lost plantations of louisiana

Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. A trial at the Destrehan Plantation sentenced 45 men from the uprising to death or to go to New Orleans for future trials. 23 Lost Treasure Of Louisiana Pirate Treasure's of Jean Lafitte An 1837 woodcut of Lafitte, W.C.C. Thanks for visiting! The Napoleonic Wars and the Embargo Act of 1807 restricted European trade, which did not recover until the end of the War of 1812 in 1815. The story says that Lafitte buried a cache of treasure near a grove of gum trees along the Sabine River. The associated church is long gone. So if you are from Louisiana or are interested in lost treasure stories then you will want to read on as I present 23 Lost Treasures of Louisiana. New Orleans: US Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 2007. Fearing she would certainly be sent out into the fields now, Chloe hatched a plan to save her current status. Her punishment was cruel. Albania Plantation. Although Lafitte was headquartered in Louisiana he also visited other states that he supposedly buried treasures including Texas and Alabama. There were almost no improved roads in the U.S. or in the Louisiana Territory and the first railroads were not built until the 1830s. Foundations from the main house and cisterns, plus a kitchen and cabin for enslaved people laboring in household capacities such as cooks, seamstresses, maids, and valets, both of French vernacular construction, were found at Nina Plantation in 1993 and 1994. Central State Hospital is covered in depth in my book Abandoned Georgia: Exploring the Peach State. The grinder was originally horse powered, but later converted to steam. Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting! The pirate Jean Lafitte lived in the bayous of Louisiana for many years and stories of his buried treasure have been told throughout the centuries. Things like, if there were new slaves being brought onto the property, or which slaves were to be sold or traded to another owner. Franois-Gabriel "Valcour" Aime (1797-1867) was a slave owner, sugar planter, philanthropist, and pioneer in the large-scale refining of sugar. acred burial grounds. Arcadias kettle train was originally fire heated but was later replaced with a steam train. The many curious surviving outbuildings are testament to rough industry. That's exactly . So either the remaining one is still buried there or the Union troops had taken it when they were camping near the Parlange Plantation garden. In antebellum Louisiana the average sugar plantation had a value of $200,000, whereas even the largest cotton plantations were worth only half that. The artifacts used by workers of all races were surprisingly similar, reflecting workers limited access to goods and shared low economic status. Upland or green seeded cotton was not a commercially important crop until the invention of an improved cotton gin in 1793. Shipwrecks Near Fort Livingston Hold Treasures, Wreck of the Oregon and John Adams Treasure, Miners Buried Gold Near The Ruins of Lincecum, Buried Gold on The Walter C. Flowers Estate, Ghost Town of Lafitte Villiage, 21 miles south of Marrero, Louisiana. In 1808, after Bradfords death, Clark and Sarah moved their family into the Myrtles home. Let us know your findings in the comments below and thanks for sharing! Today, you can tour the home and its gardens, visit The Great River Road Museum onsite, and dine at one of their restaurants. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2010. Offering a huge array of gardens and event spaces, Houmas House is a favorite pick for weddings and other special events. During the colonial period, Canadian, European, African, and Anglo-American immigrants established frontier settlements among the indigenous Native Americans. [15] The plantations in the vicinity of St. Francisville, Louisiana, are on a high bluff on the east side of the Mississippi River with loess soil, which was not as fertile as the river alluvium, but was relatively well-suited to plantation agriculture. Your email address will not be published. Pearson, Charles E. and Thomas C.C. The mansion was moved in 1961 to Jeanerette, Louisiana but the old gardens there might still be visible. Excavations likewise yielded a badly burned 1853 or 1858 silver dime minted in New Orleans. There are a few buried treasure stories that come from this island. St. Francisville, LA Myrtle Plantation. Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, Louisiana's Must See-It-To-Believe-It Festivals, Dont Miss the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival, Louisiana State Parks Offer Cabin Getaways, Laura Plantation: Louisiana's Creole Heritage Site, Explore Historic Civil War Sites in Louisiana. You can reach me at AbandonedSoutheast@gmail.com, Im really enjoying this site. Despite widespread literacy and the advent of electronic communication in the late twentieth century, so much of every-day life in Louisiana continues to go undocumented. The award-winning tour at Laura Plantation transports visitors into the Creole world of Laura Locoul (4th generation of the Laura Plantation family), exploring the complex relationships of four generations of one family, both free and enslaved. [citation needed] The return of good harvests in Europe along, with the newly cleared and planted land in the Midwest and Mississippi River Valley and improvements in transportation, resulted in a collapse in agricultural prices that caused the 1818-19 depression. A silver medal, engraved, decorated, and dated 1727, was discovered in the same area. Until the development of the steamboat, transportation of goods on major rivers was generally accomplished either with barges or flatboats, floated downstream or pushed upstream with poles or by hand using overhanging tree limbs. If you have a genealogy-related site youd like people to find, please contact alyson@ongenealogy.com and well list your business in our directory. In my opinion, the treasure was probably unearthed by the Union Troops that were camping in her garden. In contrast, artifacts (such as dishes, clothing, tools, furniture, housing, and even land) were used by everyone, and so reflect a broader spectrum of the population. On this island is where Laffite gained most of his wealth. In Lost Plantations of the South, Marc R. Matrana weaves together photographs, diaries and letters, architectural renderings, and other rare documents to tell the story of sixty of these vanquished estates and the people who once called them home.From plantations that were . In the area where the islands that are known only as #82 and #83 on the Mississippi river just below New Orleans, two steamships sank here in February and March of 1871. While sugar records exist that document sugar yields by plantation, the records contain nothing about the number or type of engines, boilers, pumps, or kettle trains employed, or the various materials used to fuel them. Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1995. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The first is about an outlaw named Calico Dick who reportedly buried $2.5 million somewhere in the middle of the island. Use the search radius to expand the geocoded search areait may be too tight. 18 (River Road). Legend has it that $400,000 in gold bullion and coins was buried here during the time of the Civil War. She was laid to rest in the family . Animal bones from the quarters show that the occupants supplemented their diet of cheap cuts of cow and pig meat with fish and wild game. The last major military action in Louisiana was the Unions Red River Campaign to capture Shreveport and cut Texas and its resources off from the rest of the Confederacy. Artifacts and coins from this wreck have been washing ashore at Profit Island ever since. Part of the sawmill complex and African American residential area associated with the Goodland Cypress Company sawmill, in Terrebonne Parish, was identified in 1979. The parents and family of U.S. singer-songwriter Fats Domino ("Blueberry Hill") lived on Laura Plantation. The American Civil War (18611865), Federal occupation, and the emancipation of enslaved people dramatically altered life on plantations and in New Orleans. Of the over eighty surface features identified were several trash pits and privies and a former shell road. Surface artifact clusters, brick piers, and several cisterns were recorded in the residential portion of the site. $2.5 million and $450,000 in gold bullion. Raised plantation home along False River representing the early Creole Greek Revival period. Although searching for the lost wooden chest of treasure has been done by the family the chest just might still be there in the garden waiting for discovery. Preserved below ground were two brick-lined privies and a brick-lined well. and fortunes were hard to come by and easily lost. House destroyed by fire in 1963. My goal is to showcase the obscure, sometimes historic, forgotten places I have visited across the Southeast. Some years down the road, one of David Bradfords law students and family friend, Clark Woodruff married Bradfords 14-year-old daughter, Sarah Matilda. Chloe is often seen wandering about the grounds and has been seen by the tree where she was hanged. The Pirate Jean Lafitte lived here at one time. All Rights Reserved. From the time of the first explorers to Louisiana until the early 20th-century you will be amazed at how many lost treasures are awaiting discovery in Louisiana. It is said that one of the owners Hippolyte Chretien buried many large chests containing $650,000 in gold and silver coins on the property. Most times she would eavesdrop to find out what was going on with her fellow slaves. Dennis Duplessis despised the nearly 100-foot oak tree that loomed over his house in Gonzales, Louisiana. Baton Rouge: