Oakley Plantation House - St. Francisville, LA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Very nice State of Louisiana operated park facility. The grounds and house and all outbuidings are very well maintained. Very nice welcome and visitor center, also has good history. The tour takes about an hour, and all 3 floors are opened. The grounds feature nature walkways through the area. The gardens and immediate big house grounds are well kept. There is a good bit of history found online, but here is the Register application statement, that I found here

OAKLEY PLANTATION HOUSE IS LOCATED IN THE AUDUBON MEMORIAL STATE PARK IN WEST FELICIANA PARISH. CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUSE WAS STARTED IN 1799 ON A SPANISH LAND GRANT BY RUFFIN GRAY, A SUCCESSFUL PLANTER FROM NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI. GRAY DIED BEFORE THE HOUSE WAS COMPLETED. HIS WIDOW LUCY ALSTON FINISHED THE HOUSE AND REMARRIED JAMES PIRRIE OF SCOTLAND. PIRRIE THUS INHERITED OAKLEY AND THE TWO GRAY CHILDREN, RUFFIN JR. AND MARY ANN. TO THIS MARRIAGE A DAUGHTER ELIZA, WAS BORN ON OCTOBER 6, 1805 AT OAKLEY. THIS WAS THE YOUNG LADY WHO INDIRECTLY INTRODUCED THE ASPIRING ARTIST AND NATURALIST JOHN JAMES AUDUBON TO THE BEAUTIFUL FELICIANAS. IN THE SPRING IT WAS CUSTOMARY FOR THE PLANTERS FROM SURROUNDING PARISHES TO BRING THEIR FAMILIES TO NEW ORLEANS FOR SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PURPOSES. IT WAS ON SUCH AN OCCASION IN THE SPRING OF 1821, THAT MRS. JAMES PIRRIE MET AUDUBON. AT THIS TIME AUDUBON WAS IN DESPERATE CIRCUMSTANCES AS HE WAS HARD PUT TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING FOR HIMSELF AND HIS THIRTEEN YEAR OLD, PUPIL ASSISTANT, JOHN MASON, BY GIVING DRAWING LESSONS WHILE WORKING ON HIS MONUMENTAL BIRDS OF AMERICA. MRS. PIRRIE PERCEIVED THAT AUDUBON WAS OF A CULTURED BACKGROUND, BEING SKILLED IN DANCE AND LANGUAGE AS WELL AS ART. AND ACCORDINGLY ENGAGED HIM TO JOURNEY TO OAKLEY AS A TUTOR TO MISS ELIZA. THE ARRANGEMENT REQUIRED THAT AUDUBON SPEND HALF HIS TIME TEACHING DRAWING TO MISS ELIZA. HE WAS OTHERWISE FREE TO ROAM THE WOODS AND WORK ON HIS PAINTINGS. FOR THIS AUDUBON WAS TO RECEIVE SIXTY DOLLARS A MONTH PLUS ROOM AND BOARD FOR HIMSELF AND YOUNG MASON. AUDUBON ARRIVED AT OAKLEY JUNE 18, 1821. OF HIS FIRST IMPRESSION HE WROTE IN HIS JOURNAL: “THE RICH MAGNOLIAS COVERED WITH FRAGRANT BLOSSOMS, THE HOLLY, THE BEECH, THE TALL YELLOW POPLAR, THE HILLY GROUND AND EVEN THE RED CLAY, ALL EXCITED MY ADMIRATION.” AUDUBON'S STAY AT OAKLEY DID NOT LAST LONG. ON OCTOBER THE 20th OF THE SAME YEAR HE SET SAIL FOR NEW ORLEANS. ALTHOUGH HIS STAY LASTED ONLY FOUR MONTHS, HE PAINTED THIRTY-TWO OF HIS FAMOUS BIRD PICTURES AND DEVELOPED A LOVE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL WEST FELICIANA. OAKLEY HOUSE CONTAINS MANY ANTIQUES OF THE 1790-1830 FEDERAL PERIOD AS WELL AS EXAMPLES OF AUDUBON'S PAINTINGS. THE HOUSE AND GROUNDS RECEIVE HEAVY VISITATION BY LOUISIANA RESIDENTS, OUT OF STATE VISITORS AND STUDENTS.

Street address: 4.5 mi. E of St. Francisville in Audubon Memorial State Park St. Francisville , LA USA 70775 County / Borough / Parish: West Feliciana Year listed: 1973 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Periods of significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824 Historic function: Domestic. Sub - Single Dwelling Current function: Recreation And Culture. Sub - Museum Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2009 To: 12/31/2009 Hours of operation: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Privately owned?: Not Listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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