Ashland
a.k.a. Belle Helene
2 mi. (3.2km) S of Geismar on LA 75, Geismar, LAAshland - Belle Helene is significant due to its architecture and also due to its association with Duncan F. Kenner (1813-1887), sugar planter, and political figure.
Ashland -Belle Helene exemplifies the massiveness, extreme simplicity, and dignity which are generally held to epitomize the Classical Revival style of architecture. Because it is articulated in the manner of an independent pavilion, free of service attachments, and with the same severe trabeated logia on all four facades, it is a more complete classical statement than the vast majority of Louisiana plantation houses. In addition, with its broad spread of eight giant pillars across each facade and its full heavy entablature, Ashland-Belle Helene is among the grandest and largest plantation houses ever built in the state.
Duncan Kenner was born in New Orleans and educated in the city's public schools and at Miami University in Ohio. After four years of travel and study in Europe, he read law in the office of John Slidell. But instead of practicing, he settled at Ashland Plantation, where he became a sugar planter and horse breeder. It is often said that he named his plantation after the home of Henry Clay, whom he admired.
In 1839 he married Anne Guillel imine Nanine Bringer, a member of an old and influential French family in Louisiana. In about 1840, Kenner began construction on a home for his bride, and the result was the present building, finished about 1841. Many secondary sources attribute the design for Ashland to New Orleans architect James Gallier, Sr.
Prior to the Civil War, Kenner could boast of a moderately successful political career. In 1836 he was elected to the state House of Representatives from Ascension Parish, and in the years following he served several terms in the legislature, first in the House and then in the Senate. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1845 and president of the state constitutional convention of 1851.
By 1860, in addition to Kenner and his wife and their two daughters, Ashland supported some 473 slaves, making Kenner the eighth largest slaveholder in the state. The slaves lived in 95 slave dwellings on the property. In the 1860 Census, Kenner listed the value of his real estate as $190,000 and the value of his personal property as $250,000. He owned 2000 acres of improved land and an additional 1600 acres of unimproved land. He had $65,000 worth of farming implements and machinery, and $23,067 worth of livestock, including 50 horses, 173 mules, 57 oxen, 370 sheep, and 65 cattle. During the previous year, the plantation had produced 1500 thousand-pound hogsheads of sugar, 56,000 gallons of molasses, and 20,000 bushels of corn.
With the coming of the war, Kenner continued to be active in politics. In 1861, he was one of Louisiana's seven delegates to the provisional Congress of the Confederacy at Montgomery, Alabama. After the Confederate government was set up and the capital moved to Richmond, he became a member of the new government's House of Representatives, where he was chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means.
As the war went on, he became convinced that European recognition was essential for the South to win and that slavery was a primary factor in the European nations' refusal to grant it. In 1864, when the cause of the South was desperate, Kenner urged his friend Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin to send a special commission to Europe to offer England and France the abolition of slavery in return for recognition. President Jefferson Davis reluctantly agreed to the plan but instead of appointing a commission he followed Benjamin's advice and appointed Kenner sole envoy with the rank of minister Plenipotentiary. But by the time Kenner arrived in Europe in early 1865, Sherman's campaign had destroyed all confidence in the chances of the South's success, and the mission was a failure.
At the end of the war, Kenner returned to a plantation in ruins, for Ashland was raided by Union troops in 1862. Although the house was not burned, his valuable horses had been seized, his overseers captured, and his slaves freed. At the age of fifty-two, he had to start over again, but by persistence and great business skill he built up an estate that was even larger and more valuable at the time of his death than it had been before the war. According to the 1870 Census, by that year he had already made a good start on his return to prosperity. At that time he had 2300 acres of improved land and 1000 acres of unimproved land. Under the column headed "Total Amount of Wages Paid During the Year, Including Value of Board," he listed $25,000. It seems likely that many of his former slaves had become laborers for him. In the course of the previous year, the plantation had produced 391 thousand-pound hogsheads of sugar, 24,000 gallons of molasses, and 5000 bushels of corn. The estimated value of all his produce for that year was $40,000.
Kenner is said to have been the first in the state to use the portable railroad to carry cane from fields to mill and to have been among the earliest users of several other technological innovations in the sugar industry. He was a leader in the organization of the Louisiana Sugar Planter's Association in 1877, serving as the first president of each.
