Chretien Point Plantation Mansion, Sunset Louisiana

History of Chretien Point Plantation

The original grant was given to Hypolite Chretien in 1776. The plantation originally boasted four thousand acres of land and five hundred slaves with fifty brick outbuildings to house them. The slave houses have disappeared.

Chretien Point was begun in the latter part of 1831 on a land grant made by Spanish authorities in 1776 to Louis St. Germain and transferred to Joseph Chretien on December 7^th, 1781. His son, Hypolite, inherited the land and his son, Hypolite II, built the house. The contract for its construction, which is on record in the St. Landry Parish Courthouse, specifies that the house was to be completed within fifteen months at a cost of seven thousand dollars. However, the structure took approximately forty-eight months to build and must have cost much more than the amount specified. The head carpenter was Samuel Young and the head brick mason was Jonathan Harris.

Hypolite Chretien II married Felicite Neda on July 28^th, 1818. Hypolite and a son died of yellow fever not long after the house was completed. It is thought that Felicite, a Spaniard, had the downstairs southwest room painted black for the wake and funeral of her husband. It was a Spanish custom to drape a room in black fabric for the Wake of a family member.

Since in the 1830's this area was sparsely populated and-away from trade centers, it is likely that there would not have been enough black fabric nearby tbr this purpose. Black paint would have been the next best thing. (There is physical evidence that black paint covered the walls of this room.)

After Hypolite II's death, the plantation was managed by Felicite for a number of years until she moved to New Orleans and turned over its control to her son Hypolite III. He married Celestine Cantrelle. It was this Hypolite who supposedly prevented the house from being destroyed in 1863 by Union troops.

In April of 1863, General Nathaniel Banks and his Union troops were pursuing General Richard Taylor's smaller Confederate Army north toward Alexandria and the Red River. Frequent skirmishes took place in the front of Chretien Point and a battle was fought on the banks of Bayou Bourbeaux about a mile away from the house. According to a deposition to the Federal Government by Celestine Cantrelle Chretien, the Federal troops camped in the front yard and conferred with her husband, Hypolite.

During the maneuvers, the Federal troops at one point were firing over and at Chretien Point at the Confederates around and in the rear. The Confederates, of course, were firing back. As shots occasionally went astray, some hit the upper front wall of the house and several shells lodged in the oak trees in front of the house. Hypolite, according to family history, made his way out to the second story balcony and gave the Masonic distress signal. The troops are said to have laughed, but Banks, himself a Mason, returned the signal and after a conference agreed to spare the house.

Banks did however take supplies and equipment worth over $60,000. There is still a hole in one of the front doors made by a bullet fired by the troops, and a rifle bullet of Civil War vintage has been found in the attic.

After the Civil War years and the death of his father, Hypolite III, in 1881, Jules Chretien and his wife, Celeste Gardiner Chretien, ran the plantation. Though most books cite Jules' love of French books, fine wines, and the debonair life, he is also said to have had a practical side. Jules Chretien was the first man in the area to switch from cotton to the cultivation of rice, He dammed the bayou at the rear of the house and installed a pump to irrigate his fields. Neighbors wanted the water for their cattle, however, and broke the dam. He lost everything.

Over the years Chretien Point fell into a state of disrepair. Hay was stored in its rooms and mice gnawed at its baseboards.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Cornay purchased the house and 45 acres in 1975 from the heirs of Dr. G. A. Gardiner, who had acquired the property from his sister, Celeste Gardiner Chretien, and her husband, Jules.

The original building contract, quoted below provides a detailed description of the home:

"That the said Samuel Young and Jonathan Harris undertake and engage to build and construct for the said Hypolite Chretien a dwelling house near that of his present residence - the said house is to be built according to a plan to this agreement anext and made a part of this contract. The walls shall be of brick, the walls sunk two feet below the surface and raised nine inches above the ground. All the outside walls in foundation four bricks thick and long partitions same all cross partitions two brick. All outside walls above foundation two brick - all partitions brick and half the house to be two stories twelve feet each in the clear the first floor to be brick pavement gallery same to be one double chimney above and below and one single one same.

