Oakland Plantation (Natchitoches, Louisiana)

Oakland Plantation
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Oakland Plantation
Nearest city:	Natchitoches, Louisiana
Coordinates:	31°39′54″N 93°0′12″W / 31.665°N 93.00333°W / 31.665; -93.00333Coordinates: 31°39′54″N 93°0′12″W / 31.665°N 93.00333°W / 31.665; -93.00333
Built:	1818
Architectural style:	French Colonial
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	79001073[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	August 29, 1979
Designated NHL:	January 3, 2001[2]

Overseer's house at former Oakland Plantation (established 1821) in south Natchitoches Parish

Slave quarters at Oakland Plantation

Railroad worker's section house across from Louisiana Highway 119 near Oakland Plantation

Oakland Plantation was originally known as the Jean Pierre Emmanuel Prud'homme Plantation. It is also known as Bermuda. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 2001, it is part of Cane River Creole National Historical Park near Natchitoches, Louisiana.^[2][3]

The plantation is associated with Atahoe Plantation and Isle Brevelle, and is near Magnolia and Melrose plantations.

History

Oakland Plantation is situated on a bend on the Cane River Lake off Highway 119 in the Bermuda Community near Natchitoches, Louisiana. In 1997, the National Park Service acquired the main buildings and surrounding land of Oakland. Since then, the Cane River Creole National Historical Park has progressed to advanced stages to preserve and conserve the buildings, furniture, oil paintings, textiles, and history of the home as it was at the end of the plantation era in the 1960s. The plantation includes interpretation of the history of free blacks and Creoles of color who lived and worked on the plantation for nearly 100 years after the American Civil War and Emancipation. They were all integral to the region's community life. The community has strongly associated the plantation with the Prud'homme family, many of whom still reside in the area today.

The original owners, Jean-Pierre Emanuel Prud'homme and his wife Marie Catherine Lambre Prud'homme, completed building Oakland in 1821. The family tradition claims that Oakland was one of the first plantations to grow cotton on a large scale. They also had farm animals (made evident by extant buildings such as the dipping vat, the turkey shed, the mule barn, two pigeonniers and several chicken coops) and other crops. The Prudhommes also owned and operated a store on the property, which was the site of the Bermuda US Post Office for many years. The farm flourished in the late 1800s. J. Alphonse Prudhomme I won the gold medal at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis for growing the highest-grade cotton in the South.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Oakland Plantation". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=872124837&ResourceType=District. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
3. ^ Jonathan Fricker, Donna Fricker, Paul Hawke, Frank J. Miele, and Patty Henry (May, 2000), National Historic Landmark Nomination: Oakland Plantation / Jean Pierre Emmanuel Prud'homme PlantationPDF (171 KB), National Park Service 

External links

• Cane River National Heritage Area, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary