Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation
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Ruined mill at the plantation
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Location | Along Laurel Valley Road, about 2.3 miles (3.7 km) east of Thibodaux |
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Nearest city | Thibodaux, Louisiana |
Area | 1,230 acres (500 ha) |
Built | 1850 |
Architectural style | American Renaissance, Queen Anne Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 78001426 |
Added to NRHP | March 24, 1978 |
Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History
The plantation was owned by Joseph Tucker, a Virginian, who bought more than 50,000 acres of land along Bayou Lafourche. The earliest structures on the property date to the 1830s. It was at one time the largest producer of sugar in Lafourche Parish, and a mill was built on the property for this purpose.
As many as 135 slaves lived and worked on the property prior to the Civil War. While the main house built by Tucker was destroyed during the Civil War, shotgun houses (slave quarters) and Creole cabins remain on the property. The mill stopped production in the 1930s, and sustained significant damage during Hurricane Betsy in 1965. It is named after where it is located.
Laurel Valley today
With over fifty original structures remaining it is the largest surviving 19th- and 20th-century sugar plantation complex left in the United States and is still a working sugarcane farm. The general store on the property is open to the public, displaying tools and farm implements used in the cultivation of sugar cane as well as locally made arts and crafts. The store wasn't originally at the plantation, it had to be moved there. Its proprietor was Leon Z. Boudreaux.
Laurel Valley Plantation was added as a historic district to the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 1978.
Contributing properties
The historic 1,230 acres (500 ha) district comprises about 80 buildings and structures dating from c.1850 to c.1910:
Along LA 308
- Plantation Church, also known as Old Fountain Missionary Baptist Church, 29°47′11″N 90°47′01″W / 29.78633°N 90.78352°W, comprises the adjacent cemetery.
- Double Creole House #1, 29°47′15″N 90°47′04″W / 29.78759°N 90.78452°W, built c.1890.
- Double Creole House #2, 29°47′21″N 90°47′11″W / 29.7893°N 90.7864°W, built c.1890.
- Plantation Store, 29°47′24″N 90°47′12″W / 29.78995°N 90.78671°W, built c.1890.
- Double Creole House #3, 29°47′25″N 90°47′13″W / 29.79033°N 90.78683°W, built c.1890.
- Creole House #1, 29°47′25″N 90°47′14″W / 29.79016°N 90.78732°W, built c.1900.
- Creole House #2, 29°47′26″N 90°47′15″W / 29.79043°N 90.78741°W, built c.1910.
- Shotgun House #1, 29°47′27″N 90°47′14″W / 29.79076°N 90.78723°W, built c.1890.
Main House Complex
- Plantation House, 29°48′33″N 90°46′16″W / 29.80926°N 90.77123°W, built c.1880.
- Servants' Quarters, 29°48′32″N 90°46′16″W / 29.80899°N 90.77101°W, built c.1880.
Single family Creole houses area
- Double Creole House #4, 29°48′37″N 90°46′19″W / 29.81018°N 90.77184°W. No more standing.
- School House, 29°48′38″N 90°46′19″W / 29.81059°N 90.77196°W. No more standing.
- Shotgun House #2, 29°48′41″N 90°46′17″W / 29.81146°N 90.77144°W, built c.1910.
- Creole House #3, 29°48′43″N 90°46′16″W / 29.81187°N 90.77111°W, built c.1880.
- Creole House #4, 29°48′44″N 90°46′15″W / 29.81217°N 90.77087°W, built c.1880.
- Creole House #5, 29°48′45″N 90°46′14″W / 29.81246°N 90.77063°W, built c.1880.
- Creole House #6, 29°48′46″N 90°46′13″W / 29.81276°N 90.77039°W, built c.1880.
- Creole House #7, 29°48′47″N 90°46′13″W / 29.81305°N 90.77015°W, built c.1880.
- Telephone Booth, 29°48′48″N 90°46′13″W / 29.81334°N 90.77022°W. No more standing.
- Weighing Station, 29°48′47″N 90°46′11″W / 29.81313°N 90.76981°W, built c.1910.
- Plantation Foreman House, 29°48′46″N 90°46′09″W / 29.81267°N 90.76911°W, built c.1900.
Creole double houses area
- Watchman/Overseer's House, 29°48′40″N 90°46′22″W / 29.81106°N 90.77268°W, built c.1900.
- Double Creole Tenant House #1, 29°48′41″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81125°N 90.77255°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #2, 29°48′41″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81141°N 90.77242°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #3, 29°48′42″N 90°46′20″W / 29.81158°N 90.77228°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #4, 29°48′42″N 90°46′20″W / 29.81175°N 90.77215°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #5, 29°48′43″N 90°46′19″W / 29.81192°N 90.77201°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #6, 29°48′44″N 90°46′19″W / 29.81209°N 90.77187°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #7, 29°48′44″N 90°46′18″W / 29.81225°N 90.77173°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #8, 29°48′45″N 90°46′18″W / 29.81243°N 90.77158°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #9, 29°48′45″N 90°46′17″W / 29.8126°N 90.77145°W, built c.1880.
