Great Oaks Plantation

Great Oaks Plantation Great Oaks Plantation NOTE: Great Oaks is not currently open as a bed and breakfast. It is a twin to Richland Plantation in Norwood, Louisiana. At 4 a.m. Senate.

Located on a historic Spanish land grant, Great Oaks is a private home built in 1949-1950. Richland was built in 1820. Great Oaks is the site of 12 live oaks, the oldest of which, the Gov. Edwin Edwards Oak is believed to be nearly 500 years old, according to LSU. In 1699, when French explorers Iberville and Bienville first came upon a large Indian village and a giant cypress tree stripped of its

bark and stained with animal blood on a bluff on the Mississippi River, they said, "Ah, le baton rouge!" The Red Stick! Or in Choctaw, “Istrouma”. It was the first European sighting of the city known today as Baton Rouge. In 1699, the great oak on this property was already 175 years old. on the foggy morning of August 4, 1862, Lt. Alexander Todd, a young Confederate Army officer, was killed on the creek next to the property. He was the first casualty of the Battle of Baton Rouge, which saw 500 soldiers killed. His death brought tragedy and mourning to the Lincoln White House, because he was the youngest brother of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. She had five brothers fighting for the South. Great Oaks is owned by former Rep. Woody Jenkins and his wife Diane. They purchased it in 1984. Since 1984, six Louisiana governors have visited Great Oaks, along with many members of the United States Senate and House. The largest event ever held on the property was on the evening of Nov. 4, 1996, when Woody Jenkins won the Republican nomination for U.S. More than 1,500 people gathered for the event. A stage was constructed, and the media built a long riser facing the house, which was draped with a giant American flag. The event was broadcast live, nationwide by ABC, CBS, and NBC on election night. The runoff election six weeks later was marked by allegations of vote fraud, resulting in a contested election that continued for 11 months before the U.S. The Democrat was eventually declared the winner by 5,300 votes. Jenkins received 847,000 votes, the largest vote by a Louisiana Rrpublican in state history. David Treen eventually became the first Republican to be elected to the Senate from Louisiana in 2004. Great Oaks is a private home. Although licensed as a bed and breakfast, it is not currently accepting guests.

Snow day Friday, December 9, 2017, at Great Oaks
12/23/2017

Snow day Friday, December 9, 2017, at Great Oaks

GREAT OAKS circa 1960. All of the trees shown in the photo are gone now due to old age. But something else very notewort...
06/11/2017

GREAT OAKS circa 1960. All of the trees shown in the photo are gone now due to old age. But something else very noteworthy is gone! Can you see it? It's the Spanish moss. There is no Spanish moss in North Baton Rouge any longer.

A beautiful sign of spring at Great Oaks!
03/24/2016

A beautiful sign of spring at Great Oaks!

11/30/2015
AN AERIAL PHOTO of Great Oaks circa 1951, right after it was constructed. The building at the top is the main house. A...
07/24/2015

AN AERIAL PHOTO of Great Oaks circa 1951, right after it was constructed. The building at the top is the main house. At lower right is the home of Toy and Adele Williamson. Toy was an architect who built Great Oaks in the late 1940's for his father and mother as a twin to Richland Plantation in Norwood, LA. Richland was built in 1820 by Elias Norwood. The building at lower left was a home Toy built for his wife's sister. Woody and Diane Jenkins bought Great Oaks in 1984 with the exception of the Williamson home, lower right. From 1987 to 2004, the building at lower left was the first home of WBTR-TV, Channel 19, Baton Rouge's first Independent television station. It is now owned by the Manship family and broadcasts from the same facility as WBRZ-TV. In 2015, the Williamson home was purchased by the Jenkins' youngest daughter Catherine Jenkins Newsome and her husband Saul Newsome. That marked the first time since the late 1960's that Great Oaks was owned by one family.

Doing some Spring gardening at Great Oaks
05/10/2015

Doing some Spring gardening at Great Oaks

Mimosa trees are blooming!
05/10/2015

Mimosa trees are blooming!

Fresh dewberries picked April 18, 2015
04/19/2015

Fresh dewberries picked April 18, 2015

Artist Diana Bobrycki has just completed this acrylic painting of the patio at Great Oaks. I love it!
04/01/2015

Artist Diana Bobrycki has just completed this acrylic painting of the patio at Great Oaks. I love it!

View from Patio
03/31/2015

View from Patio

Address

910 N Foster Drive
Baton Rouge, LA
70806

Telephone

+18882712681

Website

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