Kent Plantation House is central Louisiana's oldest standing structure and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 and describes plantation life between 1795 and 1855. Dating to 1800, the bousillage Creole

Creole peoples

The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...

 house and restored period outbuildings now welcome tourists.

History

Kent Plantation House displays original artifacts from families that worked and lived at the house during its operation.

Buildings

H. Parrott Bacot, former director of the Anglo-American Art Museum at Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

  in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...

, lead the interior restoration.

There are many outbuildings scattered around the area which are all furnished with Federal

Federal furniture

Federal furniture refers to American furniture produced in the federal style, which lasted from approximately 1789 to 1823. Notable furniture makers who worked in this style included Duncan Phyfe and Charles-Honoré Lannuier...

, Sheraton

Sheraton Style

Sheraton is a late 18th century neoclassical English furniture style, in vogue ca 1785 - 1820, that was coined by 19th century collectors and dealers to credit furniture designer Thomas Sheraton, born in Stockton-on-Tees, England in 1751 and whose books, "The Cabinet Dictionary" of engraved...

, and Empire pieces.

The Milk House was built sometime between 1820 and 1830 and is where people prepared and stored dairy product

Dairy product

Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...

s, such as cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

, milk

Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...

, and butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...

.

The Slave Cabin shows an example of the conditions in which the slaves that worked at the plantation lived.
The Blacksmith Shop was built around 1815.

Marker Text

The marker at the front entrance of the Kent Plantation House reads:

Kent House, the oldest known standing structure in Rapides Parish, was built by Pierre Baillio, completed in 1800. Baillio constructed the house on land received through a Spanish land grant circa 1794.