South’s largest antebellum mansion burned to the ground, igniting debate on social media
The largest antebellum home the South burned Thursday in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, according to NOLA.com. It was a total loss.
The cause of the fire, which began at 2 a.m. Thursday, is under investigation. No one was injured in the blaze.
The 53,000-square-foot mansion, a mix of Greek Revival and Italianate styles, was built in 1859 by enslaved people for John Hampden Randolph. Located along the Mississippi River in White Castle, La., the home was being used as an inn and event venue.
The loss brought mixed reaction on social media, with many decrying the loss of the architectural jewel, with others saying they refuse “to mourn a monument to human suffering.”
The 1859 Nottoway Plantation burned Thursday in Iberville Parish, La. The 53,000-square-foot mansion was the largest antebellum home in the South.Unfiltered with Kiran
The article by NOLA.com said the home was burned completely by 10 p.m. Thursday.
Chris Daigle, president of Iberville Parish, posted a statement on the Iberville Parish Government Facebook page, calling the home “a symbol of both the grandeur and the deep complexities of our region’s past.” Read his full statement here.
The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The video below by Unfiltered with Kiran is used with permission.