MAGNOLIA MOUND PLANTATION

We took a self-guided walking tour of the Magnolia Mound Plantation House, a French Creole home that was constructed in 1791.  It is situated high on a ridge overlooking the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

Magnolia Mound

I envisioned a white pillared house standing amid lush gardens and trees dripping with Spanish moss.What we found was a country farmhouse with a large porch that formerly sat on almost 1,000 acres. 

Big Openings for Air Conditioning

The plantation supported many people who needed to be fed, housed and clothed.  It was like a small self contained town that encompassed the planter's family and the workers.

Note hand operated fan on ceiling

Nice Wallpaper

Outdoor Kitchen

A kitchen garden provided fresh vegetables for the plantation.  They were enclosed by a cypress picket fence (called a "pieux"). 

Kitchen Garden with Pieux

Most plantations raised squab (young pigeons) that were considered a delicacy. 

Dried Herbs for Seasoning and Medicinal Purposes

Cash crops grown on the plantation included indigo, cotton and sugarcane.  The success of the plantation required large land holdings and a controlled and constant labor force. In 1820 the plantation had 53 slaves; by 1860 there were 79.

Man At Work

The complex is owned by the city of Baton Rouge and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

ATCHAFALAYA BASIN

One of my favorite drives is the 18 mile bridge on US 10 that crosses the Henderson Swamp on the west end of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area. 

The Henderson Swamp is approximately 7,000 square acres and is the best known area of the Atchafalaya Swamp. The Interstate 10 bisects it and gives you a great view of the Henderson Swamp from the I-10 Bridge.
vast swamp is from the bridge.
Atchafalaya is an American Indian word meaning long river. The Basin is about 20 miles wide (east to west) and 150 miles in length.

The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation's largest river swamp, containing one million acres of bottom land hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes. 

The Basin is the largest existing wetland in the country, even larger than the Florida Everglades. It is considered the most culturally rich and ecologically varied regions in the US.  

It is home to the Florida panther, black bear, bobcat, nutria, mink, ox, muskrat, beaver, otter and raccoon. There are more than 100 different species of fish and aquatic life in the Basin. It is estimated the average annual commercial harvest if 22 million pounds of crawfish. Over 250 known species of birds fly in the Basin and there are 65 species of reptiles and amphibians that inhabit the Basin.