Over 300-years old a Ormand is a grand Louisiana Plantation near New Orleans...
A land grant stretching from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain, the tract came to be known as Ormond Plantation. In the heart of Louisiana's German Coast, Ormond first produced indigo, then became a lucrative sugar plantation.

The Ormond mansion view with a nearby structure for the distinction of being the oldest restored plantation home in the lower Mississippi River Valley.

Ormond's architecture is of the French West Indies style, a rare example of the building style of the earliest plantation homes along the Mississippi River.

Ormond is a house of mystery, of laughter, of prestige, and of hard times. Ormond was host to soldiers heading to the Battle of New Orleans. Ormond was bombarded by the Federal Navy, and captured by Federals during The War Between the States. At least one of Ormond's former slaves served with the Union Army.

German Coast
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Ormond has its ghost stories and tales of mysterious events which have formed the history of the plantation.

Today, the Ormond Mansion is on a 16 acre site. The home is available for guests to enjoy the history, hospitality, and grandeur of the Old South.

Taken from the "The Times Democrat",
a New Orleans publication...

Of the innumerable traditions about ante bellum residents, there is one that should be related. Perchance the central scene of the tale is the Ormond house, which you see a short while after turning your face the road from the Red Church. Having already described a few of the ante bellum mansions, it is only necessary to say that the Ormond house is a residence characteristic of the country seats of the past. Looking through the intervening yard, which is overgrown with rare trees and flowers you discern that it is a large, quaintly proportioned two-story structure, with an annex, or wing on either side, each stretching across the yard to slightly elevated spots of ground, beneath which are darksome wells, well-walled and well-domed with bricks and cement. The house obstructs the view of the grange in the rear. But go stairs, through the corridors and to the rear of the balcony of the right wing and then you see the old brick negro quarter houses, the stables, barns and ante bellum pidgeon houses, the large, old fashioned fireplaces looming through the shattered portals of the back yard buildings. Far away are the ruins of the old sugar house, one of the first sugar mills erected in Louisiana. A tottering chimney and crumbling walls, the last of the sugar house, are reflected in the pool beyond the ruins.

In old times, runs the legend, when the splendor and glory of the plantation were in bloom, some ghostly being came gliding into the house. Night had fallen, and the bats were coursing erratically in the gloom of the trees and the weeping moss, occasionally swooping about the chimney tops and gibbering at the wind which moaned at every corner. A steamboat appeared, slackened its speed, then landed at an old warehouse which stood a short distance above the house yard. A negro was sent to acertain the object of the landing. When he reached the landing place the boat was speeding away. He looked about in vein, for nothing was there. Returning by a road under the trees in the pasture he ran almost into something that was darker than the night. He started back. The blackness vanished. He ran frantically into the plantation house and swore that he had seen a ghost.

Late that night a man who was the solitary occant of the cental portion of the house wondered over these events. Strange it was, that landing of the boat, and a ghost? A gust of wind swept down the gallery in front, struck a stairway that led to the balcony of one of the wings, then rumbled into the garret, entering an open trapdoor. The noise reverberated on and on, as though it rolled into some deep, noisome chasm. Ha, ha, ha! A ghost! What was that in the adjoining room? Was there really something moving? Horrors! What thing was that obstructing the dim light seen through the transom above the front door? The ghost, like all other ghosts either had a "passe partout" or, had passed through the keyhole. The man became unnerved, and was in the hand of a merciless terror: yet he lay motionless and silent. Slowly did the dark figure move. The man knew not just where, yet he knew that it was gliding about in the room. Then a cold shivering almost fleshless hand touched his face. A cry of horror broke from his lips.

Years afterward an old mulatto woman was dying in New Orleans. As her life ebbed away her mind wandered.

"Ha, ole marse done gone," she cried excitedly: "yes, he's done gone erway. But he never would er died so soon if dat debil did; yes, he tuck ole marse's place 'cuse, he sed, marse owed him er lot o' money, an' poor ole marse just grieve hissef ter def. But I fix him. Yes, I fix him. De day after ole marse wuz buried, I tuck de boat an' skurred de old debil till he b'lieve de sperit done call him fur de jedgment day."

Footnote: Further research is being conducted in regards to other known ghost stories surrounding the Ormond Plantation.

Ormond Plantation Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Circa 1787
13786 River Road, Destrehan, Louisiana 70047
Phone 985-764-8544 | Fax 985-764-0691 or info@plantation.com

River Road Historical Society
13034 River Road
P.O. Box 5
Destrehan, Louisiana 70047

