White Hall Plantation House, historic building, plantation in Simmesport, Louisiana
White Hall Plantation House is a Renaissance Revival structure in Louisiana completed around 1849, combining Greek Revival and Italianate design elements throughout its form. The two-story wooden and brick building features two levels of galleries with octagonal columns, tall windows with distinctive light patterns, and a hipped tin roof, while the interior contains oak floors, working fireplaces, and long-leaf pine wall paneling.
The house was constructed around 1849 by Elias Norwood as a residence for one of his children and remained in family hands through much of the 1800s. During the Civil War in 1863, Union Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks occupied it as a military headquarters, with cannon fire from river battles leaving marks on the structure.
The house served as the center of plantation life for generations, with the nearby river shaping daily routines and trade patterns. Visitors can observe how families organized their lives around this building and the waterway that sustained their economy.
The house sits near Lettsworth, Louisiana, roughly 300 feet from the river levee and is accessible by local roads through the surrounding countryside. The property offers visitors grounds to walk around and view the exterior and restored gardens, with the front porch and dual gallery levels providing the clearest view of the building's architectural details.
The structure was moved twice in the early 1900s to protect it from flooding as the nearby Atchafalaya River shifted its course, with crews using mule teams and carts to relocate the entire building away from rising water. These dramatic relocations preserved a structure that had been damaged by cannonballs during the Civil War and left abandoned for decades.
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