Laura, the big plantation house, which was mainly used to conduct business
transactions rather than a home for the family, rests on top of 72 brick pyramids touching each other at 8 feet below ground and provides a solid
foundation on a house that would otherwise be resting on silt.
The original house was painted in ochre, dark green, red, gray and
mauve. Formerly named the Duparc Plantation, the name was changed to The Laura
in 1874. You can find the family tree here
Alcee Fortier recorded the folktales of Br’er Rabbit in one of the
slave cabins in the 1870s. These were tales passed down from West African slave descendants.
There are lots of interesting stories surrounding The Laura and we had an interesting and enthusiastic guide, Norman Marmillion, who is the current owner of The Laura. If you're planning a trip to the plantations between New Orleans and Baton Rouge this is well worth a visit.
A manuscript penned by Laura Locoul Gore (1861-1963) has been published (with comments by Norman and Sand Marmillion) and Memories of the Plantation Home gives a detailed account of life on Louisiana Plantation.
