Houmas House Plantation and Gardens

The Houmas plantation had its beginnings when Alexander Latiel and Mares Conwan obtained all of the Houmas tribe's land on the east side of the Mississippi River in 1774. Alexander Latil built a French Colonial style plantation house at the site around 1775. It was a working sugar plantation by 1803, when the United States obtained the area through the Louisiana Purchase. Shortly afterwards The Houmas was purchased by Daniel Clark (Louisiana), who began to develop the property and built one of first sugar mills along this stretch of the river. In 1811, former American Revolutionary War general Wade Hampton purchased Daniel Clark's land holdings and slaves. Hampton was one of the wealthiest landowners and largest slaveholders in the South.