Madewood Plantation House

Madewood Plantation House
Front of the house
Madewood Plantation House is located in Louisiana
Madewood Plantation House
Location within Louisiana
LocationOn Madewood Road, about 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Napoleonville
Coordinates29°55′37″N 90°59′40″W / 29.927°N 90.99444°W / 29.927; -90.99444
Area18 acres (7.3 ha) (landmarked area)
10,000 acres (4,000 ha) (maximum plantation size)
Built1846
ArchitectHenry Howard
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.73000860[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 30, 1973
Designated NHLMay 4, 1983[2]

Madewood Plantation House, also known as Madewood, is a former sugarcane plantation house on Bayou Lafourche, near Napoleonville, Louisiana. It is located approximately two miles east of Napoleonville on Louisiana Highway 308. A National Historic Landmark, the 1846 house is architecturally significant as the first major work of Henry Howard, and as one of the finest Greek Revival plantation houses in the American South.[2][3]

Description

The Madewood Plantation House is located on the northern bank of Bayou Lafourche, on manicured grounds separated from the bayou by Highway 308. It is a two-story 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) masonry, built with massive brick walls that have been finished with stucco scored to resemble stone blocks. Its five-bay facade is fronted by a six-column Greek Revival temple front, that has Ionic columns rising to a broad entablature and fully pedimented gable with a half-round louver at the center. The second-level gallery has a delicate carved balustrade. The main block is flanked on the right by a rectangular ell, and the left by an L-shaped one that extends beyond the rear of the main block. The interior exhibits high quality woodwork, mostly cypress, with some of it painted to resemble other materials, such as marble, oak, and other exotic woods.[3]

History

A photo of the facade of the Charlet House at Madewood Plantation
The Charlet House, the historic former home of a riverboat captain that was relocated to the grounds of Madewood by Keith Marshall when faced with demolition.
Historical marker at Madewood

The mansion was built for Colonel Thomas Pugh in 1846[4] and was designed by architect Henry Howard in Greek Revival style.[5] The house was originally the manor house for a 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) sugar plantation.[2][6][7]

Thomas Pugh was the half brother of William Whitmell Hill Pugh, who owned the Woodlawn plantation, and Alexander Franklin Pugh, part owner of the Augustin, Bellevue, Boatner, and New Hope plantations.[8] Thomas Pugh died of yellow fever in 1852.[5][7] During the Civil War, the lawns were used by Union troops as a hospital.[5]

Robert Lee Baker purchased the house and plantation in 1916. It comprised 3,000 acres, of which 1,000 acres were under cultivation.[9]

The Madewood house was then purchased by Harold ("H.K.") and Naomi Damonte Marshall in 1964. Naomi led a major restoration that was completed in 1978[4] and secured National Historic Landmark status.[2][3] Their sons, Keith and Don Marshall, co-founded the Madewood Arts Festival in 1979, which featured performers from the Metropolitan Opera, the English National Opera, and New York City Opera. In 1983, Keith opened the home to the public and started a bed and breakfast on the property.

During the period of the Marshalls' stewardship, Madewood was featured in the New York Times,[10] the Los Angeles Times,[11] Country Roads Magazine,[12] and other publications. In 1966, Naomi Damonte Marshall hosted future first lady Pat Nixon and her daughters Tricia and Julie Nixon.[13]

Madewood was sold by Keith Marshall to artist Hunt Slonem in March 2018. In June 2026, Slonem sold the property.

The plantation has been featured in several film and television productions, including A Woman Called Moses (1978), Sister, Sister (1987), and The Beguiled (2017).[14]

Portions of Beyonce's visual album Lemonade (2016) were filmed at the location.[15]

The music video for J. Cole's "G.O.M.D." (2015) was filmed at the plantation.

The music video for Aztec Camera's "Oblivious" (1983) was filmed at the plantation[16]

Actor Brad Pitt once stayed at Madewood while practicing his lines for Interview with the Vampire, which was filming nearby.[17]

Louisiana Public Broadcasting's A Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse & Co. featured Madewood on Episode 4 of Season 5.[18][19]

Photographer Clarence John Laughlin photographed Madewood for the The Waters of Memory (Madewood Plantation) and The Luminous Columns (No. 3).[20]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Madewood Plantation House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 Polly Ann Matherly (March 30, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Madewood Plantation House" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 19. (1.90 MB)
  4. 1 2 "Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana". National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Anne Butler (April 2, 2009). The Pelican Guide to Plantation Homes of Louisiana. Pelican Publishing. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-1-58980-709-9.
  6. ↑ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Madewood Plantation House Historical Marker".
  7. 1 2 Bourgeois, Leslie. "PUGH (THOMAS AND FAMILY) PAPERS" (PDF). Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections Special Collections. Hill Memorial Library Louisiana State University Libraries Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  8. ↑ "A Guide to the Pugh Family Papers, 1807-1907". The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  9. ↑ Miller, Mike (1925). "USGenWeb Archives". The USGenWeb Archive Project.
  10. ↑ Feron, James (April 8, 1979). "Visiting a Restored 'Temple in". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  11. ↑ "TRAVELING IN STYLE : SHEER GRACE : A VISIT TO MADEWOOD, 'QUEEN OF THE BAYOU'". Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1989. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  12. ↑ D'Addono, Beth (August 24, 2017). "Madewood Plantation". Country Roads Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  13. ↑ "1966 Press Photo The Nixon women at Madewood, greeted by Mrs. Marshall. | eBay". eBay. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ Louisiana B&B Listing Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ "Making 'Lemonade:' Beyonce filmed mega video at Madewood Plantation house". NOLA.com. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  16. ↑ TheRover98TB (March 17, 2023). Oblivious [Official music video] - Aztec Camera (HD/HQ). Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ D'Addono, Beth (August 24, 2017). "Madewood Plantation". Country Roads Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ A Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse & Co. | Madewood Plantation | Season 5 | Episode 4. Retrieved August 25, 2026 – via www.pbs.org.
  19. ↑ Louisiana Public Broadcasting (December 25, 2020). Madewood Plantation | A Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse & Company (1994). Retrieved August 25, 2026 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "The Waters of Memory (Madewood Plantation)". New Orleans Museum of Art. Retrieved August 25, 2026.

Louisiana B&B Listing Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine

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