LONGFELLOW-EVANGELINE STATE HISTORIC SITE
LONGFELLOW-EVANGELINE STATE HISTORIC SITE
For generations, a blend of history and legend has drawn visitors to this meeting place of incredible natural beauty and unique historical background. In legend--the area was the meeting place of the ill-fated lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel. In history--it was the meeting place of exiled French aristocrats fleeing the French Revolution, and of Acadians of Nova Scotia seeking refuge after the British expulsion. It was also the meeting place of wealthy New Orleanians escaping the oppressive heat and epidemics of the city. In nature--it is the meeting place of the swamp and the prairie.
At Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, visitors are introduced to the diverse cultural interplay among the French-speaking peoples along the famed Bayou Teche. Many visitors may be familiar with the 1755 expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia, and their arrival in Louisiana, as portrayed in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1847 epic poem "Evangeline." In Louisiana, the story is also known through the poem's local counterpart, Acadian Reminiscences: The True Story of Evangeline, written by Judge Felix Voorhies in 1907.
An Acadian Cabin vividly illustrates how different the lives of the Acadians and Creoles were. Prior to the arrival of the Acadians, or Cajuns, in 1764, the Bayou Teche area had already begun to be settled by the French. Many of these settlers were descendants of the first wave of French settlers in Louisiana. They are sometimes called "Creoles," meaning native, since they were born in colonial Louisiana.
Maison Olivier:
Maison Olivier was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Once part of Louisiana's royal domain, the historic site was first used as a vacherie, or cattle ranch, and later developed as an indigo plantation. A wealthy Creole family acquired the property in the late 18th century, and Charles DuClozel Olivier inherited the property in the early 1800s. Under his management as a sugar planter, the plantation attained its greatest prosperity.
DuClozel built the plantation house, the central feature of Longfellow-Evangeline SHS, circa 1815, with improvements to the home in the 1840s. The structure is an excellent example of a simple and distinctive architectural form called a Raised Creole Cottage, which shows a mixture of Creole, Caribbean, and French influences. The ground floor walls, 14 inches thick, are made of brick from the clays of the adjacent Bayou Teche. The upper floor walls consist of a mud and moss mixture called "bousillage" which is placed between cypress uprights.
The house is furnished with a variety of pieces dating to the mid-19th. The landscape surrounding the home includes native and exotic fruit, nut, and shade trees. Near the Maison Olivier is a barn constructed in the 1820s near Grande Cote. The pasture is home for horses typical of a type common in this area in the 19th century.
In 1934, the property became the first park of the Louisiana State Parks system. In 1974, Maison Olivier was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Acadian Life:
The Acadian Farmstead showcases how a single family home-place would have appeared in the early 19th century.There are two features on site for our visitors to get a glimpse of the lifestyle of the Acadian settlers in this area.
Near the Visitor Center, you will find a charming Acadian Cabin which vividly illustrates how different the lives of the Acadians and Creoles were. This small rustic cabin is furnished with original "Louisiana Cypress" furniture. There is a small garden at the cabin with a variety of culinary and medicinal herbs and plants that were traditionally grown in this area.
This was my first visit to this park and we really enjoyed the tour! Lots of information. The tour guide was entertaining. He answered all of questions. After the visit my kids kept discussing the things we saw and now are super interested in checking out other historical landmarks in Louisiana. 
Share Your Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site Photos (click here)
