Melrose Plantation
by Ben Prepelka
Title
Melrose Plantation
Artist
Ben Prepelka
Medium
Photograph
Description
Located in the Natchitoches Parish of Louisiana, the remarkable Melrose Plantation is one of the largest plantations in the United States built by and for free black people. Also known as the Yucca Plantation, the site dates back to 1832. Louis Metoyer, who began construction of the home, was a son of Marie Therese Coincoin and Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer. The Metoyers were free people of color for four generations before the American Civil War.
When Louis Metoyer died in 1832, construction of the Melrose Plantation was taken over by his son Jean Baptiste Louis Metoyer, who died just 6 years later. The young heir, Theophile Louis, was an inexperienced businessman and within five years was in deep debt. By 1847 Theophile Louis Metoyer lost nearly everything he owned and the Metoyer family was never able to regain ownership of the property.
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974, the Melrose Plantation is one of the most popular stops on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.
Uploaded
June 14th, 2021
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Viewed 287 Times - Last Visitor from Milwaukee, WI on 03/28/2024 at 12:54 AM
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Comments (16)
Rick Davis 27 Days Ago
Magnificent photo of this beautiful plantation and enjoyed reading about it! L/F
Kathi Isserman
CONGRATULATIONS your SPECTACULAR image has been FEATURED on the HOME PAGE of SHOWCASING THE SOUTH GROUP. Please add this to the discussion 2021 “FEATURED IMAGE ARCHIVE THREAD.” L Thank you for participating in the group.
HH Photography of Florida
What a beautiful, historic southern plantation homestead, Ben. So charming and elegant. L/fv