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.