All the doors in front as well as windows except one door below opposite the stairs shall be circular head as represented in the plan of a door, five inside doors in lower story to be finished plain with architraves.

All the doors in the upper story to be finished with panel jambs and pilasters with grounds. All the doors to be double worked panel shutters. All window frames to be double boxed and each flight of sash to be hung with weights and cord. All windows in the three front rooms of the upper story to be splayed and recessed below to the floor finished panel jambs with backing and pilasters. All other windows to be splayed jambs, and those in the back rooms in the upper story to be finished with pilasters and all those in the lower story with plain architraves. All the windows to be enclosed with Venetian blinds morticed and hung with parliament buts. Two flights of stairs Ramphinee (?). Four handsome and well finished chimney pieces and two other plain. Solid water cornice all round the eaves (with lead spoutes and tin conductors) finished with dentals and modillian blocks. All the rooms and gallerys to be ceiled with plank except the largest room in the upper story which shall be plastered walls and ceilings three coat work and hard finished cornice all round. The front of the wall in the upper gallery to be plastered in the same manner except cornice. The walls of the large room below plastered the same, the columns to be well plastered with hard finish. Two small back rooms below to be plastered two coat work and whitened - all other rooms except those as above mentioned to be plastered two coat work and hung with paper a suitable quality to correspond with the finishing and stile of the room. All the woodwork through the whole building shall be painted with a taste and stile suitable to correspond with the architect and joiners work of the building of the best materials the roof slate colour. There shall be stone sills to the outside doors all the locks and fastenings to the doors and windows shall be of the best and a suitable quantity to correspond with the building.

The building shall be completely finished by the sd Young & Harris or their executors and delivered in fifteen months from and after the 'date hereoff the sd Young & Harris are to furnish all the materials necessary to complete said Building except the following described - to wit which the said Chretien shall furnish at his own proper expense all the wood necessary such as timber plank shingles & Lathes and all the bricks and sand necessary to complete the building and one hundred and fifty tierse (?) of lime the whole on the spot at the building.

In consideration of the work and labor to be done in and about the sd house and the materials furnished by the sd Young & Harris the sd Hypolite Chretien agrees and promises to pay to the sd Young & Harris the sum of seven thousand dollars, to wit in advance eight hundred dollars when, the foundation of the building is laid two hundred dollars when the first story is up and joist laid eight hundred dollars when the building is to the top of the square five hundred dollars when the roof is on five hundred dollars when the building is finished four thousand and two hundred dollars or his notes for that sum bearing ten percent until paid and further the sd Chretien for his part shall furnish a house for the sd Yound & Harris and their workman to live in whilst carrying on the building and shall furnish all the necessary labourers to attend the workman in building and shall do all the necessary hauling of materials to the building, that is to say: of bricks, planks, timber, sand and lime - - ect. two thunder rodds would be necessary for fear of accidents the said Young & Harris shall furnish them and place them on the building, without further compensation.

This agreed on passed and signed before Pierre Labocbe notary public in and for the parish of St. Landry at his office in the town of Opelousas, in the presence of John Moore and Livard (?) Simon, witnesses, who have signed with the above mend parties on this day the seventeenth of May in the year eighteen hundred and thirty one."

Description of the Chretien Point House

Chretien Point was begun in 1831 and completed in 1835. Samuel Young was the carpenter and Jonathan Harris was the bricklayer. The original building contract exists.

Various elements of the house are typical of early Louisiana architecture.

The plan utilizes the traditional French arrangement of a two story house which is three rooms wide and one and a half rooms deep on each floor. The three front rooms both below and upper face a gallery and open onto it. The smaller rooms behind are directly back of the three main ones and house the stairway, wine room, and pantry on the first floor. The same arrangement of the smaller rooms is repeated on the second floor, the two side rooms (cabinet) being bedrooms. Both floors have twelve foot ceilings. This floor plan with its French doors and long windows allows cross ventilation in Louisiana's hot humid climate. The kitchen and the privy were located outside the main house. They are no longer standing. The interior as well as the exterior walls are solid brick. The bricks were made on the site. Door and window casings and the ceilings in most of the house are of cypress. The ceilings in the main three rooms upstairs were of plaster as are all of the interior walls.

