Ardoyne Plantation House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ardoyne Plantation House
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 Location in Louisiana
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Houma, Louisiana |
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| Area | 8.4 acres (3.4 ha) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Williams, W. C. & Brothers |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000469 |
| Added to NRHP | November 01, 1982 |
Ardoyne Plantation House is a historic home located on Highway 311 in Schriever, Louisiana. It is found just northwest of Houma, Louisiana. This beautiful house was built in 1894. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1982. This means it is an important place worth protecting.
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History of Ardoyne Plantation
In the late 1800s, John Dalton Shaffer was a state senator and a sugar cane farmer. He was the third generation of his family to farm sugar cane. Senator Shaffer wanted to build a home for his wife, Julia Richardson Cutliff Shaffer. Mrs. Shaffer asked for a small house overlooking Bayou Black.
In 1888, Mr. Shaffer bought about one thousand acres of land in Schriever, Louisiana. He hired John Williams, an architect from New Orleans, to design the main house. The house was built on a twenty-acre part of the land. The name "Ardoyne" comes from a Scottish word meaning "little hill." This was the highest point on the property. It was also the name of a Scottish castle.
Building the main house started in 1890 and finished in 1894. Workers from Germany, Italy, and Africa helped build the house. They also worked on the sugar cane fields later. These workers harvested cypress and pine trees from the land. The wood was sent to a mill in St. Louis, Missouri. It was then used to build the house.
What Ardoyne Plantation Looks Like
Ardoyne Plantation is surrounded by large live oak trees. It overlooks Bayou Black. This two-story house looks very different from other homes built at that time. It has a special style called Gothic Revival architecture. This style uses elements that really catch your eye.
The house has a tall, seventy-five-foot tower on the left side. It also has two high, pointed gables. The tower is decorated with fancy wood carvings, often called "gingerbread." This "gingerbread" also goes around the top of the gables. The steep roof makes the tower and gables stand out. The tower has a "walk-through" window, which means it goes all the way to the floor. This is different from the bay window on the left gable. The right gable is narrower and just as steep.
The front porch is supported by square wooden columns. It has banisters and tall, walk-in windows. The main entrance door is under the center gable. It is slightly off-center to the right. The big tower, gables, and windows on the second floor are very striking.
Inside, you can see the beautiful woodwork from the trees on the property. The floors, walls, ceilings, and trim are all made of native wood. There is a seventy-foot-long hallway. It leads to a curving cypress stairwell that goes to the second floor. The plantation office is on the first floor of the tower. Its wooden ceiling matches the octagon shape of the tower. Each room is large and bright. They have chandeliers made of crystal and brass. There is also a screened-in side porch. In the South, this is called a "mosquito porch." There used to be a "coach porch" where horse-drawn carriages could pass through. This porch was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and was never rebuilt.
Other Plantations Connected to Ardoyne
The Shaffer family has a long history in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. William Alexander Shaffer, John Dalton's grandfather, moved there in 1828. He built Crescent Farm Plantation. It is only three miles south of Ardoyne Plantation. Crescent Farm Plantation is still there today.
After the American Civil War, William Alexander's son, John Jackson Shaffer, bought another sugar cane plantation in 1874. This was Magnolia Plantation, built in 1858. It is also on Highway 311, just three miles south of Schriever. Magnolia Plantation is one of six Greek Revival style plantation homes left in Terrebonne Parish. It is now a private home. It is five miles north of Ardoyne. During the Civil War, it was used as a Union hospital. It is still owned by the Shaffer family. Part of the movie 12 Years A Slave was filmed there.
Milhado Lee Shaffer married Margaret Krumbhaar. She grew up on the Krumbhaar Plantation. This marriage connected two important sugar-farming families. Margaret's grandfather, William J. Minor, built the famous Southdown Plantation. This plantation home is also on Highway 311. It is a few miles from Downtown Houma, Louisiana, about seven miles from Ardoyne. Today, Southdown Plantation is a museum of local history. It also hosts many events, music, and craft fairs. Margaret Krumbhaar's family can also be traced back to Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis. She was the granddaughter of Martha Washington, who was married to President George Washington.
Ardoyne Plantation House Today
Ardoyne Plantation has been in the Shaffer family for six generations. Lee and Susan Shaffer own it today. Lee is a retired military veteran. They live on the second floor of the house. They moved in after Lee's grandmother, Margaret Krumbhaar Shaffer, passed away in 2007. She was ninety-three years old.
The home is open for tours most weeks, from Tuesday through Saturday. Tours are at 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 2:00 PM. You do not need an appointment. Each room is like a small museum. You can see beautiful furniture, paintings, and other family treasures from the past. Visitors can see unique items like Louisiana cypress knee dolls and over 300 antique travel spoons. There are also plantation workers’ pay tokens, old quilts, and needlework. You can also see Newcomb Pottery, over two thousand books, and wood carvings. Many other items are original to the plantation.
Ardoyne Plantation has also been used as a filming location for movies and TV shows. About three hundred and fifty acres of the property are still used for growing sugar cane today.
