Acadia Plantation
Acadia Plantation was a historic Louisiana sugar plantation, plantation house, and cultural landscape associated with the Bowie brothers and later Lafourche Parish families.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Acadia Plantation was a historic plantation estate and house near Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. It is best understood as a historic site rather than a commercial brand. The property occupied land along the natural levee south of Bayou Lafourche, with the main residence situated near what is now Louisiana Highway 1 and Nicholls State University. Over time, the estate included agricultural fields, a sugar factory, workers’ quarters, farm buildings, domestic outbuildings, and the principal residence. The plantation’s early history was closely connected with James Bowie, Rezin P. Bowie, and Stephen Bowie. The Bowie brothers began acquiring adjoining tracts in the late 1820s and used the name Acadia for the combined property. Their activities reflected the expansion of plantation agriculture and the slave-based economy of antebellum Louisiana. The brothers had previously participated in the forced trafficking of enslaved people and relocated parts of their business operations within southern Louisiana and eastern Texas. On the Acadia property they constructed separate residences for members of the family and built what was described as Louisiana’s first steam-powered sugar mill. The mill was unsuccessful, reportedly damaging more cane than it processed. The estate expanded to approximately 2,100 acres by 1830. James Bowie soon left for Texas, where he later became associated with the Battle of the Alamo. Stephen Bowie served briefly as sheriff of Lafourche Parish before returning to Natchez, while Rezin Bowie eventually moved to New Orleans. In 1831 the property was sold to Duncan, Robert Walker, and James Wilkins. Financial difficulties, including a depression and successive crop failures, led to the loss of the estate to the Union Bank of Louisiana in 1842. Philip Barton Key Jr. purchased the property from the bank in 1845, acquiring the land, crops, enslaved people, and bank interests connected with the estate. Subsequent ownership involved John Nelson and his son-in-law Andrew Jackson Donelson, followed by periods of mortgages, litigation, tax seizure, and restructuring during and after the Civil War. Edward J. Gay paid taxes owed for 1871 and 1872, helping return the plantation to operation. Later, the Price family joined three earlier Bowie-era houses into one larger residence. Sugar production continued for many decades, and the plantation’s sugar mill operated from approximately 1850 until 1926. A dairy farm operated behind the house until the 1940s. The surviving principal residence was largely a late-nineteenth-century frame house dating to about 1890. It displayed Queen Anne Revival and Eastlake influences, including a complex roofline, gabled wings, dormer and oculus features, decorative shingles, brackets, shutters, and an elaborate raised gallery. The building’s unusual form resulted partly from the joining of several earlier structures. Its interior contained a library, formal rooms, bedrooms, offices, service spaces, and family collections including antique furniture, paintings, maps, portraits, and objects associated with the Bowie and Plater families. A preliminary archaeological reconnaissance and interior assessment was prepared in 1983. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1987, recognizing its architectural and local historical importance. Richard C. Plater Jr. and his family were the final reported private owners of the house. In 2003, the land and house were sold to Jake Giardina and Ron Adams as part of a transaction involving approximately 3,000 acres. The future of the historic house became a subject of local discussion, but no organized preservation campaign succeeded in retaining it. The house was dismantled and demolished in 2010. Crews worked from the interior outward, and a commemorative plaque was installed beside Highway 1 near Nicholls State University. The former plantation land has since been incorporated into a mixed residential and commercial development, with homes, stores, restaurants, institutional uses, and community facilities. The historic plantation house and its agricultural complex no longer survive as an operating site, although the name and plaque continue to identify the location and its place in Louisiana history.
History
Acadia Plantation developed in the historic plantation belt along Bayou Lafourche near Thibodaux, Louisiana. The property was associated first with James Bowie, Rezin P. Bowie, and Stephen Bowie, who began assembling adjoining tracts in 1828 and gave the combined estate the name Acadia. The Bowie brothers had previously engaged in the trafficking of enslaved people, and the plantation’s early agricultural and commercial development took place within Louisiana’s antebellum slave economy. The brothers built separate homes for family members and established a steam-powered sugar mill. The mill was an early experiment in mechanized sugar production but did not operate successfully. By 1830, the estate covered roughly 2,100 acres. James Bowie soon departed for Texas and later became known for his role at the Battle of the Alamo. Stephen Bowie briefly served as Lafourche Parish sheriff before returning to Natchez, while Rezin Bowie moved to New Orleans as his eyesight declined. In 1831 the plantation was transferred to Duncan, Robert Walker, and James Wilkins. A financial crisis, crop failures, and the collapse of the owners’ banking position resulted in the estate being taken by the Union Bank of Louisiana in 1842. Philip Barton Key Jr. bought the plantation from the bank in 1845. The transaction included land, growing crops, enslaved people, and bank interests. Key expanded the estate with additional tracts before his death in 1855. John Nelson and his son-in-law Andrew Jackson Donelson later held the property. Nelson’s attempts to preserve the plantation during the Civil War and postwar period generated mortgages and lawsuits. The property was seized for unpaid taxes in 1871 and 1872 until Edward J. Gay paid the debt and resumed operations with Nelson. After Gay’s death, the Price family combined three earlier houses associated with the Bowie family into a single large residence. Sugar cultivation