Coastal Environments, Inc., 2001. The Parlange plantation is located near New Roads Louisiana in Pointe Coupee Parish. These provided each landowner with river frontage (vital for transportation, communication, and the protections of natural levees), cultivatable land, and backswamps rich in timber (needed for construction and fuel). Built in 1805, this Creole plantation is only one of fifteen in existence with this particular building style. Edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated July 2020. Although the Hernando de Soto expedition passed through northwest Louisiana in the 1500s, it left little behind but disease. The Conrad Plantation is located near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Another location near Monroe, LA, where treasure was supposedly buried at the old Limerick Plantation. Louisiana's planters, both white and free black, were among the wealthiest in the South. During the 1700s Louisiana had plantations scattered all over the state. In Lost Plantations of the South, Marc R. Matrana weaves together photographs, diaries and letters, architectural renderings, and other rare documents to tell the story of sixty of these vanquished estates and the people who once called them home. 2. Circa-1850 home on former sugar plantation, scene of a, Early 19th-century plantation, joined in 1890 with, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 00:44. The U.S.S. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Almost all of the sugar grown in the United States before the Civil War came from Louisiana. The surviving plantation homes range from relatively modest dwellings to opulent mansions, some containing original furnishings and many with period furniture. The infamous Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana is widely considered one of the most haunted places in America. Leon C. Vial, Sr. (1878-1939) - Image Leon C. Vial, Sr. (1878-1939) - Image Leon C. Vial, Sr. (1878-1939). Although blanketed by urban development, New Orleans is rich in archaeological remains, many of which are preserved under modern pavements. While not a fortification, Baileys Dam in Rapides Parish is a unique period construction examined by archaeologists in the 1980s. Searching for the Lost Graves of Louisiana's Enslaved People By Alexandra Eaton, Christoph Koettl, Quincy G. Ledbetter, Victoria Simpson and Aaron Byrd June 27, 2021 There are thousands of. He reported went into the bayou that was south of his plantation house and buried the treasure there. Near the Amite River which is across from the ruins of Galvez town. Along with these many plantations, there are numerous stories of buried treasure that have been hidden on them. The sugarcane fields outside of Baton Rouge are home to over a dozen forgotten cemeteries. The earliest evidence of Europeans in Louisiana comes from aboriginal sites containing European trade goods. Italianate and Greek Revival home, built about 1846. At this plantation, archaeology identified outbuildings not depicted on historic maps or mentioned in documents, including the brick foundations of a detached kitchen, a smokehouse, a dairy or icehouse, and five subterranean cisterns were located behind the main house. I released my first book, Abandoned Birmingham, in July 2018 and it is available worldwide through most major booksellers. Archaeology is needed to answer these questions, and to document each sugarhouses size, layout, construction method, and growth over time, as well as the arrangement of the equipment within it. -. These coins are presumed to be washing ashore from the numerous shipwrecks in the area. This is a list of plantations and/or plantation houses in the U.S. state of Louisiana that are National Historic Landmarks, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, listed on a heritage register; or are otherwise significant for their history, their association with significant events or people, or their architecture and design.[1][2][3]. Many slaves were skilled blacksmiths, masons, and carpenters who were often contracted out. Aillet House Plantation. None of which has been recovered. In the antebellum period, much of the states wealth came from the farming and marketing of cash crops. