PLANTATIONS AND PETROLEUM

My goal for today was New Orleans, Louisiana and the route I chose would introduce me to a small town with a population just over 3,500 called Norco, Louisiana. 

Norco, whose name is derived from New Orleans Refining Company, is home to a Shell Petroleum Refinery Company, one of the largest petrochemical facilities in the United States.

I pulled out of Mobile, Alabama at 9:00am and shut off the rental car engine in front of Lovecchio’s Deli in Norco, Alabama at 11:30am.

It was 1978 when owner Sondra Keegan opened her doors for the first time to Lovecchio’s Deli in New Orleans. August 23, 2005 a category five hurricane hits New Orleans. Katrina caused catastrophic damage as it pushed it’s way along the gulf coast. Sondra was helpless as 12 feet of water soaked her business for the next 22 days. 

Picture showing Hurricane Katrina damage

But the business wasn’t all that Sondra lost.   Over the next 2 years she faced multiple losses including her house, her car and her kids school washing away.  If that wasn’t enough to crush anyone, Sondra also went through a divorce and found herself  living in a FEMA trailer for one year.  Still her dream to re-open the Deli never faded and in 2007 Lovecchio’s Deli  re-opened in Norco, Alabama.   

It was lunch time and Norco was only ten minutes out of my way. I was heading toward San Francisco Plantation. I decided to make the stop in Norco and I am glad I did.  

Inside Lovecchio's Deli

Inside Loveccho's Deli

Owner Sondra Keegan has truly perfected her dishes over the years.  I opted for her suggestion of veal parmesan and it was unlike any I have ever tasted.  It had a wonderful sweetness to it, served on a bed of angel hair pasta and covered in a marinara sauce.  It came with a caesar salad and slice of french bread. I couldn’t resist trying a small cup of the corn and crab bisque. It was fantastic!  I jokingly asked Sondra if I could guy a gallon and she agreed but at a cost of $65. I passed on the offer. 

Veal Parmesan (half order)

After consuming everything in front of me, I now felt ready to head to San Francisco Plantation. It is only 15 miles from Lovecchio’s and 40 minutes from downtown New Orleans.

San Francisco Plantation House is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River and sits majestically among centuries old Oak trees. Tours begin every 20 minutes daily except Christmas and New Years.  The admission fee of $20 seemed high to me at first but when you compare it to others in the area it's actually reasonable.  Whitney Plantation charges $22 and Laura Plantation charges $25.

You will find the tour guides here dressed in period attire and you will be able to view all 14 rooms of the plantation and grounds during the 45 minute tour.

Ownership of San Francisco Plantation:

Elisee Rillieux    (from 1827-1830)

In 1827 Elisée Rillieux, a free man of color, began buying tracts of land and slaves to establish a sugar cane plantation in St John the Baptist Parish. Elisee sold the property in 1830 to Edmond Bozonier Marmillion for the sum of $100,000 dollars. 

Edmond Bozonier Marmillion  (from 1830-1856)

Purchased the property from Elisee Rillieux in 1830.  Edmond died in 1856. 

Marmillion Family  (from 1856-1879)

The day after the death of Edmond Bozonier Marmillion, his son Valsin returned from Europe and took control of the plantation that included eighty slaves valued at sixty-six thousand dollars.  In the years that followed, the house was occupied by his son, Valsin: his son, Charles: and Valsin’s family which consisted of his wife, Louise von Seybold and three daughters.   Valsin died of tuberculosis in 1871.  Valsin’s brother Charles helped his mother sustain the estate until he passed away in 1875.  Four years later, in 1879, Louise sold the property to Achille D. Bougère for $50,000 and moved to Germany. 

Achille D. Bougere   (from 1879-1905)

Achille Bougere suffered severe financial problems while living at San Francisco Plantation and died in 1887, leaving the property to be managed by his wife and son.  In 1905 the heirs sold the property to Schmidt and Ziegler Ory for $80,000. 

Schmidt and Ziegler Ory  (from 1905-1973)

In 1905 the Ory family purchased the property.  In 1954 The Ory family leased the home to Mr. and Mrs.  Clark Thompson who were responsible for opening the home to the public. Ultimately the plantation became one of a group of land parcels acquired by the Energy Corporation of Louisiana Limited, as the site for a refinery in 1973.  

Energy Corporation of Louisiana Limited  (from 1973-1976)

The assembled property, including the then nearly completed refinery, was purchased by the Marathon Oil Company in September 1976. 

Marathon Oil Company  (1976-current)

The San Francisco Plantation Foundation was created and a massive restoration project undertaken.  It is currently operated by the River Road Historical Society. 

With all the grandeur and elegance presented at the San Francisco Plantation one must not forget the dark side of plantation life. African labor became integral to the growth of Louisiana in the early 1700’s.  In March, 1724 the “Black Code of Louisiana”  was signed giving superior status to French, Germans, English and other Europeans, and inferior status to Africans. By the onset of the Civil War, there were more large plantations, like San Francisco, in Louisiana than anywhere else in the South. More than 1,000 planters in Louisiana owned more than 70 Africans each.  With this realization in mind, it’s time to tour the San Francisco Plantation.

As I stepped through the main entrance my eyes were drawn to a candy-colored building with ornate trim.  It could have been taken from a page in a children's storybook.  This was my first view of the main house.  Resembling the shape of a steamboat, this is the image that inspired novelist Frances Parkinson Keyes to write "Steamboat Gothic".

Main House at San Francisco Plantation

Once you have made your way to the gift shop and secured your admission ticket you can freely stroll the property until you hear the bell ringing at the main house.  

 

This is the indication that your tour is ready to begin. Cheerfully greeting me at the doors to the main house was Dudley Stadler III.  

