Memories of the Old Plantation Home: A Creole Family Album

by Laura Locoul Gore

Book Overview

Soft cover paperback, 166 pages, text copyright 2000, photo's copyright 2000. A Documentary on the Memories of The old Plantation Home in St. James Parish, Louisiana on the right bank of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970559100
• ISBN13: 9780970559104
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: The Zoe Company
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.0" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating Look At the Creole Lifestyle

I really enjoyed this book. I am always interested in social history but sometime it can be dry to read, this was not. It was a fast read, both entertaining and educational. It was a fascinating look at the Creole lifestyle before and after the Civil war. Everything is so beautifully described you feel like you have been there and know these people personally. Only problem is now I want to go visit Laura Plantation!

Wanting to Learn More

Having spend springbreak with grandkids in Louisiana, I am intrigued to learn more of the plantation life. These books were for my daughter and I as we both enjoyed the trip and touring the plantations. The books were in great conditions and very speedy delivery, about 5 days from ordering. Thank you

An Invitation Into The Creole World

"Memories of the Old Plantation Home" invites the reader into the world of Creole Louisiana. It is centered on the family of Laura Plantation, a Creole sugar plantation just west of New Orleans. The bulk of the book is the memoirs of Laura Locoul Gore, who, born into the family and the business, chose to leave it for the world of the man she loved. Eventually, when her own children ask about her life, she wrote down everything she could remember about the old days at Laura. The manuscript remains unknown until the restorers of Laura tracked it down and brought it to publication. It is this book which brings the house to life. It use for this purpose reminds me of how Julia Grant's memoirs are used to enliven her home, Whitehaven. Laura's story includes both the legends of her ancestors and her own memories. Beginning with Laura's great-grandparents, Guillaume DuParc and Nanette Prud'homme, she tells how the families got to Louisiana and how they started the plantation which would be the family business for over a century. Progressing to her own life, Laura tells of the joys and disappointments, the monotonies and surprises and the characters who came into and out of her world. She tells of her the travels of her family between Europe and Louisiana as well as her own domestic journeys with family and friends that opened her mind to the broader world. Laura's story is supplemented by the co-authors, Norman and Sand Marillion, managers of Laura Plantation. They tell of the search which they made to discover Laura's treasure and complete it with other information about her family which they have derived from other sources. I found this to be a very interesting book. The plantation life that is so foreign to anything makes it fascinating reading. Laura lived in Webster Groves, Missouri, the suburb just east of my own. The thought that people I know could have known someone with such a story to tell makes me wonder what stories are within acquaintances of mine. What makes this book unique is its introduction to Creole life. There are other stories about plantation life in the Cotton or Tobacco Kingdoms of the Old South, but few, if any, others which have as their subject the Creole culture which lived alongside the Anglo South. This book illustrates that the Old South was a mosaic of peoples and not the uniform monolith envisioned by many. For any student of French America or the American South, this book is indispensable.

Step back to the Old South and have a sip of Mint Julep

I purchased this book at the gift shop at Laura Plantation, which was named after the author. From the very beginning, Laura sweeps you back into her Creole childhood. Memories introduces all of the owners of the plantation home and their stories and then Laura preceeds to tell you her story and how she came to own it and leave it. After a visit back to the home in her later years with her children, she decided to write down all of the memories that were coming back to her as her children had a vast thirst for what she had come from. Laura also wanted her children to understand why she chose to leave the Creole life behind. Included are small anecdotes of the families/plantations near their home as well of her stories from her time in New Orleans when she served as a maid for the Rex Krewe ball one Mardi Gras season. It is a exceptionally well-written memoir and a must-read for any history buff, visitor to the Laura Plantation (best tour of the River Road plantations IMHO) or someone that loves old plantation homes.

satisfying journey into the past

I collect womens diaries and memoirs from the Civil War era as well as the pioneer era. This book is a must have for southern plantation buffs. I felt like Laura was personally introducing to each member of her family. The wonderful old photographs add so much to the text. Not sorry I bought this one and it will definitely stay in my collection.