Clementine Hunter and the Melrose Plantation

On Sunday, we started our day with a 20-minute drive down the Cane River to visit the Melrose Plantation. There are many former plantations in the area, some privately run and open to visitors and others run by the National Park Service. Melrose is privately run, with a $10 admission, and is worth every penny. While the grounds are not as developed as those at George Washington's Mt. Vernon in Virginia, the tour of the main house is as impressive.

A majestic live oak tree at Melrose Plantation.

The Melrose Plantation has a unique history dating back to 1796, when the main house was built by a family of free people of color, the Metoyer family. The property changed hands a few times before it was purchased in 1899 by Cammie Garrett Henry who established a writers and artists retreat on the property. It stayed in the Henry family until 1970 when the house and other historical buildings were purchased by the Association of Natchitoches Women for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches, now the "Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches."

Captivated by our tour guide, Jeff

John Steinbeck is one of the writers that passed through during the years of the artists' colony, among a number of other authors, it seems mostly Southern writers. However, the now most notable Melrose resident was Clementine Hunter, a field hand, turned housekeeper, turned folk artist. We were lucky enough to see some of her original artwork in the main house (where sadly no photographs were allowed). But, Cole and I also happened to see some of her artwork currently on display in a museum in town on Saturday.

There were a number of buildings on the grounds, but I was really taken by the live oaks. They are simply amazing trees. The furnishings in the home were lovely and unique, and each piece seemed to have a story, which our our guide, Jeff, was very skilled at telling. If you do ever find yourself in Natchitoches, get to the Melrose Plantation.

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