St Michael The Archangel at Poche Plantation in Convent

The town of Convent was settled in the late 1720's and early 1730's but was called Baron at the time. St. Michael The Archangel was established here in 1809.

St Michael the Archangel Church

St Michael School

The Louisiana State Historical Marker is across Highway 44 from St Michael at the base of the levee.

This afternoon we stopped in at the cemetery located behind St Michael where we knew we would find some historically significant tombstones.  There are several Poches buried in this cemetery and a good number of the families markers are Acadian.

We were surprised, however, to see many recently deceased in this old cemetery. Again, several Poches were among the recent burials.  Time has not been kind to the older graves and headstones. This plaque says it all...

Because this area is so close to sea level (just 16') and the Mississippi River, the dead are not buried as deep as they are in most places.  Standard depth graves would result in caskets rising out of the earth.  Most cemeteries around this area have burial vaults above ground. 

Another common site around these parts are these mud mounds.This one stood about 6" high and was about 6" in diameter. I think crawfish make them.

From the side.

From directly overhead

Houmas House On River Road in Burnside, Louisiana

Houmas House Plantation and Gardens

Houmas House as it looks today.

Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, often called The Sugar Palace, calls itself the crown jewel of Louisiana's  River Road. It's one of the South's oldest and most beautiful plantation estates.

Plantation Entrance off River Road

A view of Houmas House through the front garden.

We visited Houmas House on Sunday. The gift shop was among the most colorful and festive places I've ever seen and I couldn't resist snapping some of the bling... 

Wayne looks through the literature... I'm captivated by the color and sparkle.

Many glitzy and weird Mardi Gras items available to purchase...

Thousands of glittering ornaments for sale.  Not cheap.

These are "Doll Lady" handmade dolls. 
Genuine "Doll Ladies" are sold exclusively through area plantation home gift shops. Also not cheap.

With temperatures in the 80's, the breeze in the tree filled yard kept the temperature much cooler for our stroll. As usual, I checked to see if strollers were allowed and then proceeded to bring Lexie and Ozzie along for a ride.

The side yard.

The grounds held some of the most beautiful Live Oak I've ever seen.

Wade Hampton, the largest sugar producer in Louisiana and the largest slave holder in the South, built Houmas House in the late 1820's. It is one of the first great columned mansions of the Mississippi River. The name comes from the Houma Indians who were the first owners of this land. Sadly, there's not much more than a hint of reference to them here now.

Pop takes a turn strolling the furkids.

Another favorite of today's pictures.

Several buildings are located on the grounds.  The one behind me is a tiny tavern.
The huge tree limb makes an arch over the walkway.

John Burnside purchased Houmas House in 1858 and began accumulating sugar cane plantations and became the largest sugar planter in America with over 300,000 acres of crop.

The two story building on the back of the home was the first structure to be built on the property.
Here, I'm standing under a huge wisteria archway.

This vine covered walkway provided a nice cool and shady stroll.

This one was taken along the side of the house. The rust colored building is the old one.

While the Japanese garden was nice, it didn't seem to fit.
I don't know why they have included this on the property.

Leaving the mansion gardens...

One last photo among the roses and azaleas.

Houmas House was the setting in "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" starring Bette Davis.

Poché Plantation and Convent

A large group booked all available spaces at Lakeside RV Park in Livingston for the weekend so we pulled up stakes and relocated to Convent... about halfway between Gonzales and LaPlace, Louisiana. Convent (pronounced Couvent in French) is the seat of Saint James Parish and is in the heart of Cajun Country.  The town, first called Baron, was settled around 1722. Convent is situated on the east bank of the Mississippi River and is just 16 feet above sea level.

We are staying at Poché Plantation Campground and this is our campsite:

The site is concrete with nice facilities.  The road, however, is made of dirt and large rocks.

Leaving the coach on our way to our "free tour"

Inside our new Big Blackie

The current owner of Poché Plantation calls it a "full service resort" and advertises a Bed and Breakfast along with the large but somewhat cluttered, overgrown and dusty campground.  Throughout the area, statues, art oddities and tree carvings like these are seen...

This is the nearest tree carving to our campsite.
It's chock full of carvings... crawfish, bear, otter and other animals. A brown pelican carving is atop.

This is the locally famous "Alligator Tree" with an eagle on top.

A closer view of the alligator. It's very good chainsaw carving.

About Poché Plantation Home...
Poché Plantation is architecturally unusual with Victorian Renaissance styling. Most plantations in this area are more along the Greek revival style. Poché Plantation is located along Highway 44 directly across from the levee of the Mississippi River. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

That's our car... and the Wayner alongside the house.

Judge Felix Pierre Poché built the namesake plantation home in 1867. Until that time, the land was a 160-acre sugar cane plantation. Poché maintained the plantation as a residence until 1892 when he moved to New Orleans and sold Poché Plantation to Judge Henry Himel.

The plantation mansion's dormer windows make it somewhat unique.

A grand old porch goes around three sides of the mansion and a separate quarters are to one side.

Looking out from the front porch the levee obscures the view of the river.
Poche plantation home is one of only two ever moved by the Army Corp of Engineers. 
It was moved back (on rolling logs) some 275' feet from it's original location along the bank of the river bank.

Poché was an attorney, Louisiana Supreme Court Justice and co-founder of the American Bar Association. He was distinguished in his lifetime for work in the courtroom and as a diarist on the battlefields during the Civil War. His famous diary and it's detailed description of the world of a Confederate in Louisiana during the Civil War made him a controversial figure. Judge Poché wrote his Civil War diary in French. The diary which has been translated and published has long been an important resource for Civil War scholars. It is exceptional because there are only a handful of Confederate diaries describing the Civil War in print.

Locals have deferring opinions of Felix Poché. Some speculate he was a Northern spy.

As campground guests our visit here includes a tour of the mansion at which time, we met the current owner, who boasts he bought the property at absolute auction in which he was the only bidder.  Mark is a Louisiana native whose diction is undoubtedly authentic Cajun.  It took some time to get accustomed to his fast speaking dialect and understand everything he said.  He has a wonderfully refreshing humorous style, claims no serious knowledge of the history of the plantation home and kept us all in stitches during the tour. 

Current owner, motorcycle riding, sugarcane growing, tour guide, Mark.
An authentic and colorful Cajun fellow.

Mark welcomed four couples of us on the front porch of the mansion Saturday morning.
He "flew" across the yard on a yellow motorcycle and parked it right in front of the steps.

It's difficult to capture Mark with the camera as he is in constant motion.
In this room he's telling the story of the Poche Plantation ghost, Robo.

A good bit of the Poche Plantation home furnishings were donated.
Here, Mark is describing the circumstances surrounding the large wall hanging.  He accidentally tore it.

The second floor of Poche Plantation is available to guest to rent for a weekend and the price seems fair at $249. We snapped a couple more pictures here...

The upstairs hallway has a nice view overlooking the rear gardens and fountain.

The mansion tour lasted nearly two hours and we were ready for lunch when the group finally broke.We retrieved Lexie and Ozzie from the coach and headed out for a sightseeing drive and lunch. 

This is a typical view here.  Refineries, plants and sugar cane everywhere!

Approach to the bridge going across the Mississippi River to Donaldsonville.

A view from the bridge.  We could see seven barges at one time coming upriver.

Occidental Plant

A nice view of the bridge span.

Tomorrow we'll try to see the church and cemetery down the road.