This Week’s Historic House Puzzle! ~ Oak Alley.
Click here to go to the free online puzzle: https://yourhistorichouse.com/oak-alley-puzzle/
I visited Oak Alley Plantation on my drive from New Orleans to Natchez, MS, last month. The impressive Greek Revival style mansion in Vacherie, Louisiana, has a colonnade of 28 colossal columns surrounding the house’s four sides. It was built in 1837-39 for Jacques Telesphore Roman.
Equally significant is the double row of giant live oak trees which form the oak alley, about 800 feet long, planted before the existing house was constructed, from which the property derives its name.
An important event in American horticultural history occurred in 1846-47, when Antoine, an enslaved gardener at Oak Alley, first successfully grafted pecan trees. His work resulted in the first named variety, Centennial, and the first commercial pecan orchard in the U.S.
Long recognized as symbols of Southern culture, the historic houses of the plantation south are also monuments to the fine craftsmanship and labor of the often-enslaved carpenters who built them and the other enslaved people whose labor paid for these beautiful buildings.
All aspects of home restoration are covered in “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/ and through the shop on this page.
© Scott T. Hanson 2023
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