Oak Alley Plantation
Encyclopedia
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in the community of Vacherie, Louisiana
Vacherie, Louisiana
Vacherie is a small unincorporated community in St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States. Near the community is the WCKW/KSTE-Tower, a guyed mast noted as one of the tallest constructions on Earth.-Census-designated places:...
. It is protected as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. It is named after its distinguishing feature, an alley
Alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane found in urban areas, often for pedestrians only, which usually runs between or behind buildings. In older cities and towns in Europe, alleys are often what is left of a medieval street network, or a right of way or ancient footpath in an urban setting...
or canopied path created by a double row of live oak
Live oak
Live oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...
s about 800 feet (240 meters) long, which was planted in the early 18th century, long before the present house was built. The alley leads towards the Mississippi River.
History
The mansion on the plantation was built by George Swainy between 1837 and 1839 for Jacques Telesphore RomanJacques Telesphore Roman
Jacques Telesphore Roman was a 19th century Louisiana businessman, sugar planter and builder of the famous Oak Alley Plantation.-Early years:...
. Jacques' father-in-law, Joseph Pilie, was an architect and is considered the likely designer. The mansion has a square floor plan, organized around a central hall that runs from the front to the rear on both floors. The outside features a free-standing colonnade of 28 Doric column
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
s on all four sides, a common feature among the mansions in the Mississippi Valley at the time.
The house is characterized by high ceilings, large windows, a symmetrical facade and interior plan, and a second-floor gallery for viewing purposes. The flooring was made of marble (since removed and now only wooden), the roof of slate, the house and columns of brick painted white to look like marble.
The most noted slave to have lived on Oak Alley Plantation was a field slave named Antoine. He was noted as "Antoine, 38, Creole Negro gardener/expert grafter of pecan trees" for $1,000 in JT Roman's 1848 succession inventory. His claim to fame occurred during the winter of 1846 with the development of a new variety of pecans that could be cracked with one's bare hands. The shell was so thin that it was dubbed the "paper shell" pecan. The formal name given the new pecan was the Centennial Variety –- named in honor of its later entry into competition at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where the new variety won a prize. Antoine applied the science of grafting to develop this variety, and after trial from several trees, he was finally successful. The trees may be found throughout southern Louisiana, where once the pecan was a contending cash crop in the state of Louisiana. Although his original trees were cleared for more sugarcane fields after the Civil War, a commercial grove had been planted at nearby Anita Plantation.
Its historical purpose was as an antebellum sugar cane plantation. Its architectural design was influenced by the local French Creole architecture derived from Caribbean plantation design. The plantation was not physically damaged during the Civil War. However, the end of the War and the end of Slavery sent the plantation into financial ruin, and the plantation was sold at auction for $32,000. Through several owners, the buildings were left to go into disrepair, due to the cost of upkeep. The Stewart family, the last live-in owners of the plantation, repaired the Mansion and donated it and the historic grounds to the Oak Alley Foundation, which maintains and manages the mansion today. The main house has been restored to its previous beauty, and the Foundation is in the process of restoring the Slave Quarters, the historic gardens, and other buildings.
Oak Alley Plantation, which was originally named Bon Séjour, was sold at auction in 1866. After passing through the hands of a succession of owners, it had fallen into disrepair in the 1920s. In 1925, the property was acquired by Andrew and Josephine Stewart, who commissioned the architect Richard Koch to conduct extensive restoration work.
After Josephine Stewart's death, the management of the plantation was placed in the hands of a nonprofit organization, which opened the plantation to the public.
The street address of Oak Alley Plantation is: 3645 Highway 18 (Great River Road), Vacherie, LA 70090, USA.
Oak Alley Plantation is also located adjacent to St. Joseph Plantation
St. Joseph Plantation
St. Joseph Plantation is an historic plantation located on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the town of Vacherie, St. James Parish, Louisiana, United States of America. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
on La. 18, the Great River Road. Both plantations are 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...
of the United States.
Oak Alley Plantation in popular culture
Oak Alley Plantation was used as a location in the following feature films, television shows, and other media:- Nora RobertsNora RobertsNora Roberts is a bestselling American author of more than 209 romance novels. She writes as J.D. Robb for the "In Death" series, and has also written under the pseudonym Jill March...
' Midnight Bayou, a Lifetime made-for-TV movie - Primary Colors
- Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire ChroniclesInterview with the Vampire: The Vampire ChroniclesInterview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles is a 1994 American drama and horror film directed by Neil Jordan, based on the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. The film focuses on Lestat and Louis, beginning with Louis' transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791...
- The Long, Hot Summer, a 1985 made-for-TV movie starring Don JohnsonDon JohnsonDonnie Wayne "Don" Johnson is an American actor known for his work in television and film. He played the lead role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice, which led him to huge success. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, Nash Bridges...
and Cybill ShepherdCybill ShepherdCybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L... - Dixie Changing Habits
- The Night Rider, filmed in October 1978, starring David SelbyDavid SelbyDavid Lynn Selby is an American character and stage actor. He has worked in movies, soap operas and television. The naturally black-headed Selby is best known for playing the roles of Quentin Collins on the ABC-TV serial, Dark Shadows , and as the evil and compassionate...
- The television programSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
used the plantation as a location for a wedding scene. - The SyfySyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
show Ghost HuntersGhost HuntersGhost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
investigated the plantation in an episode during their fourth season. - The television show Ace of CakesAce of CakesAce of Cakes is an American reality television show which airs on the Food Network. The show focuses on the daily operations of Duff Goldman's custom cake shop, Charm City Cakes, in Baltimore, Maryland; including small-business ownership, working with various vendors, tasting with customers,...
showed a groom's cakeGroom's cakeIn the United States, a groom's cake is a wedding tradition typically associated with the American South. While a wedding cake may often be decorated in white and light in texture and/or color, the groom's cake can take a variety of forms, many incorporating chocolate or fruit. Cheesecake...
replica of the house and the oak alley. - Beyoncé's "Déjà Vu" music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
and "B'DayB'DayB'Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a...
" CD insert photos filmed/shot in June 2006. - The daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless (CBS), used the plantation as a location for the characters Sharon Newman and Adam Newman to rekindle their relationship.