Weyanoke Plantation House, Weyanoke Louisiana

Date added: August 23, 2024

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John Turnbull Towles, a relative of the family that built Rosedown, acquired the property upon which Weyanoke now stands in 1838. A successful planter with over 80 slaves in 1860, Towles served in the Louisiana legislature and as a major in the Confederate Army. Frances Peyton Eskridge Towles, wife of John, is said to have named the house for a plantation in her native Virginia. The Weyanoke property has remained in the hands of Towles' descendants since its 1838 purchase.

Despite their proximity to the French Creole region of Louisiana, the Felicianas were settled primarily by Anglo-Americans from the eastern United States. These settlers brought with them the architectural styles popular in their former homes. During the early period of settlement, this style was the American Federal. Later, it was superseded by the extremely popular Greek Revival style which came to dominate the area. As a result of this settlement pattern and design preference, East and West Feliciana parishes stand as one of three rural areas considered to be major centers of Greek Revival architecture in the state. The collection consists of approximately twenty-six buildings, the majority of which are full two-story homes.

Weyanoke is a rare example of West Feliciana houses with transitional detailing combining Federal and Greek Revival elements. For example, the home's mantels are special because they actually combine elements of both styles in single pieces of woodwork. Most transitional homes contain Federal mantels in what are otherwise Greek Revival residences. Although these mantels, panels, and other examples of interior woodwork are more understated than those found in some area homes, they are finely executed and reflect the long-lasting popularity of the Federal style in this rural parish.

Building Description

Weyanoke is a two-and-one-half story frame house situated in the rolling, wooded countryside of West Feliciana Parish. Although the home is predominantly an example of the Greek Revival style, it also reflects the influence of the American Federal style. The house began life as a log cabin which was enlarged and remodeled in stages between 1838 and 1856. With only minor exceptions, it appears exactly as it did upon completion.

Weyanoke's exterior features are in the Greek Revival style. The home's symmetrical facade is distinguished by the following: 1) a five-bay double gallery whose squared Doric columns support a full but simple entablature, 2) plastered upper and lower story walls with wide baseboards and decorative chair rails (the latter a feature showing Creole influence), and 3) similar upper and lower story entrances consisting of single-leaf doors with Greek Revival transoms and sidelights. The first-floor entrance is the more elaborate of the two. Its six-light transom and three-light sidelights are flanked by smooth pilasters whose molded capitals support an entablature with a projecting molded cornice. Another exterior feature of importance is the fact that the house stands high off the ground on brick piers. Other features of interest include clapboard siding and tall external chimneys, two located on each end of the house.

The interior is organized around a very wide central hall with two rooms on each side. The two front rooms are deeper than those at the rear, but all rooms share the same width. The plan of the second story is identical to that of the first. The ceilings of the lower floor are approximately twelve feet high; those on the second floor stand at ten feet. The interior is highlighted by plastered walls and woodwork which combines elements of the Federal and Greek Revival styles. This combination is seen most clearly in the mantels. Although those on the first floor are larger than those above, all are similar in decorative detail. They consist of molded Federal pilasters which support wide Greek Revival entablatures. The entablatures, in turn, support mantel shelves which are layered in the Federal style. The entablatures of the second floor mantels are subdivided by molding to create an architrave and frieze, a decorative element which is absent on the floor below. Lower floor door and window surrounds are molded and feature a simple Federal cornerblock motif. In addition, they display molded panels below the windows and sidelights. Other original features in the home include its two panel doors, wide wooden floorboards and, in the rear rooms, twelve over twelve windows.

Changes to the 1856 house have been minimal. In the 1920s a kitchen was attached to the house as a rear ell. Between the 1930s and 1960s, the rear galleries were gradually enclosed for use as bathrooms and living space.