Nottoway Plantation, the largest antebellum mansion in the American South, was completely destroyed by a fire in White Castle, Louisiana. The fire broke out around 2 p.m. on Thursday, prompting response from ten fire departments, however, they were unable to contain the blaze that consumed all 53,000 square feet of the structure. Local officials expressed their sorrow over losing a significant landmark that represented both grandeur and the painful history of slavery in America. The plantation served as a museum and a venue for education on these complex historical topics.
Local politicians in the Pelican State's Iberville Parish lamented the unrecoverable loss of what was a beacon of a difficult chapter of American history.
Nottoway was a sugar plantation operated and constructed by slave labor on behalf of John Hampden Randolph in 1859 for roughly $80,000 - equivalent to roughly $3 million in 2025.
The home became a museum in the 1980s opening its grand doors, 165 rooms and acre-plus of floorspace to visitors from around the world to engage in the challenging history embedded in its floorboards.
It stood as both a cautionary monument and a testament to the importance of preserving history - even the painful parts - so that future generations can learn and grow from it.
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