San Francisco Plantation House

[River Rat]

Historic view of San Francisco, c.1891

The opulent San Francisco Plantation House is a galleried house in the Creole manner that has been pictured in American, British, and Swedish periodicals as one of the major sites of the New Orleans area. Constructed between 1849-50, the San Francisco Plantation House is one of the most ornate of Louisiana's plantation houses. San Francisco, with its potpourri of architectural designs, its immense and ornate roof construction, and the paintings decorating the ceilings and door panels in the house's parlors, exemplifies the "steamboat Gothic" style. The exterior of the home resembles a layer cake, with a simple ground floor where brick columns support the gallery across the front and halfway back the sides. A double stairway leads from this gallery to the second floor gallery where fluted wood columns with cast-iron Corinthian capitals support an overhanging deck. The main living area is on the second floor instead of the ground level. The attic is a Victorian construction that gives the house a unique look with the hip roof pierced by tall dormers with diamond-paned, Tudor-arched windows.
San Francisco's floor plan is unique as well, but the interior's primary significance lies in the fine murals attributed to Dominique Canova. The cost of San Francisco Plantation House, along with the paintings and other interior decorations, may have given rise to the house's name. One legend holds that the French phrase "son saint-frusquin," or "the shirt off his back," was a description of what the construction of the house cost its first owner, Edmond Marmillion. This became mistranslated into San Francisco. Another legend holds that the name celebrated the port of entry to northern California, then undergoing the gold rush of 1849. A further legend states that the name changed from Sans St. Frusquin to San Francisco when Achille D. Bougere purchased the plantation house in 1879. San Francisco was originally preserved by the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Clark Thompson. The house is now owned by the San Francisco Plantation Foundation and has been restored to its former glory.

San Francisco Plantation House, a National Historic Landmark, is located on Highway 44, off River Road, three miles upriver from Reserve.

[KD5GAG (Ron)]

work right behind it.....Marathon

[ACE250]

I pass by it every chance I get ...I wonder whats in that ground.... and how about the big house next to the school and park that has the train on the corner.....

[GrayCloud]

Ace, show us some photos of the old place as it looks today.

[ACE250]

When we go down there which will be soon ...... and i don't forget my camera..... I suffer from CRS

[MrsFury]

I progressed from CRS to CRAFT (can't remember a friggin thing). San Francisco is beautiful and they give a nice tour. If y'all want to peruse some of my albums I have many pics of River Road, Highway 51 and surrounding areas. Hope you like. Go to www.ladayrides.com and see the day trips forum. The link to my albums is right there.

[ACE250]

I know of an old cemetery that has a doll house for a tomb my grandmothers grave is there.. Nice web site...the pictures bring back memories...


Ace

[MrsFury]

Ace - regarding the cemetery, where izzit at? Can I get to it within a couple of hours? Glad you like my site.

[ACE250]

Ace - regarding the cemetery, where izzit at? Can I get to it within a couple of hours? Glad you like my site.

I would think so it is in Independence .... right where the arrows point at the top of the pic.
V
V

[MrsFury]

Ace, you are THE man.

[MrsFury]

Dude hold the phone. I can't find where School Road intersects with Wilson in that manner. Do you have a name for the cem or are you going to make me research it on my own?

[ACE250]

Dude hold the phone. I can't find where School Road intersects with Wilson in that manner. Do you have a name for the cem or are you going to make me research it on my own?

Isn't that the fun of it ..... I don't want to take all the fun out of it....

[MrsFury]

Muh ha ha ha ha I found the cemetery on the map. Going there Saturday. Thanks again Ace.

[ACE250]

your welcome .......have fun .... they have some pretty big oak trees there....

[CopCop]

.... and how about the big house next to the school and park that has the train on the corner.....

Ace, that is probably the Godchaux - Boudesquie House. It was once part of the Godchaux Sugar Plantation, but was moved to the present location on River Road and W. 10th Street in Reserve, LA, to make way for an expansion of the Globalplex facility.

Here's one of Mrs. Fury's pictures from a recent River Road day ride:



The building was supposed to be restored by the River Road Historical Society, but Katrina and Ike put some stumbling blocks in the way.

[ACE250]

thats the one!!!!!!! looks like its been there forever.... I like the little train.....

[ACE250]

Ace, show us some photos of the old place as it looks today.

Here is some crappy cell phone pics Gray Cloud....

[MrsFury]

Hey ACE I found that cem quickly. Thanks for the info! My pics are posted at http://www.ladayrides.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=269 Brought my metal detector. Didn't find anything good.

[ACE250]

But you did find something ?? you have never been to camp Moore ?

[MrsFury]

Nope I had never been. My MIL told me about it. Such a nice ride on 51 I may do it again very soon.

I found screw caps. Weird thing is I got a hit I got and I stuck my diggin' tool in the ground and it was as though somebody just dug it up. Well I dug and dug through some small roots and never did get anything out of the hole. Then my metal detector started acting up. Turns out (I think and hope) it was just a battery problem. So my treasure hunt was cut short.