Alma was the name of a community located in southeastern
Pointe Coupee Parish
Pointe Coupee Parish ( or ; ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,758. The parish seat is New Roads.
Pointe Coupee Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Metropolitan Stati ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, United States. The community was located east of
Lakeland. The area is currently home to Pointe Coupee Parish's only operating sugar mill, Alma Plantation. Alma is one of only 11 sugar mills still operating in the state of Louisiana. It produces raw sugar and blackstrap molasses. During the harvesting of
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
, known locally as "the grinding season", Alma Plantation becomes one of the area's largest employers. Sugar cane is brought to this mill for processing from a number of surrounding parishes.
History
The community was located on land once owned by Pointe Coupee's celebrated philanthropist,
Julien Poydras. The original Alma Plantation House was constructed in 1789 along the banks of
False River.
After the death of Poydras, David Barrow, a member of one of Louisiana's most prominent families, purchased the property. In 1938, Alma Plantations's 13-ton locomotive, "Dixie" was sold off to the Mississippi River Sugar Belt Railroad.
The Alma Plantation home is no longer open to the public, but the sugar mill and a country store are open to visitors.
Pointe Coupee Historical Sites
See also
* Cinclare Sugar Mill Historic District
The Cinclare Sugar Mill Historic District is a historic industrial and residential complex on the former Marengo Plantation in unincorporated West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The district is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River ...
* Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation
Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
The plantation was originally owned by a French Acadian named Etienne Boudreaux. He was one of thousands of ...
References
External links
Alma Plantation Contact Information
{{Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Baton Rouge metropolitan area
Ghost towns in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Sugar plantations in Louisiana
Sugar refineries in the United States