Kate Chopin House

Kate Chopin House was a residential building in Cloutierville constructed in the early 1800s and known for its traditional Louisiana construction methods. The structure displayed handmade brick walls, hand-hewn cypress boards, and bousillage techniques characteristic of the period's local building practices.

Built between 1806 and 1813 by Alexis Cloutier, the founder of Cloutierville, the residence later housed author Kate Chopin and her family from 1879 to 1883. During her time there, Chopin gathered experiences and stories that would shape her later literary output.

The house stood as a crossroads where French Creole traditions met American literary expression. It shaped how Chopin experienced and wrote about the world around her in this river community.

The building was completely destroyed by fire in 2008, and its National Historic Landmark status was withdrawn in 2015. Visitors can explore the history of this location through local museums and historical markers throughout Cloutierville.

Before its destruction, the house contained original artifacts from the 1800s that documented the daily life of plantation families along the Cane River. These objects provided tangible windows into the material realities of a region whose stories Chopin preserved in her writing.