Rosedown Plantation
Encyclopedia
Rosedown Plantation is located in the West Feliciana community of St. Francisville along one of the most historic corridors in South Louisiana.
Society in and around St. Francisville, at the time that Rosedown was constructed, was dominated by European, primarily British, settlers who became cotton planters on an enormous scale. Most of the 19th century cotton barons of all nationalities had requested and received their plantations through the Spanish government, the titles to which remained valid after the establishment of the United States government. The parents of Daniel and Martha (Barrow) Turnbull, the original owners of Rosedown, achieved high social status in West Feliciana through their immense cotton operations, and Daniel Turnbull himself was known before the Civil War as one of the richest men in the nation.
Rosedown, named for a play that the Turnbulls saw on their honeymoon, was not assembled by Spanish Land Grant, but in a group of seven purchases made by Daniel Turnbull from the 1820s through the 1840s. At its largest, Rosedown comprised approximately 3,455 acres, mostly planted in cotton. Daniel and Martha began construction on the main house at Rosedown in 1834, completing it by May the following year for a total cost of $13,109.20. The Federal
-Greek revival–style main house (ca. 1835), complete with Grecian-style wings (ca. 1845), is at the head of a 660 feet (201.2 m) oak allee. The home was furnished with imported goods from Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Europe. Most of the furnishings remained with the house during the years after the American Civil War
. A large percentage of original pieces are still displayed at Rosedown. Near the main house are several dependencies, most notably three latticed summerhouses and a Greek temple-style doctor's office.
The gardens were the province of Martha Turnbull throughout her life. On a European Grand Tour the Turnbulls visited the great formal gardens of France
, Italy
, and England
. the influence of which can be seen in Martha's activities at Rosedown. The gardens were actually begun prior to the construction of the house, however, as early as 1836, there are records showing the purchase of camellias, azaleas, and other plants from William Prince & Sons in New York. The gardens were slowly extended from the house over many years to cover approximately 28 acres (11.3 ha). Mrs. Turnbull kept a detailed garden diary during her sixty-year tenure at Rosedown. In the 19th century, Rosedown was one of the few privately maintained formal gardens in the United States.
The contribution of slave labor to the construction and upkeep of the plantation, as well as agricultural prosperity and wealth accrued by Daniel Turnbull, was immense. During peak years of cotton production, as many as 450 slaves worked at Rosedown. The couple had three children, William, Sarah and James Daniel. James Daniel passed away of yellow fever in 1843, at the age of 7. William married Caroline Butler, and had two children, William and Daniel. William drowned in a boating accident crossing "Old River" in 1856 at the age of 27. That left their daughter Sarah. She married James Bowman from the nearby Oakley Plantation. They moved into Rosedown and had ten children, eight girls and two boys. Martha and Daniel retired to a wing in the back of the house in 1859 to accommodate Sarah and James' growing family.
After Daniel's death in 1861, the family saw a steady decline in a way of life that could no longer be supported. Rosedown and two other Turnbull plantations were ravaged during the war both by the invasion of Northern Troops and by the loss of the slave labor workforce. The Turnbull/Bowman family stayed at Rosedown throughout the war, protecting and farming the property as best they could with 250 sharecroppers.
Martha Turnbull died in September, 1896, leaving Sarah in sole possession of Rosedown. After Sarah's death in 1914, Sarah's four unmarried daughters (Corrie, Isabel, Sarah and Nina) took over the plantation. In the 1930s they decided to open the house to tourists interested in the remnants of the prosperous cotton culture. The sisters made extraordinary sacrifices to hold Rosedown, and when Miss Nina, the last surviving sister, died in 1955, there were no bills or mortgages outstanding on the property and they still had 3,000 acres of land, the 28 acres of gardens, the house and all its furnishings. The family was Episcopalian
and are interred at the Grace Church Cemetery in St. Francisville.
After Miss Nina's death, Rosedown passed to her nieces and nephews, who decided to sell the old plantation. In 1956, Catherine Fondren Underwood, herself an enthusiastic amateur horticulturalist, purchased it and began an eight-year, ten million dollar, restoration of the house and formal gardens. The Underwoods returned Rosedown to function as a working cattle farm, and restored the old home to its former grandeur. They opened the house for tours in 1964.
Currently, the Office of State Parks preserves the main house, historic gardens, 12 historic outbuildings and 311 remaining acres of Rosedown Plantation as a state historic site. State Park staff and volunteers conduct tours and programs to illustrate plantation life in the 1800s.
Rosedown Plantation was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 2005.
Other state sites in the area include Audubon SHS, which features the Barrow family's Oakley Plantation home; Centenary SHS which looks to Louisiana's early higher education initiatives; Locus Grove Cemetery, which is the last resting place of Sarah Knox Taylor, Zachary Taylor's first wife; and Port Hudson SHS, site of the longest siege in American military history.
Rosedown is located at 12501 La. Hwy. 10
in West Feliciana Parish. It is open 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m. daily; closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day
. Guided tours of the main house are provided on the hour from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. There is an admission fee.
Society in and around St. Francisville, at the time that Rosedown was constructed, was dominated by European, primarily British, settlers who became cotton planters on an enormous scale. Most of the 19th century cotton barons of all nationalities had requested and received their plantations through the Spanish government, the titles to which remained valid after the establishment of the United States government. The parents of Daniel and Martha (Barrow) Turnbull, the original owners of Rosedown, achieved high social status in West Feliciana through their immense cotton operations, and Daniel Turnbull himself was known before the Civil War as one of the richest men in the nation.
