Magnolia Mound Plantation House shows history of Louisiana’s colonial time, offers tours
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Magnolia Mound Plantation House is a place where visitors can step into history to get a glimpse of Louisiana’s colonial period.
According to a National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, the plantation house “has both significance and beauty” and shows visitors a typical late 18th-century settlers house from the French and Spanish colonial period in Louisiana.
Documents said the name Magnolia Mound comes from the property’s location resting on a high mound around oak trees.
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The nomination form cites the Archives of the Spanish Government of West Florida to identify the home’s original owner as James Hillen, an early settler in 1786. Its next owner was Irish man John Joyce, who bought the property the day before Christmas Eve in 1791. Historic documents said he “mysteriously drowned in Mobile” in May 1798.
Joyce’s widow, Constance Rochon, married Armand Allard Duplantier, described in the form as a former captain of the Continental Army under Marquis de Lafayette and “a most influential personality in the city.”
Since then, Magnolia Mound had different owners and undergone renovations in its long history. Now the property is home to a historic museum operated by BREC, Baton Rouge’s parks and recreation agency.
According to BREC, Magnolia Mound is 16 acres and has a mission to show the lifestyle of the French Creoles and the colonial era. The museum offers educational programs, workshops, lectures and events. Visitors can take tours to see a collection of furnishings and art from the era.
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Tickets for guided tours are $12 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for children ages 5-7 and free for children under the age of 5. Tickets for self-guided tours of the grounds are $5 per person.
Hours for Magnolia Mound, located at 2161 Nicholson Drive, are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday.
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