- Double Creole Tenant House #10, 29°48′46″N 90°46′17″W / 29.81277°N 90.77131°W, built c.1880.
- Creole Tenant House #1, 29°48′47″N 90°46′16″W / 29.81294°N 90.77118°W, built c.1880.
- Office/Carriage House, 29°48′47″N 90°46′16″W / 29.81306°N 90.77102°W, built c.1880.
- Shop, 29°48′47″N 90°46′15″W / 29.81316°N 90.77089°W, built c.1880.
Production Complex and Shotgun houses
- Single Tenant House #1, 29°48′42″N 90°46′24″W / 29.81155°N 90.77347°W, built c.1884.
- Single Tenant House #2, 29°48′42″N 90°46′24″W / 29.81172°N 90.77333°W, built c.1884.
- Single Tenant House #3, 29°48′43″N 90°46′24″W / 29.8119°N 90.77321°W, built c.1884.
- Single Tenant House #4, 29°48′44″N 90°46′23″W / 29.8121°N 90.77305°W, built c.1884.
- Single Tenant House #5, 29°48′48″N 90°46′20″W / 29.81327°N 90.77215°W, built c.1884.
- Single Tenant House #6, 29°48′48″N 90°46′19″W / 29.81344°N 90.77202°W, built c.1884.
- Multiple Tenant House/Storage Shed, 29°48′42″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81177°N 90.77259°W, built c.1900. No more standing.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #1, 29°48′43″N 90°46′22″W / 29.81188°N 90.77274°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #2, 29°48′43″N 90°46′20″W / 29.81201°N 90.77233°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #3, 29°48′44″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81214°N 90.77254°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #4, 29°48′44″N 90°46′22″W / 29.81226°N 90.77276°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #5, 29°48′45″N 90°46′23″W / 29.81242°N 90.77302°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #6, 29°48′45″N 90°46′24″W / 29.81259°N 90.77331°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #7, 29°48′46″N 90°46′25″W / 29.81274°N 90.77358°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #8, 29°48′44″N 90°46′20″W / 29.81221°N 90.77218°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #9, 29°48′44″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81233°N 90.77238°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #10, 29°48′45″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81244°N 90.77259°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #11, 29°48′45″N 90°46′22″W / 29.81261°N 90.77287°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #12, 29°48′46″N 90°46′23″W / 29.81279°N 90.77314°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #13, 29°48′47″N 90°46′24″W / 29.81295°N 90.77343°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #14, 29°48′45″N 90°46′19″W / 29.81247°N 90.77197°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #15, 29°48′45″N 90°46′20″W / 29.81259°N 90.77218°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #16, 29°48′46″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81272°N 90.77238°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #17, 29°48′46″N 90°46′22″W / 29.81288°N 90.77266°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #18, 29°48′47″N 90°46′23″W / 29.81305°N 90.77294°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #19, 29°48′47″N 90°46′24″W / 29.81319°N 90.77321°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #20, 29°48′46″N 90°46′19″W / 29.8128°N 90.77204°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #21, 29°48′46″N 90°46′20″W / 29.81291°N 90.77223°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #22, 29°48′47″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81307°N 90.77251°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #23, 29°48′48″N 90°46′22″W / 29.81324°N 90.77281°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #24, 29°48′48″N 90°46′23″W / 29.8134°N 90.77308°W, built c.1900.
- Single Tenant Shotgun House #25, 29°48′49″N 90°46′21″W / 29.81354°N 90.77259°W, built c.1900.
- Loading Crane, 29°48′48″N 90°46′15″W / 29.81339°N 90.77084°W.
- Sugar Mill, 29°48′49″N 90°46′17″W / 29.81363°N 90.77135°W, built c.1850.
- Exhaust Stack, 29°48′51″N 90°46′16″W / 29.81412°N 90.77102°W, built c.1850.
- Boarding House, 29°48′50″N 90°46′17″W / 29.81401°N 90.77149°W, built c.1900.
- Grinding Mill Pump Station, 29°48′53″N 90°46′17″W / 29.81471°N 90.77147°W.
- Corn Shed Barn, 29°48′53″N 90°46′15″W / 29.81477°N 90.77083°W, built c.1880.
- Shed, 29°48′53″N 90°46′15″W / 29.81459°N 90.77076°W.
- Pump House, 29°48′50″N 90°46′13″W / 29.81397°N 90.77032°W.
- Creole Tenant House #2, 29°48′49″N 90°46′12″W / 29.81372°N 90.77003°W, built c.1890.
- Weigh Station, 29°48′49″N 90°46′12″W / 29.8136°N 90.77012°W, built c.1890.