The Oaklawn Plantation is a historic

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 ...

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; french: link=no, Les Natchitoches) is a small city and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was name ...

. It is located on the

Louisiana Highway 494 Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

east of Natchitoches in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana.National Register of Historic Places: LOUISIANA - Natchitoches County
/ref> It has been listed on 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 ...

since March 28, 1979.

History

The mansion was built in 1830 for Narcisse Prudhomme, who held as many as 104 enslaved people on the property.National Park Service: Oaklawn Plantation
/ref> After his death in 1859, the plantation was inherited by his son, Achille Prudhomme. Although the plantation survived the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

of 1861-1865 intact, after Achille's death, the land was divided into parcels by his heirs and sold off. In 1916, Charles Edgar Cloutier, the husband of Adeline Prudhomme, a great-grandniece of Narcisse Prudhomme, purchased the property. It is now owned by filmwriter Robert Harling, author of the play, later a film, '' Steel Magnolias'' (dir.

Herbert Ross Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in theater and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. He is known for directing ...

, 1989).''Natchitoches'', Arcadia Publishing, 2003, p. 44
/ref>

Architecture

The house has three stories, fourteen chimneys and a large gallery. It is an example of French creole architecture.

References

Houses completed in 1830 Plantation houses in Louisiana Houses in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Cane River National Heritage Area Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Antebellum architecture Creole architecture in Louisiana 1830 establishments in Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana {{Louisiana-NRHP-stub