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40-545: Melrose Plantation , also known as Yucca Plantation , is a National Historic Landmark located in the unincorporated community of Melrose in Natchitoches Parish in north central Louisiana . This is one of the largest plantations in the United States built by and for free people of color. The land was granted to Louis Metoyer, who had the "Big House" built beginning about 1832. He was a son of Marie Thérèse Coincoin ,

80-607: A buyer willing to pay $ 4,500 (~$ 128,555 in 2023) cash. The new owner, an Irish immigrant merchant named Joseph Henry, had married into a prominent local family. He gave the property the name Melrose, by which it is still known. Analysis of glass and nails from the site confirms three major periods of occupancy of Yucca House, c. 1807–1821, c. 1874-1888 (renovation likely after the 1884 purchase by Joseph Henry), and c. 1916-1930 (renovation by Henry's son John and his wife Carmelite "Miss Cammie" Henry). Assessment of remains of European ceramic ware indicates initial occupancy of Yucca House

120-533: A former slave who became a wealthy businesswoman in the area, and Claude Thomas Pierre Métoyer. The house was completed in 1833 after Louis' death by his son Jean Baptiste Louis Metoyer. The Metoyers were free people of color for four generations before the American Civil War . The Métoyer family was derived from Marie (a former slave and Claude, a Spanish military gentleman who bought and married Marie. They had many children (free POC,) but they were also one of

160-769: A mission church by Louisiana Creole Nicolas Augustin Metoyer, St. Augustine is celebrated as the first church in Louisiana to be built by and for free people of color . It is also among the oldest churches founded and built by and for African Americans . The church and cemetery are within the Cane River National Heritage Area , and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Because of its significance in Catholic and Creole history, St. Augustine also

200-588: A parish in its own right, St. Augustine expanded to serve four other churches in the area: St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda , St. Anne Church (Spanish Lake) (serving the Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana ), St. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne , and St. Anne Chapel at Old River . A second church burned in the early 1900s. It was replaced by the present-day church building, which was completed in 1917. Tradition holds that early furnishings included paintings of patron saints Augustine and Louis, in honor of

240-463: A strong center of the " Creoles of color " community. Construction began on the "Big House" at Melrose before the 11 March 1832 death of Louis Metoyer. His son Jean Baptiste Louis Metoyer completed the construction in 1833. At J. B. L.'s death in 1838, his $ 112,761 estate (roughly $ 2,600,000 in 2007 purchasing power ) was divided between his young widow Marie-Susanne "Susette" Metoyer and a minor son, neither with any experience in financial matters. Amid

280-601: Is a marked destination on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail . Tradition holds that the church was established by Nicolas Augustin Metoyer in 1803 and that services have been held continuously since then. Historical records challenge the local lore. Parish records document the founding of the Chapel of St. Augustine "as a mission of the church of St. François of Natchitoches" in July 1829, shortly after

320-795: Is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500, or roughly three percent, of over 90,000 places listed on the country's National Register of Historic Places are recognized as National Historic Landmarks. A National Historic Landmark District sometimes called a National Historical Park may include more than one National Historic Landmark and contributing properties that are buildings, structures, sites or objects, and it may include non-contributing properties. Contributing properties may or may not also be separately listed or registered. Prior to 1935, efforts to preserve cultural heritage of national importance were made by piecemeal efforts of

360-464: Is recorded on May 20, 1736 in the oldest Catholic Registry in the Louisiana colony. Brevelle was granted the island by David Pain, the subdelegate at Natchitoches in 1765 for his service to the French and Spanish crowns as a Caddo Indian translator and explorer of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. The Metoyer brothers were two of ten children of the French merchant Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer and

400-457: The Créole de couleur Metoyer family who built the chapel. Seated behind them were the families of prominent white planters and other Creoles within the community with surnames Blanchard, Brevelle, Garcia, Landry, and Lemoine. Post-Civil War, St. Augustine chalked up another apparent first in U.S. racial history: its own congregation by this time was almost exclusively people of color; but, it served as

440-844: The Historic American Buildings Survey amassed information about culturally and architecturally significant properties in a program known as the Historic Sites Survey. Most of the designations made under this legislation became National Historic Sites , although the first designation, made December 20, 1935, was for a National Memorial , the Gateway Arch National Park (then known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) in St. Louis , Missouri. The first National Historic Site designation

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480-606: The United States Congress . In 1935, Congress passed the Historic Sites Act , which authorized the interior secretary authority to formally record and organize historic properties, and to designate properties as having "national historical significance", and gave the National Park Service authority to administer historically significant federally owned properties. Over the following decades, surveys such as

520-535: The 1970s, featuring a portrait of Nicolas Augustin Metoyer posing in a Prince Albert coat and swath of green fabric. This painting had been part of the Melrose Planation and went up for auction in the 1970s, the pastor of the church brought the oldest descendants of Nicolas Augustin Metoyer to the auction and they pleaded to be allowed to purchase the painting for the Isle Brevelle community and for display in

