Homeplace Plantation House, also known as Keller Homestead, is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

on Louisiana Highway 18 in Hahnville,

St. Charles Parish, Louisiana St. Charles Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Charles) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, its population was 52,549. The parish seat is Hahnville and the most populous community is Luling. The parish wa ...

. Built 1787–91, it is one of the nation's finest examples of a French colonial raised cottage. It was declared a

in 1970 for its architecture. and It is private property, and is not open to the public.

Description and history

Homeplace Plantation House is located on the south side of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, in Hahnville, the parish seat of St. Charles Parish, about south of the local post office. The plantation house is set on a landscape lot at the southwest corner of LA 18 and Home Place. It is a two-story structure, with a hip roof and a two-story gallery porch encircling the structure. The first floor is built out of stuccoed brick, as are the pillars that support the second level of the gallery. The bricks used in the pillars were formed in wedge-shaped molds. The upper gallery is built out of cypress, as are the second-floor walls, floors, and ceilings. The timbers used in the walls have been chinked with clay and Spanish moss. The interior retains some original features, including wine racks in two basement storage rooms, and marble flooring in the dining room. The house was built sometime between 1787 and 1791, although it is unclear for whom. It was probably built by the same builder who constructed the

Parlange Plantation House The Parlange Plantation House (french: Plantation Parlange) is a historic plantation house at Louisiana Highway 1 and Louisiana Highway 78 in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Built in 1750, it is a classic example of a large French Colonial pla ...

, with which it shares many similar features. It is, with Parlange, one of the best-preserved examples of this period of colonial French architecture. The house was owned in its early years by members of the Gaillard and Fortier families, and was purchased in 1889 by Pierre Anatole Keller. The house is not open to the public. The unoccupied house continues to deteriorate. One elderly owner (93 years old) reported he was not able to do critical maintenance and repairs.

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

(in 2005) broke windows, damaged the roof of the house, and damaged the pigeonnier. HomeplaceWM.jpg, Homeplace and Plantation, 2005 2015 Rear.jpg, Rear view, 2015

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana Houses in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana Houses completed in 1787 Plantation houses in Louisiana 1787 establishments in New Spain Creole cottage architecture in the United States

Description and history

See also

References