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Standing as a fine example of an antebellum plantation house,
Butler- Greenwood Plantation consists of 44 acres and a plantation
complex including the plantation house, a gazebo, and a rear
brick kitchen. The beauty of Greenwood lies in the landscape
architecture surrounding this historic plantation home, and
the side gardens flanking the house remain as one of the few
extant examples of antebellum garden design in West Feliciana
Parish. English and French stylistic garden features adapted
to the Louisianan climate, as well as a sundial, summer house,
garden gate and urns are the notable unique features of the
Butler-Greenwood grounds. The north side garden is in the
form of a geometric parterre, an ornamental garden with paths
between the beds, reminiscent of the style developed in French
gardens of the 16th and 17th centuries. In contrast to the
formal geometric pattern of these sunken side gardens, the
entrance of Greenwood, with its naturalized, free-flowing
manner, is derived from the design of 18th-century English
gardens.
In 1770, a physician named Samuel Flower came to the Baton
Rouge area from Reading, Pennsylvania, and within a decade
purchased the land where he would build Greenwood. In 1810
a fire destroyed the original Greenwood, but Flower built
a larger house on the site, which is the present Butler-Greenwood
Plantation home. Samuel Flower died in 1813, and the title
of Greenwood eventually passed to his daughter, Harriet, who
married Judge George Mathews in 1809. Mathews was an important
figure in the early judicial history of the state, being one
of the presiding judges of the Louisiana Supreme Court in
its early phase. By 1860, Harriet and her son, Charles Mathews,
were running a plantation of 1,400 acres worked by 96 African-American
slaves living in 18 dwellings. After Harriet's death in 1873,
the management of the estate fell on Charles's wife, Penelope.
The history of Greenwood Plantation provides an excellent
illustration of how southern women managed great southern
plantations. The house possesses a degree of architectural
significance despite the loss of its historic three-story
side wing.
The Butler-Greenwood Plantation is located on
8345 US Hwy 61, 2 ½ miles north of St. Francisville.
The house features bed and breakfast accommodations and guide
tours Monday-Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm
to 5:00pm for which there is a fee. Please call 225-635-6312
for further information.
Return to the Main Plantation Page
Information provided by The Louisiana Office of State Parks
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