985-764-9315
Fax: 504-725-1929

Plantation Homes Near New Orleans Madewood Plantation Madewood Plantation, one of Louisiana's majestic antebellum plantations, operates a Bed and Breakfast, allowing visitors to sleep in the plantation home on genuine antiques. Open for tours daily: 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.(last tour). For information, please call 1-800-375-7151, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or write to us at 4250 Hwy. 308, Napoleonville, LA 70390. Our fax # is 985-369-9848. Official Web Site www.madewood.com Oak Alley Plantation Truly the quintessential Greek Revival Antebellum Plantation, it is one of the most visited of the plantations and antebellum homes along the river. Oak Alley Plantation, Restaurant & Inn 3645 Highway 18 (Great River Road) •- Vacherie, Louisiana USA 70090 Phone: (225) 265-2151 or 1-800-44ALLEY •Fax: (225) 265-7035 E-mail: ContactUs@OakAlleyPlantation.com Official Web Site www.oakalleyplantation.com Nottoway Plantation Home Nottoway Plantation is a great bed & breakfast, and its grand white ballroom is a favorite for weddings. At the edge of sugar cane fields, Nottoway stands overlooking the Mississippi River. This enormous mansion, completed in 1859, reflects an unusual combination. Greek revival architectural elements blend with innovations that were the fanciful desires of the original owner. Not only is the floor plan irregular, but the house contained many elements that were innovative and rare in the mid-19th century, such as indoor plumbing and hot and cold running water. Today Nottoway is open daily to the public. Take a guided tour, stay overnight, have dinner, perhaps even get married in this magnificent plantation! Official Web Site www.nottoway.com Beauregard House at Chalmette Battlefield Site of the Battle of New Orleans in 1814–1815, (the last battle of the War of 1812), the Civil War Chalmette National Cemetery, and Beauregard House. Also located on the Chalmette Battlefield grounds, and serving as a museum and visitor center, is the Beauregard House. Beauregard House was never used as a plantation, and was built in 1830. It is named for René Beauregard, its last owner, the son of the Civil War Confederate General, P. G. T. Beauregard (whose monument is at the entrance to City Park, at the north end of Esplanade Avenue). While many visitors arrive by automobile, many also arrive by riverboat, the Chalmette Battlefield being part of the tour. Destrehan Plantation Destrehan Plantation was built in 1787, originally of West Indies architecture, but later renovated to the then popular Greek Revival Style. It is the oldest documented plantation house left intact in the lower Mississippi Valley. The plantation bears the name of its builder, Jean Noel Destrehan, who acquired the estate from his father-in-law, Robin de Longy. It was here that the process of producing granulated sugar was perfected, and helped to establish sugar cane as the major crop of the area, replacing indigo. After years of neglect, restoration is now continuing. Today, the house is open for guided tours, and is available for dinner parties, wedding receptions and special events. Destrehan Plantation 13034 River Road Destrehan, Louisiana 70047 Phone: (985) 764-9315 (Local from New Orleans) Fax: (985) 725-1929 E-mail: DestPlan@aol.com Ormond Plantations Two historic Antebellum Plantation Homes within 30 minutes of New Orleans are Destrehan and Ormond Plantations. Claiming to be the oldest French West Indies style plantation in the lower Mississippi valley, Ormond was also built in the late 1700's. Like most of the early plantations of the area, it began as a farm for indigo, but later switched to the more profitable sugar cane crop. Originally acquired as a French land grant, the plantation stretched from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. During its long history, it was the focal point for parties and celebrations, a prize to be captured during the Civil War, makeshift housing for troops heading to the Battle of New Orleans, and more. Today the estate is but a mere 16 acres, but is restored, as closely as possible, to the way it was during its prime. It is privately owned, and the owner lives in the house. Several rooms are available to guests as a Bed and Breakfast, allowing visitors to savor the atmosphere of the 19th century, with a view of the mighty Mississippi River from the upper gallery. It is becoming quite a popular place to have weddings and honeymoons. For added intrigue, Ormond, also, has its own ghost story. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Circa 1787 13786 River Road, Destrehan, Louisiana 70047 Phone 985-764-8544 | Fax 985-764-0691 or info@plantation.com www.plantation.com Laura Plantation Home Laura, a French Creole Plantation Home, claims to be the American Home of Br'er Rabbit. Despite a devastating fire on August 9, 2004, Laura Plantation has continued to offer visitors what Lonely Planet calls "The Best History Tour in the U.S." The morning following the fire, guests continued to come. And they still do. Laura Plantation 2247 Hwy 18 Vacherie, LA 70090 tel: 225 265 7690 / fax: 225 265 7960 info@lauraplantation.com   /www.lauraplantation.com La Branche Plantation Dependency House La Branche Plantation Dependency House on the River Road in St. Rose, LA is what we call a Garconniere. La Branche Plantation Dependency House, on the River Road in St. Rose, LA, is an interesting stop on the Southeastern Louisiana Plantation tour, because it is a visit to a plantation home that no longer exists. All that remains is the Dependency House, which had a function that is pretty much what the name implies. It is what we usually call a Garconniere (French for bachelor quarters). La Branche is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Zweig family, of Germany, built the plantation in 1792. Because of neglect, the effects of the Civil War, the economics during and after Reconstruction, and the division of the property among heirs, there is little left to indicate what was once there, save for "an alley" of Oaks. The site of the main house is on private land, and is not accessible to anyone, without the permission of the owners. The Dependency House is on land currently owned by the Lentini family, and is open to the public. Included in the inventory is the actual bathtub of Zachery Taylor. www.labrancheplantation.com Houmas House Plantation One of the most visited Antebellum Plantation Homes near New Orleans. It was used as the filming location for the film "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charolette," starring Bette Davis. Not only do tourists come by the busloads, but locals may make the drive to spend a couple of hours on the grounds, followed by lunch in nearby restaurants, before returning home. Houmas is a home with the architectural style that most people envision when they think of the old plantations. It was used as the filming location for the film "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charolette," starring Bette Davis. Located in the small river community of Darrow, LA, it sits on a few acres on the Mississippi River, much smaller than the 20,000 acres that it once had. The present Houmas House was built in 1840 by Col. John Smith Preston, on land originally owned by the Houmas Indians, hence the name. www.houmashouse.com

 

 

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