remained central to the estate. The plantation’s sugar mill operated from approximately 1850 through 1926, and cane fields extended across the surrounding property. A dairy operation was established behind the main house and continued until the 1940s. The surviving residence represented several phases of construction, including the joining of earlier small houses and later additions. The principal house that survived into the twentieth century was a frame Queen Anne Revival structure dating to about 1890. It had a cruciform or irregular cross-shaped plan, ten principal rooms, a raised Eastlake gallery, ornate brackets, decorated gables, a pyramidal central roof, and period window and door details. The interior preserved evidence of its layered construction, with rooms corresponding to earlier houses and additions. Family furnishings included eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American furniture, portraits, maps, paintings, and objects connected with the Bowie, Gay, Price, and Plater families. Richard C. Beavers prepared a preliminary archaeological and architectural assessment in 1983. Acadia Plantation was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1987, for its architectural and local historical significance. The Plater family held the property during its final period as a residence. In 2003, approximately 3,000 acres, including the house, were sold to Jake Giardina and Ron Adams. Questions about preserving the listed structure continued locally, but the house was not saved. In 2010 the house was dismantled and demolished. A memorial plaque was installed alongside Highway 1 near Nicholls State University. The broader tract, including approximately 132 acres identified with the former plantation in redevelopment accounts, was converted into a mixed-use subdivision containing residences, businesses, restaurants, and institutional facilities. The plantation’s agricultural operations and historic buildings have ended, leaving the site’s name, documentation, and commemorative marker as its principal surviving public traces.
- 2010
Historic house is demolished
[1]The plantation residence was dismantled and demolished, and a commemorative plaque was installed near Highway 1 and Nicholls State University.
- 2003
Large tract is sold for redevelopment
[1]Jake Giardina and Ron Adams purchased the house and surrounding land as part of a transaction involving approximately 3,000 acres.
- 1987
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
[1]Acadia Plantation received National Register recognition on May 29, 1987, for its architectural and local historical importance.
- 1983
Interior and archaeological assessment prepared
[1]A preliminary reconnaissance and assessment documented the house’s rooms, construction history, furnishings, and associated plantation structures.
- 1926
Sugar factory era ends
[1]The plantation’s sugar mill, which had operated for decades, ceased operations around this time.
- 1890
Queen Anne Revival residence is constructed
[1]The principal surviving house took its late-nineteenth-century Queen Anne Revival form, with Eastlake gallery details and a complex cruciform plan.
- 1871
Property is seized for unpaid taxes
[1]Acadia was seized in connection with unpaid taxes for 1871 and 1872; Edward J. Gay paid the debt and plantation operations resumed.
- 1850
Sugar mill operations continue
[1]The plantation’s sugar factory operated under the Price family and continued processing cane until approximately 1926.
- 1845
Philip Barton Key Jr. acquires the estate
[1]Key purchased Acadia from the bank, including its land, crops, enslaved people, and associated bank interests.
- 1842
Union Bank takes control after financial failure
[1]A depression and two years of crop failure caused the plantation owners to lose the property to the Union Bank of Louisiana.
Products and positioning
Historic Louisiana plantation and architectural landmark; not an active commercial brand.
Agricultural crop
Sugar cane
Sugar cane was the central agricultural crop associated with Acadia Plantation. Cane fields surrounded the estate and supported the plantation’s sugar-manufacturing operation for much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Production belonged to the plantation economy rather than to a consumer-facing brand.
Agricultural processing
Processed sugar
Acadia included a sugar factory that operated from approximately 1850 until 1926. The factory processed cane grown on the estate and represented the property’s principal industrial function. No distinct packaged product identity or surviving commercial brand is documented in the supplied material.
Agricultural production
Dairy products
A dairy farm operated behind the main residence until the 1940s. The available references identify the dairy activity as part of the estate’s later agricultural use but do not document specific products, distribution channels, or a separate name.
Brand decisions
2010
Demolition of the plantation houseOtherBackground
Although the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preservation efforts did not prevent its removal.
Action taken
Construction crews dismantled the building from the interior outward and demolished the remaining structure.
Aftermath
A plaque was placed beside Highway 1 near Nicholls State University, and the surrounding land was developed with homes, businesses, restaurants, and institutional facilities.
2003
Sale of the historic estate for redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The plantation house and surrounding land had remained privately held, while the future of the National Register-listed property was discussed locally.
Action taken
Jake Giardina and Ron Adams acquired the house and a large surrounding tract in a transaction involving approximately 3,000 acres.
Aftermath
The property’s future remained contested in local discussion, and the house was ultimately dismantled and demolished in 2010 as the land transitioned toward mixed residential and commercial development.
Recent events
- 2010
Acadia Plantation house demolished after years of local debate[1]
Other
The historic plantation residence was dismantled from the inside out and demolished. A plaque was placed near Highway 1 by Nicholls State University, while parts of the surrounding property were redeveloped for residential and commercial use.
Sources1 sources
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