NPS Cane River Creole

The architecture of house reflects French characteristics but also incorporates characteristics from West Indian Creoles including an elevated first floor, spacious porch and multiple doors. What purpose do these features serve?

Red Spider Lilies line a brick path through the Bottle Garden. Past the white gate are two rows of Live Oaks forming the Oak Allee.

Looking from the front porch across the Bottle Garden and down the Oak Allee toward Cane River Lake.

Close-up view of the glass bottles lining the flower beds in the Bottle Garden. The color of the bottles range from dark brown to light green.

The Bottle Garden in front of the Main House features flower beds edged with a variety of bottles from the late 1700s to the 20th century.

Large Live Oak trees from an Oak Allee on either side of the original entrance to the Main House.

Looking from the river up the Oak Allee to the Main House. The Oak Allee would draw the cool river breezes to the house.

A park ranger stands in the Parlor of the Main House. Behind the ranger are double doors, over which is a large fan light, leading to the Dining Room.

The Parlor is one of the four original rooms of the 1821 Main House.

The Children' room features a fireplace and two large beds.

Another of the original 1821 room is Children's Room. Children often slept two to three per bed, so this room could accommodate a growing family.

A small brick room on the lower level of the house served as the enslaved nanny's room. She would climb these wooden stairs in the corner of the room to enter the Prud'homme children's room above.

The Main House is a raised Creole Cottage. The Prud'homme family living space is almost a full story above ground level. In 1821 there were two rooms on the lower level. One was the bedroom of the enslaved nanny. She would use these stairs to enter the Prud'homme children's room through a trap door.

The room features a large bed covered by a red and white quilt. At the foot of the bed is a trunk and an area rug covering the wooden floors.

Next to the Children's Room was the Parent's Bedroom. The fine, large pieces of furniture including the 1830s bed display the great wealth during the time cotton was king. Notice the cabinet high on the wall above the ranger. These were added in the 1950s.

A dining room table sits in the center of the room surrounded by chairs. Above the table hangs a triangular shaped Punkah or Shoo fly fan.

The last of the original four rooms on the main level is the Dining Room. Here the Prud'homme's would gather for family meals. Above the dining room table hangs a Punkah fan, also called a Shoo fly fan. The fan was operated by an enslaved child who would pull an attached rope causing the fan to swing back and forth creating a breeze.

Black and white photograph taken in the Oak Allee looking toward the Main House.

The Oakland Plantation Main House and site features including the live oak allée were limewashed annually.

An elderly women, Marie stands with a cane.

Marie worked as nurse to the Prud'homme children. At the time of this photograph in 1935 she was thought to be 104 years old.

8. Main House