NEW ORLEANS — Less than two weeks after the largest remaining Antebellum mansion in the south burned to the ground, ATF staff joined the investigation into the origins of the blaze at the antebellum mansion.
The Nottoway Plantation, located in White Castle about 65 miles northwest of New Orleans, was a sprawling 53,000-square-foot structure originally owned by sugar baron John Hampden Randolph in the Iberville Parish. The mansion, which was built in 1859, featured a three-story rotunda, hand-carved Italian marble fireplaces, and numerous rooms that had been converted into a resort and event venue.
Before it went up in flames on May 15, the plantation was marketed as “the South’s largest remaining antebellum mansion,” served as a bed-and-breakfast, attracting tourists and event-goers alike.
Following the fire, the site has been deemed a total loss.
William Daniel Dyess, an attorney and preservationist, and one of the property owners, told the New York Post he intends to rebuild. He told the conservative publication he understands the property’s polarizing past, but said he and his wife are “non-racist people.”
“We are trying to make this a better place. We don’t have any interest in left wing radical stuff. We need to move forward on a positive note here and we are not going to dwell on past racial injustice,” he said, per the New York Post.
The plantation’s history is marred by the fact that it was built and maintained by enslaved labor. Records from 1860 indicate that 155 enslaved individuals were held on the property. Many criticized the plantation for what they believed was sanitizing the history of enslavement at Nottoway, focusing instead on its architectural beauty and a romanticized past.
The blaze prompted dozens of fire departments to respond. Authorities initially said they think the blaze started as an electrical fire. The fire, which began in the south wing of the mansion, remains under investigation. The ATF announced on Friday it had joined the fire investigation.
When word spread that largest, oldest existing plantation had burned to the ground, many Black Americans expressed jubilation and rejoiced over the antebellum mansion’s demise. Many took to social media with memes and comments about the painful history associated with such plantations.
Conversely, some people lamented the loss of the plantation and said it was loss to history and tourism for Louisiana.
“The loss of Nottoway is not just a loss for Iberville Parish, but for the entire state of Louisiana,” said Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle, per local news station WWL-TV.
More on the Nottoway Plantation fire and history of the plantation.
