Harlem Plantation House

Harlem Plantation House is a raised cottage standing one and a half stories tall with a five-bay front near Pointe à la Hache. Inside, it contains three fireplaces topped with wooden Greek Revival mantels, and the structure sits on approximately 0.4 acres along the east bank of the Mississippi River.

The house was built around 1840 with French Colonial design characteristics of that era. Major renovations took place in 1910, and it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.

The house blends French and Anglo-American building styles that were common in this part of Louisiana. Its large central room with smaller spaces on either side shows how families in the area traditionally organized their homes and daily life.

The house sits along Louisiana Highway 39, roughly 5 miles upriver from Pointe à la Hache on the riverside. Keep in mind that this is private property and difficult to access, so viewing it from the road or water provides the best perspective.

The walls contain original bousillage, a traditional building material made from mud, sand, Spanish moss, and animal hair used in early Louisiana construction. This material demonstrates how people in the region built with the resources they had on hand.