Political activism continued to be a habit of his. During 1866-1867, he represented Ascension Parish in the state Senate, and in 1877 he was elected state senator from New Orleans, where by then he spent most of his time. In the late 1870s, he ran for the U. S. Senate but was defeated. In 1882 he was appointed to the U. S. Tariff Commission. He was chairman of the building committee for the Cotton Exposition held in New Orleans in 1884 - 1885. Kenner died in New Orleans in 1887.
In 1889, Ashland was purchased by John B. Reuss, a German immigrant who became a prosperous sugar planter, Reuss re-named the plantation "Belle Helene" in honor of his grand-daughter Helene Reuss, who grew up to become Mrs. W. Campbell Hayward, the present owner of the house.
Local significance of the building:
Ashland -Belle Helene exemplifies the massiveness, extreme simplicity, and dignity which are generally held to epitomize the Classical Revival style of architecture. Because it is articulated in the manner of an independent pavilion, free of service attachments, and with the same severe trabeated logia on all four facades, it is a more complete classical statement than the vast majority of Louisiana plantation houses. In addition, with its broad spread of eight giant pillars across each facade and its full heavy entablature, Ashland-Belle Helene is among the grandest and largest plantation houses ever built in the state.
Duncan Kenner was born in New Orleans and educated in the city's public schools and at Miami University in Ohio. After four years of travel and study in Europe, he read law in the office of John Slidell. But instead of practicing, he settled at Ashland Plantation, where he became a sugar planter and horse breeder. It is often said that he named his plantation after the home of Henry Clay, whom he admired.
In 1839 he married Anne Guillel imine Nanine Bringer, a member of an old and influential French family in Louisiana. In about 1840, Kenner began construction on a home for his bride, and the result was the present building, finished about 1841. Many secondary sources attribute the design for Ashland to New Orleans architect James Gallier, Sr.
Prior to the Civil War, Kenner could boast of a moderately successful political career. In 1836 he was elected to the state House of Representatives from Ascension Parish, and in the years following he served several terms in the legislature, first in the House and then in the Senate. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1845 and president of the state constitutional convention of 1851.
By 1860, in addition to Kenner and his wife and their two daughters, Ashland supported some 473 slaves, making Kenner the eighth largest slaveholder in the state. The slaves lived in 95 slave dwellings on the property. In the 1860 Census, Kenner listed the value of his real estate as $190,000 and the value of his personal property as $250,000. He owned 2000 acres of improved land and an additional 1600 acres of unimproved land. He had $65,000 worth of farming implements and machinery, and $23,067 worth of livestock, including 50 horses, 173 mules, 57 oxen, 370 sheep, and 65 cattle. During the previous year, the plantation had produced 1500 thousand-pound hogsheads of sugar, 56,000 gallons of molasses, and 20,000 bushels of corn.
With the coming of the war, Kenner continued to be active in politics. In 1861, he was one of Louisiana's seven delegates to the provisional Congress of the Confederacy at Montgomery, Alabama. After the Confederate government was set up and the capital moved to Richmond, he became a member of the new government's House of Representatives, where he was chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means.
As the war went on, he became convinced that European recognition was essential for the South to win and that slavery was a primary factor in the European nations' refusal to grant it. In 1864, when the cause of the South was desperate, Kenner urged his friend Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin to send a special commission to Europe to offer England and France the abolition of slavery in return for recognition. President Jefferson Davis reluctantly agreed to the plan but instead of appointing a commission he followed Benjamin's advice and appointed Kenner sole envoy with the rank of minister Plenipotentiary. But by the time Kenner arrived in Europe in early 1865, Sherman's campaign had destroyed all confidence in the chances of the South's success, and the mission was a failure.
At the end of the war, Kenner returned to a plantation in ruins, for Ashland was raided by Union troops in 1862. Although the house was not burned, his valuable horses had been seized, his overseers captured, and his slaves freed. At the age of fifty-two, he had to start over again, but by persistence and great business skill he built up an estate that was even larger and more valuable at the time of his death than it had been before the war. According to the 1870 Census, by that year he had already made a good start on his return to prosperity. At that time he had 2300 acres of improved land and 1000 acres of unimproved land. Under the column headed "Total Amount of Wages Paid During the Year, Including Value of Board," he listed $25,000. It seems likely that many of his former slaves had become laborers for him. In the course of the previous year, the plantation had produced 391 thousand-pound hogsheads of sugar, 24,000 gallons of molasses, and 5000 bushels of corn. The estimated value of all his produce for that year was $40,000.
