Cane River Creole National Historical Park
The Cane River region of Louisiana cradles a vibrant and distinctive culture: that of the Creoles. For nearly three centuries, the Cane River has been inextricably linked to the lives of these people, shaping their existence and testing their resilience through floods, droughts, wars, and countless other trials. The enduring strength and resourcefulness of the Creoles have enabled their culture not only to survive but also to flourish in this unique corner of the American South. This article explores the historical tapestry woven within the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, a place where the echoes of the past resonate in the architecture, landscapes, and the very spirit of the community.
The Cane River Creole National Historical Park encompasses a collection of historically significant sites that tell the story of this rich cultural heritage. From the bustling streets of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, to the serene grounds of meticulously preserved plantations, the park offers a glimpse into the lives of the people who shaped this region. These sites, including the Natchitoches Historic District, Melrose Plantation, and Fort Jesup, are not mere relics of the past; they are living testaments to the Creole spirit of adaptation, innovation, and perseverance.
Natchitoches Historic District: A National Historic Landmark
The story of Natchitoches begins in 1690 with the arrival of French explorer Henri de Tonti. However, it was in 1714 that Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, another Frenchman, solidified the settlement’s future by ordering the construction of the first substantial dwellings. This act marked the birth of Natchitoches as the first permanent European settlement in the vast Louisiana Purchase territory, predating even the founding of New Orleans by three years.
As Natchitoches grew, it became a hub for trade, particularly with the neighboring Spanish territories. Even after Spain gained control of the colony in 1764, the established trade relationships with the French Creoles continued, demonstrating the pragmatism and adaptability of the local population. This blend of French and Spanish influences shaped the unique Creole identity of the region. The city eventually became part of the United States in 1803, following the Louisiana Purchase.
By the early 19th century, Creole planters were building increasingly elaborate homes, utilizing the traditional "bousillage" construction technique. This method involved creating a wooden frame, often using upright and angular posts, and then infilling the spaces with a mixture of Spanish moss and mud, creating sturdy and well-insulated walls. Natchitoches thrived as a vital trading and navigation center on the Red River. However, the river’s unpredictable nature led to significant changes. From 1825 to 1849, the Red River gradually shifted its course, eventually abandoning the old channel and forming Cane River Lake. This change impacted steamboat traffic, limiting access to the city to periods of high water.
The city’s layout reflects its origins as a riverfront settlement. Property lines radiating from the river gradually evolved into streets in the late 1700s, which were later intersected by other streets to form rectangular blocks. Today, the Natchitoches Historic District retains the atmosphere of a charming rural town, with well-maintained lawns and homes that reflect a strong sense of pride of ownership. Recent years have seen a surge in private restoration efforts, further enhancing the district’s historical appeal.
The distinct separation between business and residential areas is a result of early zoning restrictions. Front Street, a brick-paved thoroughfare stretching along the business district, overlooks the picturesque Cane River Lake. The riverbank is terraced and beautifully landscaped with crepe myrtles and oaks. The opposite bank, also landscaped, is owned by the city. The old town section maintains a low-density character, with mature trees dotting the landscape. New buildings have been carefully designed to complement the existing architectural style. While streets running east and west are straight, others are narrow and winding, adding to the town’s quaint charm. The historic district showcases a blend of architectural styles from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, with approximately 60 buildings and sites of historical significance.
Kate Chopin House: A National Historic Landmark
Originally constructed in the early 1800s, the Kate Chopin House, also known as the Alexis Cloutier House, stands as a testament to Creole architectural traditions. Named for Alexis Cloutier, the founder of Cloutierville, and later home to Kate Chopin, the celebrated American author of Creole stories, this raised Louisiana cottage exemplifies French construction methods. The structure is a typical example of a home used by Creoles in small rural communities. The complex also includes a restored blacksmith shop, a doctor’s office, and other artifacts that offer a glimpse into life in the Cane River area.
Melrose Plantation: A National Historic Landmark
Established in 1796 by a formerly enslaved woman who rose to become a successful businesswoman, Melrose Plantation embodies the spirit of Creole entrepreneurship and cultural preservation. Developed by Creoles of color over generations, the plantation has also been a haven for artists and writers, including Clementine Hunter and Francois Mignon.
