Poché, Civil War diarist, Democratic Party leader, prominent jurist and one of the founders of American Bar Association, built this Victorian Renaissance Revival style plantation house with unusual front dormer c. 1870. |
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| As the marker says, this was once a great sugar plantation, washed away by Old Man River in 1940. For a site that was erased by nature, there's an irony in the plantation's original name Constancia, whose origin roughly means "constance". Then again, intact 200 year old structures are a bit hard to come by in America. |
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St. Mary's Chapel. The historical marker states:
St. Mary's Chapel. Built in 1875 by the Marist Fathers. Reestablished from original St. Marie du Fleuve located on White Hall Plantation. Statues transferred from rectory at Ancient Domain Plantation during elaborate blessing ceremony. |
click image for detailed panoramic view
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| The Sunshine Bridge, completed in 1963 and named by Louisiana governor Jimmy Davis who penned my grandmother's favorite song You Are My Sunshine . |
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From what I can gather, these are the ruins of Tezcuco Plantation. The main house burned to the ground in May of 2002. The historical marker, not yet updated with that relatively new information states:
Tezcuco Plantation. Built in 1855 by Benjamin F. Tureaud, kinsman of Bringier family. Constructed of home-made red brick and Louisiana cypress. Purchased in 1888 by Dr. Julian T. Bringier. Retained by relatives until the 1940s. |
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| Burnside Water Tower and plant. |
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Houmas House Plantation, located between Burnside and Darrow on River Road. The historical marker states:
Houmas House Plantation. Houmas Indian land grant sold to Conway and Latil in 1774. Sold to Revolutionary War hero Wade Hampton 1811. Greek Revival mansion built by John Smith Preston in 1840. Restored by Dr. George Crozat in 1940. |
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| Wood carving of Native American woman and her dog in the Houmas House Plantation lawn. |
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Bocage Plantation, just a few miles up the river from Houmas House. The Bocage looked deserted with a "for sale" sign out front. The historical marker states:
Built in 1801 by Marius Pons Bringier as wedding gift for daughter Fanny, who married Christophe Colomb, a French refugee. Remodeled by Architect James Dakin in 1837. Restored by Dr. & Mrs. E.G. Kohlsdorf 1941. |
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I visited the website listed on the "for sale" sign. The asking price was five and a half million dollars, but according to the listing, it's well worth the money:
This completely restored antebellum mansion offers elegance and an easy commute to both cities and their airports. 100+ acres, approx. 7,400 sq. ft. with 4 BR and 4 baths. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1801, remodeled in 1837 by famous architect James Dakin. Steeped in history with ties to Christopher Columbus, early colonization and the Louisiana Purchase. Well documented in many books and used as Hollywood set. The Plantation can be self-sustaining through tourism. |
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| Dock for the Carville - White Castle ferry. I stopped here for a break and a gander at the river. |
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This is the Indian Camp Plantation, also known as the Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center Museum. These grounds were first used for hunting and fishing by Houmas Indians. The actual plantation was established in the 1850s, and then abandoned in 1894 when it then became a Leprosarium. The historical marker out front reads:
The plantation home, built in the 1850s, became the site of the Louisiana State Leprosarium in 1894. The U.S. Public Health Service acquired it in 1921. It is now known as the National Hansen's Disease Center. |
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