Nottoway Plantation
Encyclopedia
Nottoway Plantation, also known as Nottoway Plantation House is located in White Castle, Louisiana
. This home was completed in 1859 for the John Hampton Randolph family. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
on March 24, 1813, and married his wife Emily Jane Liddell on December 14, 1837. They had eleven children, including Cornelia who would later become famous for writing her diary “The White Castle of Louisiana”. Women were not allowed to publish books during this time so Cornelia used M.R. Ailenroc (which is her first name spelled backwards and her maiden and married initials) as her publishing name. Mr. Randolph devoted most of his time to the plantation
and managing the slaves. The historic plantation
home survived the American Civil War
with only a single grapeshot
to the far left column. Nottoway originally sat on 400 acres (1.6 km²) of highland, and 620 acres (2.5 km²) of swamp
. Nottoway was completely surrounded by sugarcane
fields, and oak
trees.
of New Orleans was charged with the task of designing the grand mansion.
Randolph made it clear from the outset that no expense would be spared in the construction. In fact, the hiring of Howard was the first of many signs of the opulence to come. Howard, a very popular architect of the time, is considered one of the greatest architects of New Orleans in the 1800s. Many of his Greek Revival and Italianate style buildings, churches and homes can be found throughout New Orleans today. He also designed the neighboring Belle Grove, now destroyed. Randolph and the master of Belle Grove, John Andrews, are known to have had a rivalry of sorts that even extended to their homes.
Construction of Nottoway was completed in 1859 at an estimated $80,000. Designed in the Greek Revival and Italianate style for which Howard was renowned, its most unique room is a semi-circular white ballroom with Corinthian columns and hand-cast archways.
The home consists of 53000 square feet (4,923.9 m²) of living area. It has 365 openings, one for each day of the year. The house was carpeted in 1858 for $3,800 by Timothy Joyce. Mr. Randolph then hired a skilled mason, Newton Richards who furnished two huge flights of granite
steps for the front of the home. These steps were built with the left side intended for the ladies, and right side for the men. The steps for the men can also be identified by the boot scraper at the bottom. This was so that the men would not see the women’s ankles, which was considered a severe breech of etiquette
at the time.
During the Civil War, Mr Randolph would also take 200 slaves to Texas and grow cotton there.
s) and what use to be a 10-pin bowling alley for the children on the 1st floor. The bowling alley now serves as a museum and banquet area for guests at the plantation. There are 165 doors and 200 windows, most of which can also double as doors. The ceilings are 15 and one half feet high and the doors were 11 feet (3.4 m) tall. Above the doors and along the ceilings are plaster frieze work that was made from moss, horse hair, clay, plaster, mud and Spanish moss.
Mr. Randolph’s favorite room in the house was the White Ballroom. It's said that he had it painted completely white to show off the natural beauty of all of the women, especially his seven daughters, six of whom would be married there. There is also an original mirror placed so that the women could see if their ankles or hoops were showing beneath their skirts. Over the fireplace, there is a painting of Mary
Henshaw (no relation to the family), whose eyes are said to follow the viewer around the room.
In the master bedroom, Mrs. Randolph had a spot to hide their valuable family belongings in a bedpost at the end of the bed. There also hangs a portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Randolph in which Mr. Randolph is 40 years old and Mrs. Randolph is 37 and 7 months pregnant. On the left side of their bed is a small nursery
where they cared for the sick and new babies. They would put a sheet or a net over the baby’s crib to keep the insects away.
The home also serves as an inn, features the Mansion Restaurant, and is available for weddings, receptions, meetings and special events.
White Castle, Louisiana
White Castle a town in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,946. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:White Castle is located at ....
. This home was completed in 1859 for the John Hampton Randolph family. It was listed on 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...
in 1980.
Early history
John was born in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
on March 24, 1813, and married his wife Emily Jane Liddell on December 14, 1837. They had eleven children, including Cornelia who would later become famous for writing her diary “The White Castle of Louisiana”. Women were not allowed to publish books during this time so Cornelia used M.R. Ailenroc (which is her first name spelled backwards and her maiden and married initials) as her publishing name. Mr. Randolph devoted most of his time to the plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
and managing the slaves. The historic plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
home survived the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
with only a single grapeshot
Grapeshot
In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of shot that is not a one solid element, but a mass of small metal balls or slugs packed tightly into a canvas bag. It was used both in land and naval warfare. When assembled, the balls resembled a cluster of grapes, hence the name...
to the far left column. Nottoway originally sat on 400 acres (1.6 km²) of highland, and 620 acres (2.5 km²) of swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
. Nottoway was completely surrounded by sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
fields, and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees.
