Page 10 - THE BOOK MCLHHC
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MAISON CHENAL & LACOUR HOUSE PROPERTIES & COLLECTION A Louisiana French Creole Tout Ensemble
The Nicholas LaCour House, built in Pointe Coupee Parish in the early or mid-1700s, is one of the oldest existing buildings in the Mississippi River Valley. After it was renovated and moved many times by various owners, the Holdens rescued the house from neglect in 1996 and restored it to its original appearance. “Some people think it was part of the Fort of Pointe Coupee,”
A closer look at the exterior of the LaCour House reveals its colombage or half-timber frame.
Even the Holdens’ fowl friends have historically accurate living quarters. The poulaillier, or hen house, bears a series of symbols carved by a Cajun medicine person.
A Louisiana-made low-post bed in the LaCour House is topped with traditional mosquito netting.
Atop the fireplace mantel in Maison Chenal’s salon are five cups and saucers in an arrangement referenced in a mid-18th-century French encyclopedia.
A dusty buggy takes cover under the eaves of an old split barn acquired from a farm in Natchitoches.
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