Tour guide Dudley Stadler III

Dudley is a retired school teacher of 16 years and began guiding at San Francisco Plantation just a year earlier.  His love of history is ever apparent but it was his theatrical side that made the tour enjoyable.  First comes the heavy French accent of the character Edmond Bozonier Marmillion.  Throughout the remainder of the tour Dudley will introduce you to six more voices of colorful characters associated with the San Francisco Plantation.  

Early in the tour Dudley will draw your attention to a plot map hanging on the wall dated 1858.  Most notable is an area from Natchez to Baton Route.  This is an area where you find most of the cotton plantations as this is considered the dry area and much more conducive to “cotton” production.   The land from Baton Route to New Orleans is mostly in sugar cane production.  This is considered the “wetter” area and more conducive to the sugar cane production.  Most plantation owners were looking for long and narrow plots of land with river frontage in the front and swamps in the back.  This is because everyone wanted river access for transportation and swamp access for natural resources such as wood for building and animals for eating.

The grounds have two 8,500 gallon cisterns, one on each side of the home.  These cisterns would trap the rainwater and filter it through a system of charcoal and sand.  House access to the water was available from one of the three spigots located on the ground floor. 

8,500 gallon cistern

Edmond Bozonier Marmillion is said to have only wanted two things in life – a business and a family.  He secured his business by inheriting $100,000 and spending it all on San Francisco Plantation in 1830.  For his investment Edmond received 38 slaves, 832 pickers, a sugar refinery, and a house.  The original house was destroyed by flood of 1852.  From 1853-1856 the current house was built with the use of 12 slaves.

Edmond Bozonier Marmillion

As you progress through the main house, Dudley provides great detail on each room, the history, and the furnishings. 

I found the wine room to be an interesting place to put a bath and shower. This room also contains what are believed to be the only remaining pieces of the original plantation furniture; the wine rack and the bottle-drying table. 

The downstairs dining room would allow the owners to enjoy a four-course meal plus dessert, with each course consisting of five to six items.   

Some of the floors appeared to be covered in red carpet but in reality it was red brick dust mixed with sand, mixed with concrete.

The doors are cypress painted to resemble English Oak. 

Along with original paint, 90% of the original wood and 85% of the original windows are in the home. 

The kitchen sinks are called “dry sinks” because they have no drainage. After bailing the water out you wanted to be sure and wipe the sink out thoroughly or you would end up with mosquitoes. 

You will be able to view an original 1852 Wheeler and Wilson 185 sewing machine that was purchased as an anniversary gift for $90.  It could only produce a single chain stitch.

In 1850 the American Chair Company of New York manufactured five chairs made of cast iron that would not only roll but swivel with a spring-rocking action.  The chair was exhibited at the Crystal Palace in 1851. The only known remaining one in existence today is on display at San Francisco Plantation.   

You will see several bird cages in the home.  These were not for pet birds but were used as carbon monoxide detectors.  Carbon monoxide would be emitted from fireplaces and lamps.  If a bird was found dead the windows would quickly be thrown open and everyone exit the house.   

The boudoir daybed is one of the finer pieces of New Orleans rosewood furniture in the house. Other pieces in the room include a rosewood Duchesse and a rosewood reading stand, a chaise longue and a goose-neck rocker. The hangings are of blue silk taffeta.

It has been said that San Francisco Plantation is haunted but I won’t be sharing here about one of Dudley’s encounters.  Take the tour and you can decide for yourself.  

In the bedrooms take note of the beds.  They are stuffed with Spanish Moss.  The moss is collected, boiled and then placed on drying racks.  The bed moss is replaced every four to six months.

When in the Gentleman’s parlor take a close look at the doors.  They display the seasons of the year.

The ceilings are hand painted with some including 24K gold corners.

The schoolhouse and slave house are also located on the property.

Next - A brief stop at The Ormond Plantation. A short 30 minute drive from San Francisco Plantation is the Ormond Plantation, also located on the east side of the Mississippi River. 

Entrance to Ormond Plantation

In the 1780’s a tract of land was gifted by Spanish Governor Don Bernanrdo deGalvez to Pierre D'Trepagnier.  The main building was completed just prior to 1790.  In 1805, Colonel Richard Butler bought the plantation home from Mrs. D'Trepagnier.  He named his new home "Ormond," after his ancestral home, the Castle Ormonde in Ireland.  Mr. and Mrs. Butler lived in the home for a couple of years but fear of yellow fever led them to leave Ormond.  Ironically, they both died of yellow fever.

Like many plantations of the South, Ormond also fell on hard times following the Civil War. Fortunately the home was occupied by the Union soldiers during the war so it was not destroyed.  It changed hands twice before being sold at public auction in 1874, and again in 1875.  It was then bought on December 1, 1898 by State Senator Basile LaPlace, Jr.  After the death of Senator LaPlace, Ormond passed from LaPlace's widow to his mother and then to the Schexnayder family, all happening during the year 1900. The Shexnayders held the property until 1926 when they lost it to the Inter-Credit Corporation. Records seem to indicate that a number of tenants occupied the house and land in the late 1920's and through the 30's.  Thanks to it's original construction, it was restored and renovated by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Brown, adding modern conveniences, such as indoor plumbing, gas and electricity.

Since 1996 Ormond has been under the ownership and care of the Carmouche family.  The restoration process continues as the plantation now plays host as a B&B, restaurant and wedding venue.  As a B&B there are 6 rooms located upstairs, all with private baths.  Rates start at $160 for a standard room. Admission for tours is $12 for adults.

 Outside you will find the original stables, as well as some newer stables that will eventually be renovated and rented out.  Ormond also hosts many weddings throughout the year.