Ready for an historic journey into the mid-antebellum period in the southern United States? Travel to the West Feliciana Parish community of Saint Francisville, Louisiana. Here, adventurers will find the Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site.
Named for a theatrical play that the original owners, Daniel and Martha (Barrow) Turnbull, saw on their honeymoon, Rosedown Plantation is a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can tour the c. 1835 Federal-Greek revival style Great House, with c. 1845 Grecian style wings. Originally furnished with fine pieces from the North and from Europe, many of these furnishings remain on display.
One of the richest men in the nation at the time, Daniel Turnbull, purchased land from the 1820’s through the 1840’s to build his plantation to a peak size of approximately 3,455 acres. Primarily planted with cotton, the plantation also included great formal gardens inspired by Turnbull's honeymoon tour of gardens in France and Italy. An 1860 census shows 145 slaves helped maintain the enormous plantation.
The property remained in the family until 1956 when Catherine Underwood purchased and restored the plantation. She opened it to the public as a tourist destination from 1964-1994. In 2000, the State of Louisiana purchased Rosedown. Today, it is a State Historic Site consisting of the main house, historic buildings, gardens and over 300 remaining acres of the plantation.
Adventurers can enjoy the house tour and/or choose to wander through the gardens. Visitors will see a magnificent Oak Allee with Live Oaks that were planted about 5 years before the Great House was built. Live Oaks stay green all year and are native to Louisiana. Not to be missed is the over 260 year old massive Live Oak that dominates the garden. Among many items of interest on the site, adventurers will want to walk through the formal maze-like garden, see the twin fountains, visit a conservatory where Martha Turnbull once grew exotic tropical plants and see the sunken greenhouse used to keep young plants warm in the winter.
Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site has been included in the annual Audubon Pilgrimage, which provides living history demonstrations with Pilgrimage workers wearing authentic 1820’s costumes. Find more information on the National Parks Service and Louisiana State Parks websites.
Comments
Sign In and share them.