Laura Plantation House

The Laura Plantation house is one of the last surviving examples of French Creole architectural style remaining in Louisiana. In the mid-1990s, after being empty and abandoned, the home and surrounding outbuildings were saved from razing by Norman and Sand Marmillion. The couple restored the house to its near original beauty and began an epic journey to research the history of the Duparc-Lacoul family who lived in the home and ran the plantation for four generations. The home was constructed by highly-skilled slaves, probably of Senegalese descent, using pre-fabricated methods, typical of early Louisiana vernacular structures. The home incorporated building techniques and materials that helped the residents live in the heat and humidity of south Louisiana. Today, the home and grounds are open for tours that provide an insightful look into the life and times of a Creole sugarcane plantation and the family who owned and operated it. In 2016-2017, I was commissioned by the Marmillion's to photograph and write personal essays for a gift book about Laura Plantation. I have extensive photographs fo the exterior and interior of the plantation home, outbuildings, and grounds including the remaining slave quarters.