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Trustee Emeritus Award for Excellence in the Stewardship of Historic Sites
In November 2000,
the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented this prestigious
award to The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America "for
acquiring, restoring, and interpreting a collection of historic properties
that offer invaluable opportunities to experience the rich variety of
America's heritage."
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NSCDA in Louisiana
Museum Properties
The NSCDA in
Louisiana has played a significant role in the ownership, furnishing, and/or
operation of the five properties shown below. The Kent
Plantation House is in Alexandria; the Isaiah Garrett Law Office is in
Monroe; the Hermann-Grima House is in New Orleans; the
Audubon State Historic
Site is in St. Francisville; and the Spring Street Historical Museum is
in Shreveport.
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KENT PLANTATION HOUSE
(1795-1800)
Address:
3601 Bayou Rapides Road, Alexandria, LA 71302
Telephone:
(318) 487-5998
Open:
Tours, Monday through
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the
hour.
Directions:
Exit Highway 165-167-71 (MacArthur
Drive), continue one block west.
Website: www.kenthouse.org
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Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik
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This French and Spanish style raised
cottage is an excellent example of Colonial plantation architecture and
is the oldest structure still standing in central Louisiana.
The piers, elevating the house high
above the ground, are of handmade brick. Slave-made brick and bousillage
(a mixture of mud, moss, and deer hair) form the lime-washed walls.
Two original galleries (connecting wings, added in 1840) provide vistas
of the parterre garden, Bayou Rapides, and the expansive lawn bordered
by outbuildings and an operational sugarhouse.
The National Society of The Colonial
Dames of America in the State of Louisiana owns and maintains the furnishings
of the parlor--fine examples of Federal, Sheraton, and Empire pieces.
A stranger's room was recently furnished by this group. Period appointments
in other rooms include items by native Creole cabinetmakers. Many
articles in the collection belonged to family members of Pierre Ballio,
who built the house.
Kent House is owned by the State
of Louisiana.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
PARLOR COLLECTION: ACCREDITED
BY NSCDA MUSEUM PROPERTIES |
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ISAIAH GARRETT LAW OFFICE
(1840)
Address:
520 South Grand Street, Monroe, LA 71201
Telephone:
(318) 387-5691 (Visitors Bureau)
Open:
By
appointment.
Directions:
From I-20 East, take Civic Center exit, turn left toward Ouachita River.
From I-20 West, take Jackson Street exit, turn left toward river.
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Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik |
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This simple structure built of handmade
bricks, remains on its original site, having survived floods, fires, hurricanes,
ice storms, and devastating neglect.
Owned by the City of Monroe, it
is leased to the Monroe Town Committee of The National Society of The Colonial
Dames of America in the State of Louisiana. In 1962, these Dames
began the effort to preserve the vacant building as a museum of early,
local, southern, and American artifacts. In 1994, the museum received
from the Louisiana Preservation Alliance its prestigious SPECIAL AWARD
1994. |
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HERMANN-GRIMA HOUSE
(1831)
Address:
820 St. Louis Street, New Orleans, LA 70112
Telephone:
(504)
525-5661
Open:
Monday to Friday: 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The last tour is at 3:30 p.m.
Thursdays, October through May:Open-hearth
cooking.
Closed:
Weekends
and major holidays.
Directions:
Located in the French Quarter.
From I-10, take Orleans Avenue. Follow either Toulouse or Conti Streets
to enter the Vieux Carre.
Website: http://www.hgghh.org
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Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik
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Built in 1831 by Samuel Hermann,
the home is one of the earliest and best examples of American architecture
in the historic French Quarter, as well as in the city; it is owned and
operated by the Board of Managers of The Woman's Exchange.
It portrays the 1830-50 period through
its accurate furnishings, the only working 1830's Creole kitchen, and one
of the largest authentically-restored courtyards open to the public.
Cooking demonstrations are offered (Thursday, October-May) where cooks
prepare meals in the restored open-hearth kitchen.
The National Society of The Colonial
Dames of America in the State of Louisiana played a large part in the
development
of this significant property. The offer from the Dames to furnish
the parlour and center hall was the single most important impetus to the
development of the restoration program
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
ACCREDITED: AAM AND NSCDA
MUSEUM PROPERTIES |
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AUDUBON STATE HISTORIC SITE
(1806)
OAKLEY PLANTATION HOUSE
Address:
P.
O. Box 546, St. Francisville, LA 70775
Telephone:
(225)
635-3739
Open:
Daily,
9:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Grounds are open the year around.
Closed:
Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Directions:
From
St. Francisville, take State Road 965 for three miles.
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Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik |
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The Oakley Plantation, established
on a 700-arpent Spanish land grant in 1799. The house reflects the
expertise of colonials in dealing with a hot and humid climate. The
shallow depth and heavy jalousied galleries all speak of the West Indies
method of climate control.
The rooms at Oakley have been restored
in the style of the last Federal period, reflecting the time when Audubon
stayed there, painting and acting as tutor to the owner's daughter.
Oakley is owned by the State of
Louisiana and administered by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The National Society of The Colonial
Dames of America in the State of Louisiana furnished the library in the
appropriate styles of Sheraton and Hepplewhite when the house was acquired
by the State in 1947. The Baton Rouge Committee continues to fund
maintenance annually.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
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SPRING STREET HISTORICAL MUSEUM
Address:
525
Spring Street, Shreveport, LA 71101
Telephone:
(318)
424-0964
Open:
Tuesday
through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Group tours by appointment only.
Directions:
From
I-20, take the Spring Street exit, follow 3 blocks to museum.
Website:
www.springstreetmuseum.com
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Photograph by Erik Kvalsvik |
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The Spring Street Museum is located
in one of the oldest buildings in Shreveport. It was built as Tally's
Bank in 1865 on one of the Shreve Town Company's original lots. The
entire building has undergone careful restoration, inside and out.
The ground floor retains the original wood floor, woodwork and bank vault.
The building's exterior features the only remaining example of Victorian
cast-iron grillwork in Northwest Louisiana.
The Museum has an extensive collection
of artifacts that are featured in rotating exhibits showcasing the life
and customs of the area as they have evolved since the 1800's. Recent
exhibits include: "Celebrating the New Century, Shreveport in 1900,"
"Digging Up Shreveport's Past, The Archaeology of Shreveport," and "The
Musical Heritage of Shreveport."
The museum is owned by The National
Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Louisiana and
is operated by the Shreveport Committee.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
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