Houmas House Plantation

[mkyzzzrdet]

There was another thread on this house, but there was not a lot there, so I wanted to include some pictures of the place from my visit last November.
The web site is www.houmashouse.com
It is a top Louisiana tourist attraction, with an Inn, and a restaurant.

I have included several pics, because it was, well, camera-friendly. The tour here does not go into a lot of detail about slavery, but the guides say that slavery is extensively covered at the Whitney Plantation, where I hope to visit on a future trip

The house is a restored Greek revival mansion, and claims to have the most opulent gardens in the south. The house tells of the sugar barons that built the plantation and developed the sugar producing business.

It is a 16 room estate and has a vast collection of period antiques, artwork, china and artifacts (some that date to the early home from the early 1800s (according to the brochure) Visiting it, I can certainly believe that is true.

The grounds has oaks that are centuries old. And huge. Here is a picture of my friend John standing
in front of one of them. No, John is not a dwarf - he is 5 ft 6 inches tall. You can see how big the tree is!
(John made a sad effort to be funny and told me the tree was almost as old as I was.)

This is the bachelors quarters when they came to visit. I believe the guide also said that when single young men, who lived there, reached a certain age, they were move out here, also. Its been a while and I don;t recall exactly, Someone else know the full story?

One of the owners liked to put some of his artwork on the walls.

Dining room. (but not for the restaurant)

Want to relax out on the porch?

That's about it. The history of this plantation can be found at the website, and is too much to go into here.
Its certainly worth a trip if you get down to southern La. We were not able to eat at the restaurant, but we may try it on out next trip down there.
Incidentally - if you do go, please feel free to post more pictures.

 

[bankerpapaw]

Beautiful house and beautiful pictures. Thanks!!!

 

[Eleanor Rose]

There was another thread on this house, but there was not a lot there, so I wanted to include some pictures of the place from my visit last November.

Thank you for sharing this post. The pictures are terrific! This is on my list of plantations to visit. You referenced the bachelors quarters. This was shared in our recent visit to Oak Alley. It was an unfamiliar concept to me, but as I recall the tour guide said young men were moved there from the main house when they reached a certain age and were entering "manhood." Perhaps someone else on this site can share more about this practice. It would be interesting to know.

 

[Vicksburger]

There was another thread on this house, but there was not a lot there, so I wanted to include some pictures of the place from my visit last November.
The web site is www.houmashouse.com
It is a top Louisiana tourist attraction, with an Inn, and a restaurant.

View attachment 119278

I have included several pics, because it was, well, camera-friendly. The tour here does not go into a lot of detail about slavery, but the guides say that slavery is extensively covered at the Whitney Plantation, where I hope to visit on a future trip

View attachment 119282

The house is a restored Greek revival mansion, and claims to have the most opulent gardens in the south. The house tells of the sugar barons that built the plantation and developed the sugar producing business.

View attachment 119284

It is a 16 room estate and has a vast collection of period antiques, artwork, china and artifacts (some that date to the early home from the early 1800s (according to the brochure) Visiting it, I can certainly believe that is true.
View attachment 119285

View attachment 119286 The grounds has oaks that are centuries old. And huge. Here is a picture of my friend John standing
in front of one of them. No, John is not a dwarf - he is 5 ft 6 inches tall. You can see how big the tree is!
(John made a sad effort to be funny and told me the tree was almost as old as I was.)

View attachment 119287
View attachment 119288
This is the bachelors quarters when they came to visit. I believe the guide also said that when single young men, who lived there, reached a certain age, they were move out here, also. Its been a while and I don;t recall exactly, Someone else know the full story?

View attachment 119289

View attachment 119290
One of the owners liked to put some of his artwork on the walls.

View attachment 119291

Dining room. (but not for the restaurant)

View attachment 119292
Want to relax out on the porch?

That's about it. The history of this plantation can be found at the website, and is too much to go into here.
Its certainly worth a trip if you get down to southern La. We were not able to eat at the restaurant, but we may try it on out next trip down there.
Incidentally - if you do go, please feel free to post more pictures.

Wow! These pictures are magnificent! They are a good example of how unique we Americans are and why the rest of the world can't compare in terms of culture!

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

You referenced the bachelors quarters. This was shared in our recent visit to Oak Alley. It was an unfamiliar concept to me, but as I recall the tour guide said young men were moved there from the main house when they reached a certain age and were entering "manhood." Perhaps someone else on this site can share more about this practice. It would be interesting to know.

Great question !

This concept was quite common within the Louisiana Creole culture.

The wealthy would construct separate structures for their adolescent males.
Less prosperous families would designate a separate area of an existing home for the teenaged boys.

A garçonnière is the French term for a bachelor's apartment. The name originated from the French word for a boy or bachelor – garçon.

Prior to the Civil War, most large antebellum plantations in Louisiana constructed these buildings away from the big house. It was the custom on the larger plantations to have a separate house for boys once they reached their teens, so they could do "manly" things. It also kept them from being tempted by the influences of unmarried women in the extended family, and from any unmarried women staying in the house. The Old South was very particular with its customs, and keeping young, unmarried men and women separated was a key concern for them. In smaller plantation houses the attic was considered the garçonnière.

https://jnewhart.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/garconnieres/

https://books.google.com/books?id=E...v=onepage&q=creole bachelors quarters&f=false

 

[donna]

These are wonderful photos. The house is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

This concept was quite common within the Louisiana Creole culture.

Fascinating! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this information.