Audubon State Historic Site

Two blacksmiths demonstrate how they used to create metal tools, horseshoes and other metal objects in the early 19th century at the Audubon State Historic Site. (Photo courtesy Louisiana State Parks)

Visit where the famous artist drew his inspiration

Born Jean-Jacques Rabin in 1785 in what is now Haiti, but better known as John James Audubon, the famed explorer, sportsman, ornithologist and artist, lived for a time in St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish.

The son of a French naval officer, Audubon spent about four months at Oakley Plantation in 1821. While at Oakley Plantation, Audubon earned his keep by teaching art to Eliza Pirrie, the daughter of James Pirrie and Lucretia “Lucy” Alston Pirrie, owners of the plantation.

“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. Such an entire change in the fall of nature in so short a time seems almost supernatural, and surrounded once more by numberless warblers and thrushes, I enjoyed the scene,” Audubon wrote of the place.

Audubon earned extra money by selling artworks. He walked through nearby forests to paint the birds he saw living in the area. He incorporated many of his paintings into his most famous work, The Birds of America.

“While at Oakley Plantation, Audubon painted more than 30 pictures for his Birds of America project, making the site one of the better documented locations for his internationally known work,” said John R. House III, the park manager for the Audubon State Historic Site. “While here, he referred to his time spent at Oakley as his ‘happy time.’ Visitors may also see some of the first edition prints of the birds he painted while at Oakley.”

Tours

Today, visitors to the Audubon State Historic Site can walk where Audubon drew his inspiration for his beautiful paintings. The grounds now cover about 100 of the original 3,100 acres. People can walk along a mile-long nature trail to see where Audubon observed wildlife and painted some of his most famous works.

People can also tour the historic Oakley Plantation house. The cotton plantation began in 1795 as a Spanish land grant while Spain ruled Louisiana. The house itself dates to 1806, restored to how it looked in 1821 when Audubon lived on the property.

Dominated by the historic Oakley Plantation, John James Audubon lived on this property in 1821. The Audubon State Historic Site covers about 100 acres. (Photo courtesy Louisiana State Parks)

“By 1815, the present Oakley House was finished,” House said. “In the early 1800s the governors of Louisiana and Mississippi often visited here. The sounds of guns could be heard in 1864 as troops fought across the plantation grounds during the Civil War. After the Civil War, the farm went through a slow decline with large sections sold off through the years. In 1947 the state of Louisiana bought the property to create the park we see today.”

Back then, people built kitchens separate from the main houses because of the prevalence of fires. People can see a reconstructed detached kitchen, built on the old foundations around the original chimney. The kitchen building also contains a weaving room, plus an ironing and wash room.

“We give daily tours of the plantation house,” House said. “The grounds include the kitchen building, barn and two cabins that once were home to enslaved workers. There is also a picnic area as well as pavilion and a museum.”

Programs and activities

People can visit the site at 11788 Highway 965 in St. Francisville every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“Besides daily house tours, the park presents many different programs and activities throughout the year,” House said. “These include birding, Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactments, school days, historical crafts demonstrations, such as blacksmithing or open-hearth cooking, special grounds tours and more.”

For more information on the Audubon State Historic Site, call 225-635-3739 or 888-677-2838. Online, see www.lastateparks.com/historic-sites/audubon-state-historic-site.

About John N. Felsher 75 Articles
Originally from Louisiana, John N. Felsher is a professional freelance writer, broadcaster, photographer and editor who now lives in Alabama. An avid sportsman, he’s written more than 3,600 articles for more than 173 different magazines on a wide variety of outdoors topics. He also hosts an outdoors tips show for WAVH FM Talk 106.5 radio station in Mobile, Ala. Contact him at j.felsher@hotmail.com or through Facebook.