Riverlake, Antebellum plantation mansion in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.
Riverlake is a raised plantation mansion built in Creole style on the west bank of False River in Pointe Coupee Parish. The estate was expanded over several decades and features two preserved pigeonniers from 1820 along with two original slave cabins.
Initial construction began around 1820 with the main house and pigeonniers. Subsequent expansions between 1850 and 1890 added new architectural elements that reflected changing Southern building styles.
The property preserves two original slave cabins from a larger group of thirty, now separately registered as the Cherie Quarters Cabins. These structures tell the story of daily life for enslaved people who lived and worked on this land.
Visitors can access detailed documentation about the property through the National Register Database, which contains maps, photographs, and historical records. Advance reservation is required to tour the grounds.
Author Ernest Gaines was born at Riverlake and spent his childhood near the slave cabins on the grounds. These early experiences shaped his influential literary works, which explore themes of race and freedom.
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