White Hall Plantation House, historic plantation house in Lettsworth, Louisiana, United States
White Hall Plantation House is a two-story plantation house built in 1848–49 by Elias Norwood, attributed to architect Henry Howard, in Legonier on the east bank of the Atchafalaya River, part of Lettsworth, Louisiana. It combines Italianate and Greek Revival elements, with two levels of galleries and a hipped roof. The interior has oak floors, fireplaces and long-leaf pine wall paneling.
White Hall was built in 1848–49 by Elias Norwood and attributed to architect Henry Howard. Its most notable owner was Bennet Barton Simmes, founder of Simmesport, state senator and contributor to Louisiana's Articles of Secession. In 1863 Union General Nathaniel P. Banks used the house as a military headquarters. After a decade of restoration, the house and gardens opened to the public in late 2013.
White Hall takes its name from the Simmes family's plantation; Bennet Barton Simmes, its most notable owner and a slaveholder, founded Simmesport and helped draft Louisiana's Articles of Secession. The house opened to public view in late 2013 as the White Hall Plantation & Gardens, after a decade of restoration work.
White Hall stands in Legonier, a hamlet on the east bank of the Atchafalaya River within Lettsworth. The house was moved back from the river twice in the 20th century, so the levee now lies some distance from the building. The White Hall Plantation & Gardens opened to public view in late 2013 after a decade of restoration.
White Hall's most notable owner was Bennet Barton Simmes, founder of Simmesport, state senator and contributor to Louisiana's Articles of Secession. He is also said to have been a steamboat captain and a Confederate general. The house is attributed to architect Henry Howard and was built in 1848-49 by Elias Norwood.
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