560-406: The 1970s, together with an archaeological investigation that began at Melrose Plantation in 2001, have uncovered evidence that both confirm some aspects and challenge other elements of local tradition about the complex. Research shows conclusively, through original contemporary records, that the core tract of 911 acres was granted in 1796 to Coincoin's second son, Louis Metoyer, not to Coincoin. As

600-819: The 50 states. New York City alone has more NHLs than all but five states: Virginia , California , Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York, the latter of which has the most NHLs of all 50 states. There are 74 NHLs in the District of Columbia . Some NHLs are in U.S. commonwealths and territories, associated states, and foreign states . There are 15 in Puerto Rico , the Virgin Islands , and other U.S. commonwealths and territories ; five in U.S.-associated states such as Micronesia ; and one in Morocco . Over 100 ships or shipwrecks have been designated as NHLs. Approximately half of

640-467: The French Créole brothers Hypolite Hertzog and Henry Hertzog—with the latter acting as agent for his sister Jeanne Fanny (Widow Dassize) Bossier. The Hertzogs and Bossier then operated a cotton plantation , in partnership, until 1880. Like most planters of the region in the wake of the American Civil War and Reconstruction , they struggled financially and were able to do little to improve or maintain

680-410: The Metoyer brothers, as well as an altar brought from Europe by other family members. The original bell that hung in the belfry above the vestibule is said to be the one still in use. An image of the original church survives as a backdrop in the contemporary oil portrait of its founder that hangs in the church today. An oil painting titled Papa Augustin Metoyer (c. 1836) has hung in the church since

720-508: The Metoyer family, Melrose Plantation is the major regional site for National Park Service interpretation of the history of Creoles of color in the region. In 2008, the state included Melrose Plantation among the first twenty-six sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail. National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark ( NHL ) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that

760-634: The National Historic Landmarks are privately owned . The National Historic Landmarks Program relies on suggestions for new designations from the National Park Service, which also assists in maintaining the landmarks . A friends' group of owners and managers, the National Historic Landmark Stewards Association, works to preserve, protect and promote National Historic Landmarks. If not already listed on

800-780: The National Register of Historic Places, an NHL is automatically added to the Register upon designation; about three percent of Register listings are NHLs. Washington, D.C. is home to three specifically legislated exceptions to this rule: the White House , the United States Capitol , and the United States Supreme Court Building . All are designated as NHLs, but are not on the National Register. St. Augustine Parish (Isle Brevelle) Church Established as

840-548: The National Register, or as an NHL) often triggered local preservation laws, legislation in 1980 amended the listing procedures to require owner agreement to the designations. On October 9, 1960, 92 places, properties, or districts were announced as eligible to be designated NHLs by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton . Agreements of owners or responsible parties were subsequently obtained, but all 92 have since been considered listed on that 1960 date. The origins of

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880-485: The United States secretary of the interior because they are: More than 2,500 NHLs have been designated. Most, but not all, are in the United States. There are NHLs in all 50 states and the national capital of Washington, D.C. Three states ( Pennsylvania , Massachusetts , and New York ) account for nearly 25 percent of the nation's NHLs. Three cities within these states, Philadelphia , Boston , and New York City , respectively, all separately have more NHLs than 40 of

920-508: The Yucca House site south of the river suggests it was first occupied after 1810. Augustin Metoyer and his brother Louis were notable for founding and building the St. Augustine Parish (Isle Brevelle) Church in Natchez, Louisiana , the first in the state built by free people of color. The plantation is significant for its long occupancy by the Metoyer family, which was prominent in Isle Brevelle,

960-532: The Yucca House, the Ghana House, and the Africa House, plus some outbuildings. The plantation was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Since the 1970s, additional documentary evidence has been found that disproves the asserted identity of the founder. In addition, no evidence has been found to support the tradition that the property was originally named Yucca Plantation. Early twentieth-century owners named

1000-587: The children of a French-American father and African mother, Louis and his siblings were considered multiracial " Créoles of color ." Similar to the Metoyer siblings, many multiracial Creoles became educated property owners, particularly in New Orleans, Opelousas , and the Cane River and Campti areas of Natchitoches. Although not legally freed by his white father until 1802, Metoyer evaded Louisiana's Code Noir that prohibited enslaved men from being granted land. This

1040-518: The church was constructed. The mission was recognized in 1856 as a parish in its own right, and authorized a resident priest. When Father Jean Baptiste Blanc consecrated the chapel for religious use (19 July 1829), he reported that it had been "erected on Isle Brevelle on the plantation of Sieur Augustin Metoyer through the care and generosity of the above-named Augustin Metoyer, aided by Louis Metoyer, his brother. ... The said chapel ... having been dedicated to St. Augustine, shall be considered as under

1080-620: The church. For many years an annual festival for the Isle Brevelle community has been held at St. Augustine Church. The first Creole to settle the area is Jean Baptiste Brevelle II. Isle Brevelle and Bayou Brevelle are named for him. Brevelle was an 18th-century explorer and soldier of the Natchitoches Militia. He is the son of Jean Baptiste Brevelle , a Parisian-born trader and explorer, and his Adai Caddo Indian wife, Anne des Cadeaux . The baptism of Jean Baptiste Brevelle II

