Kent Plantation House is the oldest standing structure in

Central Louisiana Central Louisiana (Cenla), also known as the Crossroads, is a region of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The largest communities in the region as of the 2010 Census were Alexandria (47,893), Natchitoches (18,323) and Pineville (14,555). Central ...

. Listed since 1971 in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, Kent House is located in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

Rapides Parish Rapides Parish () (french: Paroisse des Rapides) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,613. The parish seat is Alexandria, which developed along the Red River of the South. ''Rapides ...

. The

plantation house A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole. Plantation houses in the Southern United States and in other areas are known as quite grand and e ...

is a representation of southern plantation life between 1795 and 1855. The main structure was erected in 1800 with the labor of people enslaved by Pierre Baillio. The

bousillage Bousillage (bouzillage,McDermott, John Francis. "bousillage, bouzillage, n. m.". ''A Glossary of Mississippi Valley French, 1673-1850''. St. Louis: , 1941. 34. Print. bousille, bouzille) is a mixture of clay and grass or other fibrous substances us ...

Creole house and restored period outbuildings are now a showcase for tourists.

History

Kent Plantation House displays original artifacts from people who worked and lived at the house during its operation.

Buildings

H. Parrott Bacot, former director of the Anglo-American Art Museum at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

, led the interior restoration. The several outbuildings surrounding the main structure are furnished with

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

, Sheraton, and

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

pieces. The Milk House was built between 1820 and 1830;

dairy product Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...

s, such as

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

, and

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

, were prepared and stored there. The Slave Cabin shows the primitive conditions in which the slaves at the plantation lived. The Blacksmith Shop was constructed about 1815. The Kitchen contains an open hearth fireplace for cooking.

Marker Text

The marker at the front entrance of the Kent Plantation House reads:

''Kent House, the oldest known standing structure in Rapides Parish, was built by Pierre Baillio, completed in 1800. Baillio constructed the house on land received through a Spanish land grant circa 1794.''

The house was actually built by enslaved people, not Ballio himself.

Gallery

Kent House, Alexandria, LA, closeup of building IMG_4211.JPG, Close-up of the plantation house Kent Plantation House Visitor Center, Alexandria, LA IMG_4182.JPG, Visitor Center Tour guide at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4216.JPG, Outdoor tour guide at Kent House Milk House, Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4212.JPG, Milk House (constructed prior to 1830) Utensils inside the Milk House at Kent Plantation House IMG_4186.JPG, Various utensils inside the Milk House Kitchen at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4214.JPG, Kitchen Open hearth cooking, Kent Plantation House IMG_4213.JPG, Open-hearth cooking on the plantation; still done on a weekly basis by the Kent House staff Laundry facilities at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4219.JPG, Laundry room Barn at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4234.JPG, Barn at Kent House Blacksmith shop, Kent Plantation House IMG_4228.JPG, Blacksmith shop Bamboo hammer, Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4227.JPG, A wooden hammer Cotton plants at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4229.JPG, Cotton stalks at Kent House Oak tree at Kent House in Alexandria, LA IMG_4245.JPG, Towering oak tree at Kent House Syrup-making center at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4247.JPG, The center for the making of cane syrup at Kent House Cane syrup at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA, IMG_4238.JPG, Cane syrup in trough is ready for use. Bottle tree, Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4246.JPG, Bottle tree, according to southern tradition, would ward off evil spirits. Bousillage exhibit, Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4188.JPG,

Bousillage Bousillage (bouzillage,McDermott, John Francis. "bousillage, bouzillage, n. m.". ''A Glossary of Mississippi Valley French, 1673-1850''. St. Louis: , 1941. 34. Print. bousille, bouzille) is a mixture of clay and grass or other fibrous substances us ...

, a mixture of clay and grass, is a key building material of Kent House. Indoor tour guide at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4208.JPG, Indoor tour guide at Kent House Dining table at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4191.JPG, Dining table; the wooden fan from the ceiling was attached to a rope and powered by servants for cooling the room. Parlor at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4196.JPG, Parlor, where tea, an expensive item in that day, was served Boys' bed at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4189.JPG, Boys' bedroom Girls' bedroom at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4201.JPG, Girls' bedroom Master bedroom at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4206.JPG, Master bedroom Bathtub at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG_4207.JPG, Bathtub in master bedroom

References

External links