Melrose Plantation, Yucca House, State Highway 119, Melrose, Natchitoches Parish, LA

See HABS No. LA-2-69-A for photographs of the same.

1995 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Fourth Place

Significance: Yucca Plantation, now known as Melrose, was established in the last quarter of the 18th century by a remarkable family of freed slaves, and contains what is certainly one of the most significant collections of buildings of African-American origin to be found in the United States. Of the nine buildings presently on the property, five of these, Yucca House, the African House, Ghana House, the Big House and the Barn, date from the period of African-American ownership. Yucca House was the original plantation owners' house before the Big House was built in 1847. Ghana House was moved onto the ground in the 1930's, but is contemporary with the others.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N187

Survey number: HABS LA-2-69-C

Building/structure dates: ca. 1780 Initial Construction

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 72000556

houses african americans slavery melrose plantation melrose plantation yucca house yucca house highway state highway natchitoches parish natchitoches parish natchitoches parish la louisiana images black history month black history month robert alfonso richard bisson william r brockway peter christensen chad cronin anne gautreaux john henry jeanne hezeau historic american buildings survey christopher johnson regan kelley school of architecture louisiana state university claude thomas metoyer doug neff james spanelli marie therese judith verges photo race relations 18th century library of congress national register of historic places

1933 - 1970

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html