African House is situated in Melrose Plantation in the Natchitoches Parish of Louisiana, and is part of the Cane River National Heritage Area. Melrose Plantation, a plantation owned by formerly enslaved person but later free person of colour, Louis Metoyer. African House, itself, was built by slaves and has served many purposes throughout it’s lifetime- as a store, residence for artists, and, currently, houses Clementine Hunter’s murals.
The unique architecture of the building- bricks on the bottom floor, hand-hewn timber, joined without using nails but only traditonal joineries, on the top floor with a 12-foot overhang on all sides, and cypress shingled roofing- is a nod French barn-style architecture, and resembles native African residential architecture, which inspired it’s name. The naming, though, is credited to author Francis Mignon, who lived at Melrose from 1939 to 1969. African House is a testimony, and physical evidence of Cane River’s rich cultural and architectural history.
CC AttributionCreative Commons Attribution
Comments