The Edward Douglass White House, also known as Edward Douglass White Louisiana State Commemorative Area, is a state historic site near
Thibodaux, Louisiana. The house was home to both
Edward Douglass White, Sr., the tenth governor of the state of Louisiana, and his son,
Edward Douglass White, a U.S. senator and a
Chief Justice of the United States. It was designated 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 ...
in 1976 for its association with the latter White, who was in the 7-1 majority ruling on Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities in a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal."
History
The house was built from hand-hewn cypress as a
Creole-style raised cottage. The house was built on the banks of
Bayou Lafourche facing what is now
Louisiana Highway 1. E.D. White, Sr. purchased the property in 1829 from Guillaume Arcement, and around 1834 began remodeling the house to reflect the prevalent
Greek revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
style of architecture.
It was declared 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 ...
in 1976.
[ and ]
Architecture
The main floor includes a central hallway dividing four rooms, reflecting the typical symmetry of Greek Revival architecture. An inverted stairwell at the end of the hall leads to two bedrooms on the second floor. The high ceilings, wide front gallery, and raised brick cellar served to cool the house during the summer.
Museum
The house is owned by the
Louisiana State Museum
The Louisiana State Museum (LSM), founded in New Orleans in 1906, is a statewide system of National Historic Landmarks and modern structures across Louisiana, housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic ...
and is operated as a
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...
known as the E. D. White Historic Site. An exhibit inside the home demonstrates the history of the Bayou Lafourche area, with features on the
Chitimacha Indians,
Acadian settlers, slavery, sugar cane plantations, and the White family.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana
This is a complete list of National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana,.
The United States National Historic Landmark program is a program of the National Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and similar resources according to ...
*
References
External links
E. D. White Historic Site- Louisiana State Museum
{{Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
National Historic Landmarks in Louisiana
Historic house museums in Louisiana
Houses completed in 1790
Museums in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana State Museum
Houses in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana
National Register of Historic Places in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana