Louisiana’s largest remaining antebellum mansion, Nottoway Plantation, burned to the ground this week after a fire broke out Thursday (May 15).
Flames engulfed the historic structure that was originally built in 1859 to be used a plantation house. According to CBS, nearly a dozen fire departments from surrounding towns battled the blaze,
The fire is believed to have started in one of the bedrooms on the second floor, but the cause is still under investigation. After initially putting the fire out, firefighters went to every floor to ensure all flames and hotspots were out.
Its website describes it as “the South’s largest remaining antebellum mansion.”
On Friday (May 16), Iberville Parish President Craig Daigle issued a statement addressing the fire.
“While its early history is undeniably tied to a time of great injustice, over the last several decades it evolved into a place of reflection, education, and dialogue,” he wrote. “Since the 1980s, it has welcomed visitors from around the world who came to appreciate its architecture and confront the legacies of its era.”
The 53,000-square-foot home on a former sugar plantation about 65 miles northwest of New Orleans had a three-story rotunda adorned with giant white columns and hand-carved Italian marble fireplaces, according to a description on its website.
When the fire initially began, officials said the owners had committed to rebuilding and making repairs in line with historic preservation. As of now, however, the owners say they are unsure what they will do.
Social Media Reacts
“All Smiles as a plantation burns in the background”, an X user posted along with a picture seemingly happy for the decimation of the historic fixture.
Another X user wrote, “NottowayPlantation, once the home of over 150 enslaved Africans under John Hampden Randolph caught fire yesterday afternoon.” He continued, “That land carries centuries of pain, and it seems the ancestors had time today. Some debts don’t stay buried.”