Today, Melrose Plantation features a collection of historic buildings, each with its own unique story to tell. These include the "big house," the African House, the Yucca House, the Ghana House, the writers’ cabin, the weaving house, the bindery, and the barn. The African House stands out with its distinctive umbrella-like roof, while the Ghana House reflects architectural influences from the Caribbean and Africa. While most of the buildings remain on their original sites, the writers’ cabin, weaving house, and bindery were moved to Melrose by Mrs. Cammie Garrett Henry, the plantation’s last private owner. These structures, though not original to the plantation, are historic buildings from the surrounding area.
Los Adaes State Commemorative Area: A National Historic Landmark
Founded by the Spanish in 1721, Los Adaes served as a presidio, a military outpost, designed to curb French expansion into East Texas. It played a crucial role in maintaining the balance of power between Spain and France in the region. From 1751 to 1770, Los Adaes served as the administrative capital of the province of Texas before being abandoned in 1773.
Los Adaes, or Nuestra Senora del Pilar de los Adaes, is one of the few Spanish presidios in the borderlands that has remained largely untouched by modern agricultural practices or urban development. The state owns the site of the main presidio and associated buildings, while the mission site is located on private land and currently used as pastureland. The remains of the presidio are situated on a low ridge in an open field surrounded by pine forest. The site has never been cultivated, and archaeological remains are abundant and undisturbed. Los Adaes provides valuable opportunities for studying, researching, and interpreting life at a Spanish colonial frontier settlement, including the complex relationships between Europeans and Native Americans.
Fort Jesup State Commemorative Area: A National Historic Landmark
From its establishment in 1822 until the Mexican-American War, Fort Jesup served as the southwesternmost military outpost in the United States. In March 1845, when Texas was offered admission to the Union, General Zachary Taylor’s "Army of Observation," stationed at Fort Jesup, was ordered to prepare to march into Texas. After Texas joined the Union, Taylor was instructed to move his troops into the new state.
After the lots and buildings of Fort Jesup were sold at auctions in 1850, 1875, 1880, and 1885, the original garrison structures were gradually torn down, removed, or deteriorated. By 1929, only one building remained: the kitchen. The roof and floor were almost entirely gone, and the crumbling foundation threatened the structure’s collapse.
Local interest in the history of Fort Jesup led to the collection of funds for its restoration. Hand-riven cypress boards replaced the roof, and the original handwrought hinges and nails were reused. The old rock chimney was rebuilt, decaying members were replaced with hewn logs, and sills were replaced where needed. A new floor of rough oak boards was laid, and the stone foundation was also replaced. The park surrounding the structure initially encompassed 3 acres.
In 1957, Fort Jesup State Monument, consisting of 20.5 acres, was established. The restored building was refurnished with period reproductions and authentic pots, pans, and utensils. One of the officers’ quarters has been reconstructed for use as a visitor center and park administrative office, with exhibits that tell the story of the fort. The area has also undergone extensive landscaping.
Oakland Plantation
The plantation house of Jean Pierre Emmanuel Prudhomme was likely built by enslaved people, beginning in 1821. Seven generations of the Prudhomme family have resided there. Many of the original outbuildings are still intact. Several surviving structures, including the French colonial main house, are examples of bousillage construction. The landscape, featuring an 1835 bottle garden, a formal entranceway, and intact agricultural fields, is also an important element of the plantation’s history.
The plantation setting is open and flat, with the only elevation change occurring at the riverbanks. The main house is situated at the head of a short alley of live oaks behind a small formal garden. The parterres are edged with various kinds of bottles, including crock bottles from Scotland, square bitters bottles, round-bottom beer bottles from Ireland, torpedo-shaped bottles from England, and wine bottles from France. The main house is a large hip-roofed, raised cottage with surrounding galleries and 28 chamfered posts. The three dormers on the front are original. Most rooms have double French doors, and the interior walls are paneled with random-width boards. Only one of the original mantels remains—a plain Greek Revival wooden mantel in one of the bedrooms. The finer marble mantels cracked and were replaced with plain wooden mantels in 1915. Most of the transom doors and floorboards are original.
The plantation includes several outbuildings, such as the old store, a frame, gable-fronted building dating from the Civil War era. Behind the store is the carriage house, an old but nondescript frame building converted into a machine shop in 1960. Two frame hip-roof pigeonniers are located at opposite ends of the access lane, and a small log carpenter’s shop has half-dovetail joints at the corners. Behind the carpenter’s shop is an old frame barn that once served as a smokehouse. The overseer’s house is a raised cottage that has been re-sided. The largest residence other than the plantation house is the doctor’s house, a five-bay frame cottage with a pitched roof.
