Pioneer Heritage Center, Shreveport
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
The Caspiana House is one of the seven historic buildings at the Center.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Thrasher House
The Thrasher House is what is called a "dogtrot," which is a log structure with two single rooms connected by a hallway. It was built in 1850 by a man named Thomas Zilks. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, the house is a typical example of an Upland South plantation home.
Caspiana House
Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Caspiana House was built by William Joseph Hutchinson in 1856 and is one of the few structures from the antebellum period (pre-Civil War) left in northwest Louisiana. It is also notable as a good example of Greek Revival architecture and a unique plantation house in that it is raised high off the ground, which is a rare feature in the region.
Doctor's Office
The Doctor's Office was built by Dr. Hartwell Lockwood in the early 1900s. He and other doctor's treated the people who worked on the plantation and from the surrounding community. Doctor's worked here until the 1930s. The building was moved to the Center in 1982.
Blacksmith Shop
The Blacksmith shop was built around 1880. It's a simple log structure and was later used as a barn. Its last owner donated it to the Center in 1985.
Detached Kitchen
Built sometime before the Civil War, the detached kitchen was separate to prevent any fire from destroying the main house. It features an open hearth fireplace and hand-made utensils on display.
Webb & Webb Commissary
The Commissary is a general store built in the late 19th century. It is significant not only for its age but also that it represents the transition from the slaveholding economy to an economy based on sharecropper agriculture.
Riverfront Mission
Erected in 1930, the Riverfront Mission was residence for the homeless and unemployed and was located along the river in downtown Shreveport. In 1945 a local resident bought it and it would later be the home for another resident and his family beginning in 1952. It was donated to the Center in 2001.
Sources
"About the Center." Pioneer Heritage Center. Accessed January 7, 2020. https://www.lsus.edu/offices-and-services/community-outreach/pioneer-heritage-center/about-the-center.
"Historical Buildings." Pioneer Heritage Center. Accessed January 7, 2020. https://www.lsus.edu/offices-and-services/community-outreach/pioneer-heritage-center/historical-buildings.
Northwest Louisiana Master Gardeners