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
-Greek revival–style main house (ca. 1835), complete with Grecian-style wings (ca. 1845), is at the head of a 660 feet (201.2 m) oak allee. The home was furnished with imported goods from Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Europe. Most of the furnishings remained with the house during the years after 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...
. A large percentage of original pieces are still displayed at Rosedown. Near the main house are several dependencies, most notably three latticed summerhouses and a Greek temple-style doctor's office.
The gardens were the province of Martha Turnbull throughout her life. On a European Grand Tour the Turnbulls visited the great formal gardens of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. the influence of which can be seen in Martha's activities at Rosedown. The gardens were actually begun prior to the construction of the house, however, as early as 1836, there are records showing the purchase of camellias, azaleas, and other plants from William Prince & Sons in New York. The gardens were slowly extended from the house over many years to cover approximately 28 acres (11.3 ha). Mrs. Turnbull kept a detailed garden diary during her sixty-year tenure at Rosedown. In the 19th century, Rosedown was one of the few privately maintained formal gardens in the United States.
The contribution of slave labor to the construction and upkeep of the plantation, as well as agricultural prosperity and wealth accrued by Daniel Turnbull, was immense. During peak years of cotton production, as many as 450 slaves worked at Rosedown. The couple had three children, William, Sarah and James Daniel. James Daniel passed away of yellow fever in 1843, at the age of 7. William married Caroline Butler, and had two children, William and Daniel. William drowned in a boating accident crossing "Old River" in 1856 at the age of 27. That left their daughter Sarah. She married James Bowman from the nearby Oakley Plantation. They moved into Rosedown and had ten children, eight girls and two boys. Martha and Daniel retired to a wing in the back of the house in 1859 to accommodate Sarah and James' growing family.
After Daniel's death in 1861, the family saw a steady decline in a way of life that could no longer be supported. Rosedown and two other Turnbull plantations were ravaged during the war both by the invasion of Northern Troops and by the loss of the slave labor workforce. The Turnbull/Bowman family stayed at Rosedown throughout the war, protecting and farming the property as best they could with 250 sharecroppers.
Martha Turnbull died in September, 1896, leaving Sarah in sole possession of Rosedown. After Sarah's death in 1914, Sarah's four unmarried daughters (Corrie, Isabel, Sarah and Nina) took over the plantation. In the 1930s they decided to open the house to tourists interested in the remnants of the prosperous cotton culture. The sisters made extraordinary sacrifices to hold Rosedown, and when Miss Nina, the last surviving sister, died in 1955, there were no bills or mortgages outstanding on the property and they still had 3,000 acres of land, the 28 acres of gardens, the house and all its furnishings. The family was Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
and are interred at the Grace Church Cemetery in St. Francisville.
After Miss Nina's death, Rosedown passed to her nieces and nephews, who decided to sell the old plantation. In 1956, Catherine Fondren Underwood, herself an enthusiastic amateur horticulturalist, purchased it and began an eight-year, ten million dollar, restoration of the house and formal gardens. The Underwoods returned Rosedown to function as a working cattle farm, and restored the old home to its former grandeur. They opened the house for tours in 1964.
Currently, the Office of State Parks preserves the main house, historic gardens, 12 historic outbuildings and 311 remaining acres of Rosedown Plantation as a state historic site. State Park staff and volunteers conduct tours and programs to illustrate plantation life in the 1800s.
Rosedown Plantation was declared 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...
in 2005.
Other state sites in the area include Audubon SHS, which features the Barrow family's Oakley Plantation home; Centenary SHS which looks to Louisiana's early higher education initiatives; Locus Grove Cemetery, which is the last resting place of Sarah Knox Taylor, Zachary Taylor's first wife; and Port Hudson SHS, site of the longest siege in American military history.
Rosedown is located at 12501 La. Hwy. 10
Louisiana Highway 10
Louisiana Highway 10 is a state highway in south-central Louisiana. It runs from west to east for . The western terminus is at the intersection of U.S. Route 171 in Pickering, Louisiana in Vernon Parish near Fort Polk and the eastern terminus is in Bogalusa at Pearl River and the Louisiana line...
in West Feliciana Parish. It is open 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m. daily; closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. Guided tours of the main house are provided on the hour from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. There is an admission fee.
See also
- Oak Alley PlantationOak Alley PlantationOak Alley Plantation is a historic plantation located on the Mississippi River in the community of Vacherie, Louisiana. It is protected as a National Historic Landmark...
- Audubon State Historic SiteAudubon State Historic SiteAudubon State Historic Site is a state park area located near St. Francisville, Louisiana. It is the location where noted artist John James Audubon spent the Summer of 1821. Visitors come to see the Oakley House, where Audubon lived at the time, and the surrounding plantation grounds...
- Port Hudson State Historic SitePort Hudson State Historic SiteThe Port Hudson State Historic Site is located on the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge near Port Hudson, Louisiana. The site is the location of the longest siege in American history during the American Civil War from May 23 through July 9, 1863. The state of Louisiana maintains the site,...
External links
- Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site - official site
- Rosedown Plantation - National Park Service travel itinerary