Magnolia Plantation: Cultural Landscape Report, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, National Park Service

Heritage Landscapes, LLC

Magnolia Plantation is located along Highway 119 near Derry, Louisiana on a bend along the Cane River. The approximately 18‐acre parcels1 that makes up the Magnolia Unit of CARI are largely surrounded by agricultural fields. Magnolia Plantation was established by the LeComte2 family in the late 1700s as one of the largest cotton plantations within Natchitoches parish. Its success relied heavily on enslaved labor. During the Civil War, the main house burned, but was rebuilt by the early 1890s, while the remaining outbuildings remained untouched. After the Civil War, much of the formerly enslaved population remained on the plantation, becoming tenant farmers, sharecroppers, and day laborers. These families remained on the plantation grounds until the early 1970s, when mechanization of agriculture shifted labor practices. In the late 1970s, approximately 18 acres was split from the main plantation grounds and donated to a non‐profit organization called Museum Contents who worked to preserve the slave/tenant cabins on the property. The organization owned the property until 1994 when Cane River Creole National Historical Park was established. Museum Contents donated two tracts of land to the National Park Service for the new park. The first parcel included 17.71 aces transferred in January 1996, while the second .52‐acre parcel was transferred in February 1998. Magnolia Plantation was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 2001. The NHL district includes the remaining historic structures, which include a blacksmith’s shop, store, cotton picker shed, garage, overseer’s house, eight slave/tenant cabins, gin barn, and cotton screw press. In addition, the property includes historic patterns and features directly related to the 200‐year occupation of the landscape. These features include field patterns, remnants of gardens, historic trees, fences, ditches, and natural features. Today, the National Park Services owns and maintains an 18.23‐acre parcel, while the Hertzog family (descendants of the LeComte family) retain ownership of the rest of the plantation grounds, including the main house. In the early 2000s, a lot of preservation work was carried out on the historic structures, though landscape features have been largely neglected. As the park continues to develop and grow, treatment guidelines and recommendations are needed to ensure NPS maintains the plantation’s historic character. Additionally, a number of cultural landscape features are at risk—affected by the local environment, strong storms, and pest infestations, which has led to a steady degradation in condition. The CLR is needed to minimize the loss of critical character defining landscape features by providing sound, systematic management guidance.

Magnolia Plantation: Cultural Landscape Report, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, National Park Service

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