Ashland Plantation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ashland
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Front of Ashland.
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 Location in Louisiana
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| Location | On Ashland Road, about 400 yards (370 m) northeast of intersection with Louisiana Highway 75 |
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| Nearest city | Geismar, Louisiana |
| Area | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| Built | 1841 |
| Architect | James Gallier, Sr. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001050 |
| Added to NRHP | May 4, 1979 |
Ashland Plantation, also known as Belle Helene, is a historic house built in 1841 in Darrow, Louisiana. It was once a large plantation and the home of Duncan F. Kenner. The main house is a beautiful example of Greek Revival architecture, a popular style before the American Civil War. This important building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
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Where is Ashland Plantation?
Ashland Plantation is located south of Geismar, Louisiana. You can find it on Highway 3251, also called Ashland Road. It's near where this road meets Louisiana Highway 75. Today, the entire property is owned by and surrounded by the Shell Chemical plant in Geismar.
The Story of Ashland Plantation
Early Days and the Kenner Family
Around 1830, William Kenner and his brother-in-law Philip Minor combined about 1,800 acres of land. They created a large sugar plantation. After William Kenner passed away, his sons, Duncan Kenner and George R. Kenner, inherited the land.
In 1840, the Kenner brothers bought even more land. Duncan Kenner became a very wealthy man. He owned many plantations, including Ashland. He built the grand Ashland mansion for his wife, Anne Guillemine Nanine Bringier.
Duncan Kenner was a very busy person. He was a horseman, a lawyer, and a politician. He even had a race track built at Ashland Plantation. He also helped start the New Orleans Jockey Club.
Building the Grand House
Construction on the Ashland mansion began in 1839. It was finished in 1841 and given to Kenner's wife. The house was built in the Greek Revival style. It is sixty feet square and has two stories.
The house features 28 large columns, each three feet wide and thirty-five feet tall. Some people have called it the "grandest and largest plantation house ever built in the state." Wide porches, called galleries, wrap around both floors of the building.
In 1844, Duncan Kenner bought his brother's share of the plantation. He then named it Ashland Plantation. He named it after Henry Clay's estate, a famous politician's home.
Changes Over Time
After the American Civil War, in 1865, the plantation was taken over by the Freedmen's Bureau. This was a government agency that helped formerly enslaved people. However, Duncan Kenner got his property back in 1866.
In 1889, Ashland Plantation was sold at an auction. It was bought by Hypolite P. Ousset. A few days later, Ousset sold it to George Balthazar Reuss. George Reuss renamed the plantation Belle Helene. He did this to honor his baby daughter, Helene Eleanor Reuss.
In the late 1890s, Belle Helene was one of the best sugar-producing farms in the area. Later, the mansion was empty for many years. In 1946, the Hayward family, who owned it then, started a big project to restore it.
Discoveries at Ashland
Archaeologists have studied the land at Ashland Plantation. They did excavations in 1989 and 1992. They found evidence of many old buildings. These included the sugar house, where sugar was processed. They also found signs of 18 cabins where enslaved people lived. There was also an overseer's house and a blacksmith shop.
Abe Hawkins: The Famous Jockey
Duncan Kenner loved horse racing and had a race track at Ashland. A man named Abe Hawkins, who was enslaved at Ashland, became a very famous jockey. In 1854, riding a horse named Lecomte, Abe won a big race in New Orleans. He beat a famous horse named Lexington.
Abe Hawkins was inducted into the Louisiana Racing Museum Hall of Fame in 1997. After the Civil War ended, Abe left the plantation. In 1866, he won the Travers Stakes, a very important horse race. He was riding a horse named Merrill.
Abe Hawkins was known by many nicknames, like "The Black Prince." He was a respected and renowned jockey. He died in 1867 at Ashland Plantation.
Ashland Plantation Today
Shell Oil Company bought the Ashland estate in 1992. This included 102 acres of land. Shell has worked to preserve the historic mansion. In 1997, they restored the outside of the house to its original colors and replaced the roof.
A full restoration of the mansion was completed in 2015 by Shell Chemicals LP. Today, the beautiful Ashland Plantation is used for private events by Shell and its employees.
