LaBranche Plantation Dependency

LaBranche Plantation Dependency, also associated with the names LaBranche Plantation, Barbarra Plantation, and LaBranche Plantation Dependency House, is a surviving Creole-style dependency in St. Rose, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. The building is a garconnière, a French term commonly used in Louisiana for a small ancillary residence or bachelor quarters associated with a plantation complex. It is the principal surviving remnant of a once much larger plantation establishment and is notable because the main plantation house and most of the associated historic landscape were lost during and after the American Civil War. The property was acquired by the Zweig family, immigrants from Germany, who established the plantation and constructed the principal buildings in 1792. Contemporary and later accounts described LaBranche, also called Barbarra Plantation, as one of the grandest plantations on Louisiana's German Coast. The principal mansion was destroyed during the Civil War. After the property was divided among heirs in the late nineteenth century, little remained to mark the location of the former manor house apart from an oak-lined allée. The dependency survived because it had been built as a substantial secondary building rather than as an ordinary small plantation residence. Its scale is modest, but its detailing reflects the importance of the plantation complex to which it belonged. Beaded ceiling boards and beams, refined mantels, strong moldings, sunburst ornament, and complex engaged balusters distinguish it from the relatively plain treatment often found in small Creole houses. These features have been interpreted as Federal-influenced woodwork of unusually high quality. The building's architectural value rests both on the craftsmanship of its interior and on its rarity as a surviving residential plantation dependency in Louisiana. Olidé and Marie Perilloux Cambre purchased the dependency house and its property in 1902. In the twentieth century, the building passed to the Lentini family of Kenner. The Lentinis purchased and restored the dependency in 1983. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1984, with statewide significance in architecture. The nomination emphasized that very few comparable dependencies survived and that the building was an unusually elaborate example of a smaller Creole house designed as an ancillary structure to a major plantation residence. The historic property also includes a preserved slave-quarters building that has been restored to illustrate the living conditions of an enslaved family or families. This surviving structure provides an additional material connection to the plantation's labor and social history, although the dependency itself is chiefly recognized for its architectural character. A bathtub associated with Zachary Taylor, the twelfth president of the United States, is also located on the site. The former plantation-house site is on private land and is not accessible to the public. The dependency site is likewise privately owned, so the property is not presented as a conventional commercial brand or operating business. Its public identity is instead that of a historic architectural resource, a preserved remnant of Louisiana's German Coast plantation landscape, and a National Register-listed property.

LaBranche Plantation Dependency is the surviving dependency of a plantation complex formerly located in St. Rose, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, along the historic German Coast. The plantation is also identified in historical accounts as Barbarra Plantation. The principal plantation establishment was created by the Zweig family, German immigrants who acquired the property and built the main house and related structures in 1792. The dependency is a garconnière, a type of small residential building traditionally associated with young unmarried men or bachelor occupants. In the context of Louisiana plantation architecture, such a structure formed part of a larger estate rather than functioning as the primary plantation residence. The LaBranche dependency is architecturally unusual because it received a level of ornament and finish more commonly associated with a major plantation house. Its beams and ceiling boards are beaded, and its mantels feature pronounced moldings, sunburst designs, and complex engaged balusters. These elements are associated with Federal-influenced woodworking within the broader Creole architectural tradition. Historical accounts describe the former LaBranche or Barbarra Plantation as one of the most impressive plantations on the German Coast. The main mansion was destroyed during the American Civil War. Later division of the property among heirs further fragmented the historic estate. By the late nineteenth century, an oak-lined allée was among the few visible reminders of the former plantation-house setting. The dependency, however, remained standing and became the principal architectural survivor of the complex. Olidé and Marie Perilloux Cambre acquired the dependency and property in 1902. The building later came into the ownership of the Lentini family of Kenner. In 1983, the Lentinis purchased and restored the dependency, helping preserve its architectural fabric and historic character. On October 18, 1984, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its nomination identified statewide architectural significance and characterized it as a rare and exceptionally well-detailed example of a Creole plantation dependency. The property's significance is based on both design quality and scarcity. Small Creole houses were often built as independent plantation residences and commonly had simpler ornament. The LaBranche building was instead conceived as an ancillary structure to a plantation house of high status, which explains the unusually elaborate interior treatment. Comparable dependencies are rare in Louisiana, making the building an important surviving example of the residential and architectural organization of an early nineteenth-century plantation. The modern property also preserves a slave-quarters building. The structure has been restored to illustrate the living conditions of an enslaved family or families, providing material evidence of the plantation's system of labor and habitation. Such surviving slave housing is uncommon in the region because many former plantation sites were later acquired for industrial development, including oil-refining uses, and remaining quarters were frequently demolished. The former manor-house site lies on private land and is not publicly accessible. The dependency remains privately owned by the Lentini family of Kenner according to the referenced account. A bathtub associated with Zachary Taylor, who served as the twelfth president of the United States from 1849 to 1850, is also reported on the property. The site is therefore best understood as a privately held historic resource rather than as an operating commercial brand.

• 1984

  National Register listing

  [1]LaBranche Plantation Dependencyen.wikipedia.org

  The dependency was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1984, for its statewide architectural significance and rare Creole plantation-dependency form.

• 1983

  Restoration by the Lentini family

  [1]LaBranche Plantation Dependencyen.wikipedia.org

  The Lentini family of Kenner purchased and restored the dependency house.

• 1902

  Cambre family acquires the dependency

  [1]LaBranche Plantation Dependencyen.wikipedia.org

  Olidé and Marie Perilloux Cambre purchased the dependency house and its surrounding property.

• 1861

  Plantation mansion destroyed during the Civil War

  [1]LaBranche Plantation Dependencyen.wikipedia.org

  The main plantation house was destroyed during the American Civil War; the dependency became the principal surviving architectural remnant.

• 1792

  Zweig family establishes the plantation

  [1]LaBranche Plantation Dependencyen.wikipedia.org

  The Zweig family acquired the property and built the principal plantation house and related structures, establishing the LaBranche or Barbarra Plantation complex.

A privately owned historic architectural property valued for its rare survival, elaborate Creole and Federal detailing, and association with the former LaBranche or Barbarra Plantation.

• Historic house

  LaBranche Plantation Dependency House

  The principal surviving structure of the former LaBranche or Barbarra Plantation, this early nineteenth-century garconnière is a small Creole ancillary residence distinguished by beaded beams and ceiling boards, Federal-influenced woodwork, elaborate mantels, sunburst motifs, and engaged balusters. It is privately owned and recognized for the exceptional quality and rarity of its architectural detailing.

• Historic plantation structure

  Preserved slave-quarters building

  A surviving plantation slave-quarters structure on the property has been preserved and restored to show the living conditions of an enslaved family or families. It complements the dependency by documenting the social and labor history of the plantation site.

1. 1LaBranche Plantation Dependencyen.wikipedia.org