Kenner is said to have been the first in the state to use the portable railroad to carry cane from fields to mill and to have been among the earliest users of several other technological innovations in the sugar industry. He was a leader in the organization of the Louisiana Sugar Planter's Association in 1877, serving as the first president of each.
Political activism continued to be a habit of his. During 1866-1867, he represented Ascension Parish in the state Senate, and in 1877 he was elected state senator from New Orleans, where by then he spent most of his time. In the late 1870s, he ran for the U. S. Senate but was defeated. In 1882 he was appointed to the U. S. Tariff Commission. He was chairman of the building committee for the Cotton Exposition held in New Orleans in 1884 - 1885. Kenner died in New Orleans in 1887.
In 1889, Ashland was purchased by John B. Reuss, a German immigrant who became a prosperous sugar planter, Reuss re-named the plantation "Belle Helene" in honor of his grand-daughter Helene Reuss, who grew up to become Mrs. W. Campbell Hayward, the present owner of the house.
Agriculture; Politics/government; Architecture
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana in 2005, was one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes in U.S. history. The storm caused widespread destruction in New Orleans and other parts of the state, and its aftermath highlighted issues of poverty, race, and government response in the United States.
About Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish Timeline
Ascension Parish, located in Louisiana, has a rich history that dates back to its early settlement in the early 18th century. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Houma and Choctaw, who relied on the bountiful natural resources of the region for their sustenance. The arrival of European settlers, primarily French and Spanish, in the late 18th century saw the establishment of plantations and the introduction of sugarcane cultivation, which became a vital industry.
During the antebellum period, Ascension Parish witnessed a rapid growth in its plantation economy, leading to a significant increase in the number of enslaved individuals in the area. The parish became a prominent sugar-producing region, with large plantations dominating its landscape. The wealth generated by the sugar industry also attracted the construction of grand plantation houses and the development of small towns and communities.
The parish played a significant role during the American Civil War, experiencing occupation by Union forces in 1862. The Battle of Donaldsonville took place in Ascension Parish in 1863, resulting in the victory of Union troops and the further consolidation of federal control over the region. The end of the war brought about the emancipation of enslaved individuals and marked a period of social and economic reconstruction for Ascension Parish.
In the modern era, Ascension Parish has continued to witness growth and development. The expansion of industries such as petrochemicals and manufacturing has diversified its economy. The area also experienced population growth, with new residential areas and subdivisions being established. Ascension Parish remains an important part of Louisiana's rich cultural heritage, showcasing a mix of historical plantation architecture, vibrant communities, and a dedication to preserving its unique heritage.
During the antebellum period, Ascension Parish witnessed a rapid growth in its plantation economy, leading to a significant increase in the number of enslaved individuals in the area. The parish became a prominent sugar-producing region, with large plantations dominating its landscape. The wealth generated by the sugar industry also attracted the construction of grand plantation houses and the development of small towns and communities.
The parish played a significant role during the American Civil War, experiencing occupation by Union forces in 1862. The Battle of Donaldsonville took place in Ascension Parish in 1863, resulting in the victory of Union troops and the further consolidation of federal control over the region. The end of the war brought about the emancipation of enslaved individuals and marked a period of social and economic reconstruction for Ascension Parish.
In the modern era, Ascension Parish has continued to witness growth and development. The expansion of industries such as petrochemicals and manufacturing has diversified its economy. The area also experienced population growth, with new residential areas and subdivisions being established. Ascension Parish remains an important part of Louisiana's rich cultural heritage, showcasing a mix of historical plantation architecture, vibrant communities, and a dedication to preserving its unique heritage.
Ascension Parish Timeline
This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Ascension Parish, Louisiana.
- 1699: Ascension Parish is first explored by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and his brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.
- 1722: Ascension Parish is officially established as a judicial district of the French colony of Louisiana.
- 1807: Ascension Parish becomes part of the newly formed Territory of Orleans, which is later admitted into the Union as the state of Louisiana.
- 1830s: Cotton becomes a major cash crop in Ascension Parish, leading to the growth of plantations and an increase in enslaved laborers.
- 1861-1865: Ascension Parish, like much of the South, is deeply affected by the American Civil War.
- 1889: The Louisiana Legislature creates the current boundaries of Ascension Parish.
- 20th century: Ascension Parish experiences industrial growth with the discovery of oil and the establishment of chemical plants along the Mississippi River.
- 2010: Ascension Parish becomes one of the fastest-growing parishes in Louisiana.