Melrose Plantation
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Melrose Plantation
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Melrose Plantation
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| Location | LA 119 off LA 493, Melrose, Louisiana |
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| Coordinates | 31°35′59.94″N 92°58′0.09″W / 31.5999833°N 92.9666917°WCoordinates: 31°35′59.94″N 92°58′0.09″W / 31.5999833°N 92.9666917°W |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Other |
| NRHP Reference # | 72000556 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1972 |
| Designated NHLD | May 30, 1974 |
Melrose Plantation, also known as Yucca Plantation, is a National Historic Landmark in in north central Louisiana. This is one of the largest plantations in the United States built by and for free blacks. The land was granted to Louis Metoyer, who had the "Big House" built beginning about 1832. He was a son of Marie Therese Coincoin, 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 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 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.
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".
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, 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.
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