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Kent Plantation House
Kent Plantation House.jpg
Kent Plantation House is located in Louisiana
Kent Plantation House
Location in Louisiana
Location 3601 Bayou Rapides Road, Alexandria, Louisiana, USA
Area 4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built 1800
Architect Pierre Baillio II
Architectural style Greek Revival, Creole architecture
NRHP reference No. 71000362
Added to NRHP August 5, 1971

Kent Plantation House is the oldest standing structure in Central Louisiana. Listed since 1971 in the National Register of Historic Places, Kent House is located in Alexandria in Rapides Parish. The plantation house is a representation of southern plantation life between 1795 and 1855. The main structure was erected in 1800. The bousillage Creole house and restored period outbuildings are now a showcase for tourists.

History

Kent Plantation House displays original artifacts from people who worked and lived at the house during its operation.

Buildings

H. Parrott Bacot, former director of the Anglo-American Art Museum at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, led the interior restoration.

The several outbuildings surrounding the main structure are furnished with Federal, Sheraton, and Empire pieces.

The Milk House was built between 1820 and 1830; dairy products, such as cheese, milk, and butter, were prepared and stored there. The Slave Cabin shows the primitive conditions in which the slaves at the plantation lived. The Blacksmith Shop was constructed about 1815. The Kitchen contains an open hearth fireplace for cooking.

Marker Text

The marker at the front entrance of the Kent Plantation House reads:

Kent House, the oldest known standing structure in Rapides Parish, was built by Pierre Baillio, completed in 1800. Baillio constructed the house on land received through a Spanish land grant circa 1794.

Images for kids

  • Kent House, Alexandria, LA, closeup of building IMG 4211

    Close-up of the plantation house

  • Kent Plantation House Visitor Center, Alexandria, LA IMG 4182

    Visitor Center

  • Tour guide at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4216

    Outdoor tour guide at Kent House

  • Milk House, Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4212

    Milk House (constructed prior to 1830)

  • Utensils inside the Milk House at Kent Plantation House IMG 4186

    Various utensils inside the Milk House

  • Kitchen at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4214

    Kitchen

  • Open hearth cooking, Kent Plantation House IMG 4213

    Open-hearth cooking on the plantation; still done on a weekly basis by the Kent House staff

  • Laundry facilities at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4219

    Laundry room

  • Barn at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4234

    Barn at Kent House

  • Blacksmith shop, Kent Plantation House IMG 4228

    Blacksmith shop

  • Bamboo hammer, Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4227

    A wooden hammer

  • Cotton plants at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4229

    Cotton stalks at Kent House

  • Oak tree at Kent House in Alexandria, LA IMG 4245

    Towering oak tree at Kent House

  • Syrup-making center at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4247

    The center for the making of cane syrup at Kent House

  • Cane syrup at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA, IMG 4238

    Cane syrup in trough is ready for use.

  • Bottle tree, Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4246

    Bottle tree, according to southern tradition, would ward off evil spirits.

  • Bousillage exhibit, Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4188

    Bousillage, a mixture of clay and grass, is a key building material of Kent House.

  • Indoor tour guide at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4208

    Indoor tour guide at Kent House

  • Dining table at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4191

    Dining table; the wooden fan from the ceiling was attached to a rope and powered by servants for cooling the room.

  • Parlor at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4196

    Parlor, where tea, an expensive item in that day, was served

  • Boys' bed at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4189

    Boys' bedroom

  • Girls' bedroom at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4201

    Girls' bedroom

  • Master bedroom at Kent Plantation House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4206

    Master bedroom

  • Bathtub at Kent House, Alexandria, LA IMG 4207

    Bathtub in master bedroom

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