Scottland Plantation House, Tallulah Louisiana
- Categories:
- Louisiana
- Greek Revival
- House
- Plantations & Farms

Scottland is an important example of a Greek Revival plantation house, It is the only example in the town of Tallulah and one of only three known examples in Madison Parish.
Scottland is Tallulah's oldest structure, as well as the town's only Greek Revival plantation house. It also appears to be Tallulah's only significant mid-nineteenth-century building. The town was largely rebuilt in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Other older structures that survived the rebuilding have evidently disappeared since that time.
Greek Revival plantation houses were undoubtedly once common in Madison Parish, as can be seen by examining the 1860 census records for the parish. The population of the parish was 88% slaves and there were 99 large slaveholdings (i.e., 50 or more slaves). Of these 99, the average size of a slaveholding was 89.6. The absentee ownership rate was 40%. Hence of the 99 large slaveholdings in the parish, 61 of them involved individuals who resided there. Also, presumably there were many more holdings of less than 50 slaves. Given these statistics, it would be plausible to estimate that there may have been as many as 50 to 75 Greek Revival plantation houses in the parish on the eve of the Civil War. Today little remains of this once impressive building stock. Scottland stands as one of three surviving Greek Revival plantation houses in the parish.
Building Description
Scottland Plantation House is located just west of Roundway Bayou in the city of Tallulah. At one time the house stood at the center of a large plantation. Since that time the town of Tallulah has expanded southward along the bayou to engulf the house. However, the house still enjoys a spacious front lawn with a view of the bayou.
The circular sawn, frame house has a wide central hall with two rooms on each side. The hall is 15 feet high and 15 feet wide and is divided into front and rear sections by a wide molded doorway with a pediment-shaped top. At one time these two halves were separated by large paneled sliding doors. In the 1950's these were moved to the doorway between the hall and the front parlor and mounted on hinges.
Other changes made at that time include:
2. The clapboard was covered with aluminum siding. (The moldings and columns were not covered.)
3. Three dormers were attached to the unfinished attic. These were installed for effect; the attic is still unfinished.
4. Several closets were installed.
5. A small rear wing was added along with a side wing.
Raised three feet above the ground, the house is large and plain with simple heavy moldings. The six gallery posts have double molded capitals. Chimneys are mounted between the front and rear roams and have simple aedicule motif mantels. Many of the doors and windows have molded pediment-shaped tops. Most of the windows are 6 over 6. The front gallery windows are 6 over 9 sliphead type with unusually large panes. The doors have 4 molded panels. All the original floors remain, though in two roams they have been covered over.
Despite the intrusive additions, the essential architectural form, details, and significance remain. The aluminum siding is only noticeable upon very close inspection. In any case, it could be easily removed. Likewise, the small bogus dormers are a change that is easily reversible.

Northwest-front view (1981)

West northwest (1981)

Northeast-front gallery (1981)

North northwest-gallery detail (1981)

North--front and side elevations (1981)