Magnolia Plantation
Enslaved people most likely built the main plantation house of Ambrose LeComte in the 1830s. The large plantation house was burned in 1864 by the army of Union General Banks during their retreat to Alexandria after the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. Construction of the current plantation house was completed in 1899 in an amalgam of Greek Revival and Italianate styles.
Magnolia Plantation is situated along Cane River Lake amid 10 acres of open farmland. Several 150-year-old live oaks and magnolia trees surround the big house. The house is approached by a gravel driveway set on the axis with the central front door. Although the present plantation house dates from 1899, it partially follows the plan of the original house. The raised plantation house has one principal floor under a large pitched-roof garret. The five-bay plan has a central hall and double parlors with chimneys set between them.
The Cane River Creole National Historical Park also encompasses a front gallery, a rear gallery encompassing the house, and a rear wing. The house, traditional in form and plan, is large and plain with square post galleries, transom panel doors, and simple Renaissance Revival mantels. The upstairs walls are entirely sheathed in narrow gauge wainscotting with plain mantels. All doors have four panels, and windows are sash-mounted. The 2½-story structure contains 27 rooms and an extensive Southern Empire and Louisiana furniture collection.
The plantation includes several necessary outbuildings and dependencies, such as an overseer’s house, slave quarters cabins, a plantation store, a corn crib, a blacksmith shop, a pigeonnier, and a cotton press-gin building. The cotton press-gin building contains a rare cotton press and two types of gins. These remnants of a working plantation are invaluable in understanding Southern antebellum agricultural practices. The unusually large overseer’s house is a hip-roofed, raised Acadian cottage with square post galleries. This structure served as the family residence after the Civil War during the reconstruction of the main plantation house. Modifications to the overseer’s house include the tin roof and the interior, which has been much reworked. The transom, doors, windows, and shutters remain.
Of the original slave dwellings, eight remain in a double row in the southeast portion of the plantation. These are brick, two-room, galleried houses with central chimneys and gable parapets—unusually high-quality construction for slave cabins. Each fireplace has an iron lintel. Some deterioration has occurred, including the loss of several parapets, chimney tops, windows, and doors. In addition, some gallery roofs have collapsed. The cotton press dates back to ca. 1830 and is one of about five or six comparable examples in the South. The landscape of fields and woodlands surrounding the plantation are intact.
Badin-Roque House
The Badin-Roque House is situated on flat farmland adjacent to Cane River Lake, approximately 10 miles south-southeast of Natchitoches. It was likely built in the early 19th century as a poteaux en terre (posts in the ground) cottage with two front rooms of unequal size and two rear cabins with a small space between. This structure typified bousillage construction techniques. The house had a single central chimney and a dirt floor. In the 1830s, a beaded tongue and groove ceiling were added, as was much of the board and batten fenestration. In about 1850, the present pitched roof and siding were added. In addition, the small rear gallery was enclosed, and a nine-over-six window was installed. In the 20th century, the present tin roof covering was installed.
Cherokee Plantation
The Cherokee Plantation house dates from the 1820s and is named for the Cherokee roses in the front yard. It is typical of early Louisiana plantations and reflects the lifestyles of French planters. South and west of the house are three very old barns, one a "log crib." Across the road on the riverbank facing the big house is a slave cabin with the original fireplace. This has been restored for caretakers.
Beau Fort Plantation
Jean Pierre Emmanuel Prudhomme began building this plantation in 1830 for his son, L. Narcisse Prudhomme. It has been modernized with several additions, including a patio, breakfast, kitchen, and storage rooms.
Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Commemorative Area
Louis Juchereau de St. Denis supervised the construction of a small structure in 1713 known as Fort St. Jean Baptiste. This post served as the center for French trading activities, challenged Spanish authority in the area, and stood on a rough boundary between French Louisiana and Spanish Texas. The Spanish responded by establishing a military post and religious mission among the Adaes Indians approximately 15 miles west of the French fort. The fort was moved from an island in the Red River (now Cane River Lake) to the west bank. After 1803, the fort was abandoned and torn down. The Louisiana Office of State Parks purchased the site in 1971-72. Construction of a replica fort began in 1980 and was completed in 1981.
The Cane River Creole National Historical Park stands as a powerful reminder of the complex history and enduring cultural legacy of the Creole people of Louisiana. From its early beginnings as a frontier outpost to its development as a center of agricultural and cultural innovation, the Cane River region has played a significant role in shaping the history of the United States. The Cane River Creole National Historical Park is a treasure trove of cultural heritage.