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and metal detecting and digging is probably forbidden but it wouldnt hurt to ask. Historically housing for enslaved people on Louisiana plantations (prior to the reconstruction era), featured cabins consisting of two rooms, with one family in each room. Woodruff was a mature 35 but arrangements like this were pretty common back then. It is located across from Terrebonne Bay which is south of Houma, Louisiana. Located on 650 acres of land in St. Francisville, the homestead was built in 1796 by General David Bradford. Cotton and sugar plantation sites typically include several components: a main house with associated outbuildings (kitchen, milk house, chicken coop, etc. Currently, it is a working sugar plantation. Stroll through the Big House, Civil War exhibit, Sugarcane Theater and an exhibit honoring those who were enslaved there. New Orleans: Earth Search, Inc., 1995. Around 1806 Lafitte came to New Orleans and operated a warehouse there where they would smuggle goods. These days the Myrtles plantation has been restored and now functions as a Bed & Breakfast. European items include glass trade beads; French, Spanish, Mexican, British, Dutch, German, and Chinese ceramics; French, British, and American gunflints; French folding knives, cloth seals, kettles, and wine bottles; and Spanish horse gear. Some of the original buildings still stand here. Beyond the Great House, Archaeology at Ashland-Belle Helene Plantation. Detailed mapping of the wreck revealed that the bow was largely intact, while two-thirds of the hull and part of the stern were also preserved. Built in 1830; French-Creole Architecture. Historical archaeology ties history to the ground, relating specific places and people to the broader patterns of local, national, and even international events. The town was established in 1903 and grew to contain more than one hundred structures before the mill was shut down in 1916 and the company buildings removed for reuse elsewhere. During the Civil War, it is said that the Fusilier family buried over $500,000 in gold, plates, silverware, and jewelry in the gardens on the estate. [citation needed]. The Hidden Restaurant In Louisiana Thats Surrounded By The Most Breathtaking Lush Greenery, Theres A Bed & Breakfast Hidden On The Water In Louisiana That Feels Like Heaven, One Of The Best Hotels In The Entire World Is In Louisiana And Youll Never Forget Your Stay, Kids World Is An Indoor Playground In Louisiana Thats Insanely Fun, The Story Behind This Haunted Cemetery In Louisiana Is Truly Creepy, 10 Truly Haunted Places Throughout Louisiana, The Haunted Road Trip That Will Lead You To The Scariest Places In Louisiana. Known as one of the most haunted places in America, Myrtles plantation attracts visitors and curious explorers year round. Sometime during the Civil War Confederate soldiers were being pursued by Union troops and they buried $20,000 in gold and silver coins close to a spot named Old Camp Place. After the Civil War, as many as 20,000 freedmen worked over 170,000 acres across Louisiana. What the general, along with several other future owners did not know was that before the land had been seized by the Spanish, it belonged to a local Indian tribe known as the Tunica. This town was notably used by pirates and many treasures have been unearthed in this area. "With all of the African-American cemeteries in this parish, we've documented over 3,500 burials," she said . [citation needed]. The states plantation economy did not stabilize until the 1870s. To see this page as it is meant to appear, please enable your Javascript! The latter may be found at Evergreen (St. John the Baptist Parish), Laurel Valley (Lafourche Parish), and Magnolia (Natchitoches Parish) Plantations. Broussard established one of the largest plantations in the Attakapas District. Built circa 1856, the Arrow was a low-pressure, side-wheel steamer built for the Lake Pontchartrain and Gulf Coast trade. The French explorer Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle came to Louisiana in 1682 and claimed Louisiana for France. He died in 1851. If you want to post a house that is extant (still exists), we ha See more Private Only members can see who's in the group and what they post. The Bonafice plantation is located near Edgard, Louisiana on the north bank of the Mississippi River. Many of them still stand as a testament to the interesting agricultural history that dotted the state. Lincecum was once a bustling lumber town. Tour these majestic marvels and their manicured gardens along the Great River Road, and across south and central Louisiana . Supposedly the treasure is about 3 miles east of the Old Spanish Trail. Baton Rouge: Coastal Environments, Inc., 1984. After the war, many planters, having lost access to enslaved labor and the capital their ownership represented, lost their land. The Great Mississippi River Road is about70 miles in length, located on each side of the river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and is home to a collection of Louisiana's towering antebellum homes nestled in large patches of moss-draped oak trees. In the early 1990s, remote-sensing surveys and geological coring located the remains of two Civil Warera steamboats, buried by more than thirty feet of alluvium, on the Red River in Grant Parish. Around 1900, another daughter of Houmas House died, this time on the plantation. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The U.S. gained rights to use the New Orleans port in 1795. Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Easy Travel Organization Tips You Will Love, Bidwell-Bartleson Party Blazing the California Trail. They indicate that the privies went out of use, and the well was filled, immediately following the 1915 hurricane. For instance, archaeological remains at the 18301890 Plaisance Sugarhouse in Iberville Parish showed that this building was initially a two-room boiling and curing house. As the river migrated, homes and other structures were regularly set back to prevent them from being eroded into the river. Cotton prices were particularly depressed.[14]. In 1832, Louis Metoyer, an African-American who was born free, built Melrose, then called Yucca Plantation, and he employed both free blacks and freed slaves in his farming business. Therefore, the arrival and settlement of the French in 1699 is generally accepted as the beginning of the historic period in Louisiana. The infamous Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana is widely considered one of the most haunted places in America. Baton Rouge: Coastal Environments, Inc., 1991. This made much of the land in the U.S. unsuitable for growing crops other than for local consumption. These sources also have a limited scope, as few people recorded the humdrum of everyday life or what was then considered to be common knowledge. [16] After the American Civil War in 1865, the United States of America had abolished slavery, and the architecture changed for laborers on plantations to include more space, one example of this is found at the Allendale Plantation in Port Allen.[16]. If you have experience treasure hunting in Louisiana and have stories to tell or questions please leave them below. Janie, Thank you for your support. Legend has it that pirates who frequented this island buried many treasures here. De la Claire was a French aristocrat who came to Louisiana in 1748. ); slave quarters, yards, and cemeteries; farming-related outbuildings (mule and hay barns, corn cribs, blacksmith shops); and industrial facilities (sugarhouses, cotton presses, and gins). Are you ready to dive deep into Louisiana history? In the following, I highlight each of these plantations and their associated treasure story. Farmers would bury the deceased on a portion of their land that was not farmable. She gathered some leaves from an Oleander plant and boiled them in water. Today, these homes are available for tours, exploration and special events This mix of history, remembrance and celebrations make visits to Louisianas unique plantation homesa very fascinating way to spend an afternoon. Slave cabins still standing in the state are rare and quarters complexes (i.e., sets of cabins and sometimes overseers houses, plantation hospitals, and other buildings) rarer still. It is widely believed that her intention was not murder, but instead just to make the girls and their mother sick, so she could nurse them all back to health. Louisiana's planters, both white and free black, were among the wealthiest in the South. In Lost Plantations of the South, Marc R. Matrana weaves together photographs, diaries and letters, architectural renderings, and other rare documents to tell the story of . Baton Rouge: Louisiana Archaeological Survey and Antiquities Commission, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, 1986. The Frisby Plantation was owned by Confederate Colonel Norman Frisby during the Civil War. Jean Lafitte was born in France in 1780. Limerick Plantation landsofamerica.com Another location near Monroe, LA, where treasure was supposedly buried at the old Limerick Plantation. Archaeology of Louisiana. Brick foundations from the sawmill and planer mill were preserved at the site, as well as the levees for the log-floating pond. Outlaws camped and hideout here during the 1800s. This Fort was used as a defense in the early 19th century. These cookies do not store any personal information. Many guests of the home claim to have seen ghosts and heard sounds, such as footsteps. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in a map. My name is Leland Kent and I have had an interest in abandoned places ever since I was a kid. Sam Houston visited while in the area soliciting funds for his Texas army. The Plantation was owned by descendants of Ann Plater Key, mother of Philip Barton Key. Once stretching over 6,000 acres to the shores ofLake Pontchartrain, Destrehan was actually a small community that supported several households. Jean Dorville Landry. Chloe confessed what she had done. The Myrtles Plantation is located off US 61 North, in St. Francisville, Louisiana. This plantation is particularly interesting to me since it is: Perrault, Stephanie L., Carey L. Coxe, Sara A. Hahn, Thurston H. G. Hahn, III, Dayna Lee, Katherine M. Roberts, and Joanne Ryan. Yakubik, Jill-Karen and Rosalinda Mndez. Around 1806 Lafitte came to New Orleans and operated a warehouse there where they would smuggle goods.

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