Six massive brick columns of plaster over brick which rise from the ground support a hipped roof which covers house and gallery. The upper gallery has a simple wooden balustrade. There was originally an exterior stairway connecting the upper and lower galleries. This was removed about 1900. The chimneys are on interior walls. The lower floors which are even with the ground were brick in the end rooms and wooden in the center rooms. The wine room floor was originally packed dirt.

The arched windows and doors opening onto the galleries are of Georgian-Federal influence and are all carefully paneled and beaded. Classical Revival design was chosen for the gallery. The windows were framed by deep green colored blinds and the walls were red brick except for the upper gallery which had a cypress wainscot and was plastered and painted white above the wainscot. The roof timbers and ceiling joists are quite massive and are in excellent shape. The joints of these timbers are mortised and held together with wooden pegs.

The house had greatly deteriorated during the period between 1860 and 1975. Though there is no written record that the house had been "re-done", there is evidence that sometime after the house was built that it was repainted, the color of the woodwork was changed from light pearl grey to white. The front three rooms upstairs have original faux bois baseboards. There are three (all original) imported marble mantles upstairs and three wooden (original) mantles downstairs. The south east bedroom that was originally papered was stripped of its paper (except in one small place where the paper was painted over). The original contract called for this room to be papered. The parlor, which is the front center room upstairs, had been papered, but this too was painted over. The last piece of paper (about 12" x 18") has been saved from the walls in this room, which shows the original pattern and color although it has been painted over. All of the original door and shutter latching hardware was removed (there are outlines of it to be found in many places on the doors) and replaced with more modern hardware - surface locks and catches that were patented in 1856 as stamped on the hardware. Since records show that the Chretiens were financially unable to "remodel" the house after the Civil War it can be assumed that the repainting and installation of strengthening rods and new hardware was done between 1856 and the beginning of the Civil War. Nothing of importance was done to the inside of the house after that time.

In the 1930's the original wood shingle roof was removed and replaced with a corrugated metal roof which is still there. There are pictures of the house in the 1930's which show the wood shingles on the roof.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Cornay, who purchased the house and 45 acres in 1975, restored the house to the point that it is now safe again from deterioration and is near its original condition. The roof is still metal. The outside woodwork has been repaired and painted. A column that was crumbling has been repaired and replastered and painted. The shutters have been reglued and rehung and a chain link fence has been removed from around the immediate front of the house. The entire interior has been repaired; the plaster patched and repainted, the cypress floors sealed and polished, the concrete floors (the original brick floors were removed about twenty years ago and replaced with concrete) covered with bricks in the original pattern and color and sealed.

Modern conveniences have been added, such as three bathrooms, a kitchen, electrical wiring, and lighting, and central heating and air conditioning. Care has been taken to maintain the integrity of the original design and plan while making the house fit for modern occupancy. There are no air conditioning ducts showing only outlet grills. The wiring was hidden in back of baseboards and under moldings. The bathrooms and heating system along with the laundry have all been located in the rear stairway rooms.

The kitchen is located in the old pantry.

The exterior of the house was coated with a plaster-like masonry sealer paint about twelve years ago. It was colored pink but with the years has faded to a pleasing shade of very light pink. The upstairs gallery wall was always plaster painted white as were all of the exterior wood trim and columns, All of the exterior woodwork and plaster has been repaired and has been or is being repainted white.

There are no other significant buildings remaining with the house. There are herring bone brick sidewalks circling the house under an inch or two of dirt and grass which are yet to be uncovered. The original water well is still there, This well, about five feet in diameter, is circled by a brick patio about twenty feet in diameter. This patio, like the sidewalks, is only partially uncovered.

Chretien Point is located on 22.45 acres of rural land.

Photographs of Chretien Point Plantation