Building an American Castle
Randolph also began to compile the materials for his castle in 1855. Cypress grown at Forest Home was cut and cured under water for four years. The cypress, then cut into planks and dried, was called virgin cypress. Perhaps its most notable feature was not its durability, but its resistance to termites. Meanwhile, handmade bricks were baked in kilns by the slaves, and the renowned architect Henry HowardHenry Howard
-Nobles and politicians:*Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey , English aristocrat and poet*Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton , son of the Earl of Surrey*Henry Howard, 2nd Earl of Norfolk *Henry Howard, 5th Earl of Suffolk...
of New Orleans was charged with the task of designing the grand mansion.
Randolph made it clear from the outset that no expense would be spared in the construction. In fact, the hiring of Howard was the first of many signs of the opulence to come. Howard, a very popular architect of the time, is considered one of the greatest architects of New Orleans in the 1800s. Many of his Greek Revival and Italianate style buildings, churches and homes can be found throughout New Orleans today. He also designed the neighboring Belle Grove, now destroyed. Randolph and the master of Belle Grove, John Andrews, are known to have had a rivalry of sorts that even extended to their homes.
Construction of Nottoway was completed in 1859 at an estimated $80,000. Designed in the Greek Revival and Italianate style for which Howard was renowned, its most unique room is a semi-circular white ballroom with Corinthian columns and hand-cast archways.
The home consists of 53000 square feet (4,923.9 m²) of living area. It has 365 openings, one for each day of the year. The house was carpeted in 1858 for $3,800 by Timothy Joyce. Mr. Randolph then hired a skilled mason, Newton Richards who furnished two huge flights of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
steps for the front of the home. These steps were built with the left side intended for the ladies, and right side for the men. The steps for the men can also be identified by the boot scraper at the bottom. This was so that the men would not see the women’s ankles, which was considered a severe breech of etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
at the time.
During the Civil War, Mr Randolph would also take 200 slaves to Texas and grow cotton there.
Inside
There are a total of 3 floors, 6 staircases, 3 bathrooms, 22 square columns, 64 rooms, (including 26 closetCloset
A closet is a small and enclosed space, a cabinet, or a cupboard in a house or building used for general storage or hanging clothes. A closet for food storage is usually referred to as a pantry...
s) and what use to be a 10-pin bowling alley for the children on the 1st floor. The bowling alley now serves as a museum and banquet area for guests at the plantation. There are 165 doors and 200 windows, most of which can also double as doors. The ceilings are 15 and one half feet high and the doors were 11 feet (3.4 m) tall. Above the doors and along the ceilings are plaster frieze work that was made from moss, horse hair, clay, plaster, mud and Spanish moss.
Mr. Randolph’s favorite room in the house was the White Ballroom. It's said that he had it painted completely white to show off the natural beauty of all of the women, especially his seven daughters, six of whom would be married there. There is also an original mirror placed so that the women could see if their ankles or hoops were showing beneath their skirts. Over the fireplace, there is a painting of Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
Henshaw (no relation to the family), whose eyes are said to follow the viewer around the room.
In the master bedroom, Mrs. Randolph had a spot to hide their valuable family belongings in a bedpost at the end of the bed. There also hangs a portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Randolph in which Mr. Randolph is 40 years old and Mrs. Randolph is 37 and 7 months pregnant. On the left side of their bed is a small nursery
Nursery (room)
A nursery is usually, in American connotations, a bedroom within a house or other dwelling set aside for an infant or toddler. A typical nursery would contain a crib , a table or platform for the purpose of changing diapers , as well as various items required for the care of the child...
where they cared for the sick and new babies. They would put a sheet or a net over the baby’s crib to keep the insects away.
Later History
After Mr. Randolph’s death Mrs. Randolph sold the plantation in 1889 for $100,000. In later years, Nottoway was sold again for the lesser of amount of $10,000 because of the owner's tax problems and medical bills accrued by his wife's failing health.Today
The plantation home has been restored and is open for guided tours, which include the grounds and a museum about the Randolph family and the history of the plantation.The home also serves as an inn, features the Mansion Restaurant, and is available for weddings, receptions, meetings and special events.