Audubon Plantation

Audubon Plantation is the commonly used name for Audubon Plantation House, a historic Greek Revival residence near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The property stands at 21371 Hoo Shoo Too Road and is recognized primarily for its architectural and historical significance, not for commercial branding or the sale of consumer products. It was built around 1850, during the period when sugar production was a major economic force in the plantation districts of southeastern Louisiana. The house was originally associated with land in Ascension Parish; the area was later incorporated into East Baton Rouge Parish, which explains the property's two-parish historical context. The building is a relatively modest one-and-a-half-story frame cottage organized around a central hall. It is two rooms deep and has front and rear galleries, a configuration characteristic of Louisiana plantation residences. Greek Revival elements appear throughout the structure. The galleries feature articulated entablatures, substantial posts, astragals, bolection-molded panels, and a paneled dado. The front gallery's clapboard treatment beneath the gallery is unusual for the period but was considered apparently original in the National Register documentation. Three pedimented dormers project from the pitched roof. Interior features include a substantial turned stair newel, molded baseboards, and one surviving aedicule-style mantel. The original interior reportedly included three additional mantels, although those features no longer survived when the property was documented for registration. Pocket doors connect the front and rear parlors, and French doors open the rooms onto the galleries. These details, together with the intact overall massing and façade, make the house an important example of a Greek Revival plantation cottage. The property's early ownership history remains incomplete. Researchers preparing the National Register nomination were unable to establish a reliable chain of title before the late nineteenth century. The plantation appeared in an 1892 statement of Louisiana sugar production, when Octavius Bullion was identified as owner and the house was rented to a Dixon family. A photograph from the 1890s showed the residence in poor condition. For much of the twentieth century, it continued to function as a rural rental house rather than as a major estate or commercial enterprise. Archival material at Louisiana State University adds references to renovations and financial disputes. Correspondence in the W. Frank and William H. H. Witherell Papers refers to the acquisition of Audubon Plantation and work carried out on the house in 1868. Additional correspondence from 1876 concerns attempts to raise funds for the plantation, a disputed sale, and related legal claims. These records indicate that the property had complicated financial and ownership circumstances, although the available reference material does not establish a complete narrative. Audubon Plantation House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1987, under Criterion C for architecture. The nomination regarded it as a rare surviving Greek Revival plantation house in the Ascension Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish area. By the time of designation, the state historic preservation authorities could identify only about ten surviving Greek Revival plantation houses in the two-parish region. Audubon was especially representative because it was a smaller cottage rather than one of the imposing two-story houses often associated with plantation architecture. The house had undergone alterations before its listing. Around the beginning of the twentieth century, much of the rear gallery was enclosed to create a bathroom and service areas. Later work included enclosing space beneath the staircase as a closet, adding or modifying small windows in the side gables, replacing doors, and rebuilding chimneys. Nevertheless, the National Register assessment concluded that the property retained substantial original interior detailing, important exterior features, and an intact façade and overall form. The registered boundary covers approximately 2.25 acres, encompassing the house and its immediate setting while excluding nonhistoric outbuildings behind it. Because Audubon Plantation is a named historic property and not an established consumer or corporate brand, information such as product lines, marketing campaigns, executives, sales, and current corporate ownership is not applicable or unavailable in the cited material.

Audubon Plantation House was constructed around 1850 in the plantation region of southeastern Louisiana. Its original historical setting was associated with Ascension Parish, although subsequent parish boundary changes placed the property in East Baton Rouge Parish. The building reflects the Greek Revival style that was widely used for substantial residences in Louisiana during the antebellum period, when sugar cultivation shaped the economy and landscape of the region. The property's early title history is uncertain. The National Register research could not establish a dependable chain of ownership extending back before the late nineteenth century. The name Audubon appeared in an 1892 statement of Louisiana sugar production. That record identified Octavius Bullion as owner and indicated that a Dixon family rented the house. A photograph from the 1890s showed the residence in deteriorated condition, suggesting that it was not being maintained as one of the region's grand showcase plantations. Louisiana State University archival material provides additional but incomplete evidence about the property's nineteenth-century history. The W. Frank and William H. H. Witherell Papers contain correspondence referring to the acquisition of Audubon Plantation and renovations undertaken in 1868. Documents from 1876 discuss efforts to raise funds for the plantation, a contested sale, and legal claims. These materials show that ownership and financing were disputed at points in the property's history, but the available sources do not resolve all of the claims or identify a complete succession of owners. During much of the twentieth century, the house remained a rural rental property. Changes were made over time to adapt the building to modern domestic use. Around the turn of the century, much of the rear gallery was enclosed to provide bathroom and service functions. Other later interventions included forming a closet beneath the stairs, modifying or adding small openings in the side gables, replacing doors, and rebuilding chimneys. Despite these alterations, the residence retained significant architectural character. It remains a one-and-a-half-story frame structure with a central hall plan, two rooms in depth, and front and rear galleries. Greek Revival detailing survives both outside and inside, including articulated gallery entablatures, decorated posts, bolection-molded panels, a paneled dado, French doors, pocket doors, molded baseboards, a substantial turned stair newel, and an aedicule-style mantel. The three front pedimented dormers and the building's overall massing contribute to its period identity. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1987, under Criterion C, which recognizes architectural significance. The nomination described Audubon as a rare and important example of a Greek Revival plantation house in the surrounding parish area. By 1987, preservation officials could identify only approximately ten surviving Greek Revival plantation houses in Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes. Audubon's importance also derives from its scale: as a Greek Revival cottage, it offers a comparatively representative example of the type, in contrast to the larger two-story plantation houses that dominate popular perceptions of the period. The National Register boundary encompasses approximately 2.25 acres, including the residence and its immediate setting. Nonhistoric outbuildings behind the house were excluded. The surviving building is therefore understood chiefly as an architectural and preservation resource. The cited material does not establish a commercial brand operation, a product portfolio, a current public visitation program, or a confirmed present owner.

• 1987

  National Register designation

  [1]Audubon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Audubon Plantation House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1987, for its local architectural significance.

• 1892

  Audubon identified in a Louisiana sugar-production statement

  [1]Audubon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The plantation appeared in a statement of the Louisiana sugar crop, with Octavius Bullion listed as owner and the Dixon family identified as tenants of the house.

• 1876

  Financial and ownership disputes documented

  [1]Audubon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Archival correspondence addressed efforts to raise funds, a disputed sale, and associated legal claims involving the plantation.

• 1868

  Recorded acquisition and renovation references

  [1]Audubon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Louisiana State University archival finding-aid material refers to the acquisition of Audubon Plantation and renovations to the house in 1868.

• 1850

  Construction of the Greek Revival residence

  [1]Audubon Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Audubon Plantation House was built around this time as a one-and-a-half-story frame residence in the Greek Revival style.

A historically significant Louisiana Greek Revival plantation house and heritage property, positioned in architectural and preservation contexts rather than as a commercial brand.

• 1987

  Historic designation decisionOther

  Background

  The property was evaluated within the architectural history of Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes, where relatively few Greek Revival plantation houses survived.

  Action taken

  The United States placed Audubon Plantation House on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C.

  Aftermath

  The designation formally recognized the house's architectural importance and defined a registered boundary of approximately 2.25 acres.

  Source

1. 1Audubon Plantationen.wikipedia.org