As I write this, the cause of what happened yesterday at Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, Louisiana is yet to be determined. What we do know, however, is that the largest remaining plantation house on Louisiana’s famed River Road is now gone.
Around 2PM on Thursday afternoon, staffers at Nottoway (which had become a resort and event venue) noticed smoke in an upstairs bedroom. That smoke quickly became flames, and even though fire crews were on the scene in record time, the blaze quickly grew out of hand.
Early reports were that things were under control and that only one wing of the massive house had been damaged, but as the afternoon wore on - either because of the wind or because of a shortage of water, it became apparent that the fire had spread. Later in the day, the entire roof collapsed.
Nottoway was one of the very few of Louisiana’s great houses that I had yet to visit. Across multiple trips to River Road, it was one that I kept putting off “until next time”.
This has been a week of loss all around. Coupled with the alarming demolition planned for Blowing Rock, NC’s iconic Green Park Inn, and now this tragic fire in Louisiana, I am ready for some happy preservation news.
In the meantime, my heart goes out to the community surrounding Nottoway. One resident yesterday referred to the house as “Louisiana’s Notre Dame”. She wasn’t that far off the mark.
Photo of Nottoway fire, source unknown. Photo of house before the fire via Wikimedia Commons.
Oh no! This was one of my favorite homes on the Mississippi. I hade been there several times, and always enjoyed the tours. I think we even stayed there and ate at the restaurant one time years ago. It is so sad to learn of the destruction of one of these great old houses. Future generations will never get to see their grandeur.
Susan Graben
Even sadder are the comments of parish residents, who regard it as an early Juneteenth gift. It was important in part because it documented a little recognized historical migration: the movement of wealthy Virginia planters into Louisiana in the 15+ years before the Civil War. Depleted land, the desire to be independent of large families,and the profit in sugar production created a boom all along the MS River. Descendents of Martha Washington, the Randolphs, and their ilk made the move for money. Women found the heat and diseases almost intolerable. They disliked French men's habit of socializing w/o women. They missed family. But the migration brought American (cf French) great wealth into the area. The cost for slaves was heavy: sugar production was a 24-hour job in season, and temperatures in the sugar houses were unbearable. When slaves feared being sold Down River, this was why.