1120-414: The early history of the site, its owners and construction. In 2008, the state included Melrose Plantation among the first 26 sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail . In 1974, the National Park Service described the site as follows, based on historical knowledge at the time: Established in the late 18th century by Marie Therese Coincoin, a former slave who became a wealthy businesswoman,

1160-432: The extant buildings as part of promoting the plantation as a cultural center. A 2002 study of Creole building practices showed that there was no evidence of African traditions in the architecture. The so-called Ghana House is a simple log cabin type common in the area. Similarly, Africa House has been shown to be of design and building techniques similar to French rural structures of the time. Historical investigations from

1200-517: The financial depression that followed the Panic of 1837 , the mother and son fell heavily into debt. After the mother emancipated the teenaged Théophile Louis Metoyer from the disabilities of minority, creditors filed a series of lawsuits. The Louis Metoyer Plantation went on the auction block. On 22 March 1847, the Louis Metoyer plantation was struck off at $ 8,340 (~$ 231,232 in 2023) to the highest bidder,

1240-578: The first National Historic Landmark was a simple cedar post, placed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition on their 1804 outbound trek to the Pacific in commemoration of the death from natural causes of Sergeant Charles Floyd . The cedar plank was later replaced by a 100 ft (30 m) marble obelisk. The Sergeant Floyd Monument in Sioux City, Iowa , was officially designated on June 30, 1960. NHLs are designated by

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1280-431: The former slave Marie Thérèse Coincoin , sometimes (albeit erroneously) called Marie Thérèse Metoyer. He had initially leased her services as a domestic and concubine. When the parish priest filed charges against the black Coincoin for bearing mixed-race children while living in the residence of a white man, and threatened to sell her away to New Orleans, Metoyer bought her from her owner and privately manumitted her. Across

1320-410: The grounds of Yucca Plantation (now known as Melrose Plantation) contain what may well be the oldest buildings of African design built by Blacks, for the use of Blacks, in the country. The Africa House, a unique, nearly square structure with an umbrella-like roof which extends some 10 feet beyond the exterior walls on all four sides, may be of direct African derivation. Buildings include the main house ,

1360-426: The largest plantations and owned slaves themselves. The Association for Preservation of Historic Natchitoches owns the plantation and provides guided tours. Some early twentieth-century traditions associated with the plantation, such as its first owner and origins of architectural style, have been disproved by historic research since the 1970s. An archaeological excavation begun in 2001 has revealed more evidence about

1400-504: The mother church for the predominantly white congregation of Mission Ste. Anne on Old River . The original structure has not survived. Union forces during the Red River Campaign of May 1864 were said to have torched the first church. On March 11, 1856, the mission of St. Augustine at Isle Brevelle was decreed by Bishop Auguste Martin to be a parish in its own right and assigned Fr. Francois Martin to be its first resident pastor. As

1440-494: The property. (The debtors who sued them included the widow of J. B. L. Metoyer.) In December 1881, the Metoyer-Hertzog-Bossier Plantation (still unnamed at this point) was sold at auction to satisfy an 1879 judgment rendered against Hertzog-Bossier in Louisiana's Fifth District Circuit. The purchaser, F. R. Cauranneau of New Orleans, held the land and houses as an absentee owner until April 1884, when he found

1480-404: The protection of this great doctor." Tradition also describes the role of Augustin's brother Louis (founder of the nearby Melrose Plantation , a National Historic Landmark ), as the chapel's designer and builder. The Church of St. Augustine is distinctive among Southern churches of all denominations for its racial role reversals. Surviving pew records show that the front seats were occupied by

1520-657: Was made for the Salem Maritime National Historic Site on March 17, 1938. In 1960, the National Park Service took on the administration of the survey data gathered under this legislation, and the National Historic Landmark program began to take more formal shape. When the National Register of Historic Places was established in 1966, the National Historic Landmark program was encompassed within it, and rules and procedures for inclusion and designation were formalized. Because listings (either on

1560-551: Was post-1810, contrary to the 1796 date that historians earlier had proposed. Real estate broker Robert Andrew Wolf, Jr. (1930–2016) of Alexandria , Louisiana, and his partner, John Wasson designed the current Melrose Plantation structure. They sold the building in 1970. Wolf was a past president of the Alexandria-Pineville Board of Realtors and in 1984 was named "Realtor of the Year". Because of its strong association with

1600-603: Was probably due to his father's wealth and standing. Contrary to the 1970s-era assessment of the property, which dated the construction of Louis Metoyer's first residence (Yucca House) to the mid-1790s, review of three land surveys of 1813 show that Louis Metoyer's residence was then south of the Red River (and south of the center of the Melrose complex). It was at the eastern edge of the plantation settled by his elder brother Augustin Metoyer. The archeology study of European ceramic ware at

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