Client: Cane River Creole National Historical Park

This National Historic Landmark property stewarded by the National Park Service, is a unique, intact example of a highly productive southern cotton plantation that employed enslaved and sharecropper labor to support a large agricultural enterprise from 1835-1976. Heritage Landscapes has completed the CLR detailing a series of projects and management direction to preserve important remaining features, sharecropper gardens historic bulbs, fences defining spaces, and overall landscape legibility for a deeper visitor experience.

One vector for the recommendations seeks to rehabilitate vegetation to enhance interpretation at Magnolia Plantation:

• Study vascular plant inventory documentation to identify field grass and forb species
• Perform research to catalog meaningful Quarters plants in sharecropper and day-labor eras

Implement varied ground plane treatments for legibility using mowing regimes:

• Mown Turf around buildings and historic paths
• Rough Turf in areas of form pasture and livestock pens
• Tall meadow in former crops, encourage broadleaf weed species

Reinterpret Quarters’ vegetation to enhance interpretation at Magnolia Plantation

• Preserve historic bulbs- St. Joseph’s lily, spider lily, Byzantine gladiolus, and daffodil
• Intersperse Osage orange within fence rows to reflect historic live fence
• Replant missing fruit and medicinal trees in known locations
• Replant a small sample sweet potato area, as this was a staple food

Early projects have proceeded, and the river cavitation is being addressed. Another CLR addressing the plantation house and grounds is currently underway.

 

WORKS:

Magnolia Plantation Cultural Landscape Report

TEAM:

Heritage Landscapes

QUOTES:

"The rehabilitation treatment combined with selected restoration and takes a comprehensive approach to enable and support a more vibrant, legible site that engages visitors while focusing and limiting maintenance burdens."