Bouverans Plantation House - Arialo, Lockport Louisiana

Date added: July 17, 2023

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Bouverans is a rare surviving example of a leading architectural trend in antebellum Lafourche Parish, the transition from Creole to Greek Revival architecture.

Much of the architectural history of the Acadian parishes centers upon the gradual inculcation of American architecture into the Creole traditions of the area. This process began in about 1820 and lasted essentially until the Civil War era. Bouverans stands near the end of this transition both because of its date (c.1860) and because, although Creole features are clearly present, the American Greek Revival style dominates the character of the house. Because of this, Bouverans is exemplary of the final stage in the process. Most of the extant antebellum residences of Lafourche Parish reflect the Greek Revival style and do not retain many vestiges of the Creole influence. Hence Bouverans is very important because it represents a transition that was very much a part of the parish's architectural development and which is not much in evidence today.

The importance of the house within the context of Lafourche Parish can be illustrated by examining the census schedules of 1860.

On the eve of the Civil War, there were thirty-seven large slaveholdings (j.e., fifty or more slaves) in the parish. Of these, the average size per slaveholding was 104.3 and only two involved individuals who did not reside in the parish.

In addition, there were undoubtedly numerous slaveholdings of less than 50.

Given the above, it is clear that there must have been numerous Greek Revival influenced plantation houses in Lafourche Parish on the eve of the Civil War (probably at least 30). However, there are only seven substantial remaining examples.

Bouverans (c.1860) is a two-story brick and frame house which combines French Creole and American Greek Revival architectural features. The house is located on the west bank of Bayou Lafourche approximately one-and-one-half miles southeast of the town of Lockport.

There are two popularly held theories concerning Bouverans' construction date.

One is that it was built sometime between 1852 and 1860 for Augustin Cunio. The other is that the house was built for Pierre Joseph Claudet between 1860 and 1862. A c.1860 date is not implausible given the architectural evidence. The only clue that would lead one to suspect an earlier date is the fact that the house is pit sawn; however, this in and of itself is not conclusive evidence.

All of the second-story rooms feature exposed and beaded beams. Two such beams run the length of the upper central hall for an uninterrupted distance of forty-five feet. The shutters are of the fixed louver type on the front gallery and close over the original French doors.