Courtesy of the Holden Family
A passion for the past, pursued for over thirty years, has created Maison Chenal, Pat and Jack Holden’s loving tribute to the vernacular architecture and lifestyle of colonial Creole Louisiana.
One of the oldest settlements in the heart of the Mississippi River Valley's “Creole Plantation Country,” Pointe Coupee Parish is a place of quiet, unassuming beauty that lives close to its land and close to its history, for which reasons its still-standing architectural gems of days gone by continue to attract Antiquarians from all over. Several of its many historic structures and estates have been impeccably restored, such as Maison Chenal, Lejeune House, and White Hall Plantation, the latter of which can even be toured (by appointment only).
The Pointe Coupee Parish Museum, located on the west bank of False River near Parlange Plantation in New Roads, is architecturally significant because it is a rare example of a Creole-style log cabin. Music buffs and literature lovers should know parish is also the birthplace of legendary bluesman Buddy Guy, marked by a historical plaque in Lettsworth, as well as the famed late author Ernest Gaines, best known for his 1971 work The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
This June, the eleventh annual Treasures of Pointe Coupee art extravaganza from the Arts Council of Pointe Coupee returns to the Julien Poydras Museum and Art Center. Local and regional artists have been busy creating work inspired by Pointe Coupee Parish, and the results will form a community-wide multimedia exhibition. The gallery show spans two weekends with additional arts-related activities, including adult and youth art workshops (for a small charge), an Arts Market, Conversations with the Artist programs, a treasure hunt, a Petite Gallerie display, and more. pctourism.org
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