Address: LA Hwy. 1 (PO Box 160), White Castle, LA 70788; tel: 504-545-2730; fax 504-545-8632.
Accommodations: Ten rooms, all with private baths, and three suites.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, parking, restaurant, pool, gift shop, free house tour.
Rates: $$$, including continental wake-up breakfast and full breakfast. All major credit cards accepted.
Restrictions: No pets, restricted smoking.
New Orleans
Louisiana
In 1860, with the largest cotton market in the world, New Orleans was the wealthiest city, per capita, in the United States. The decision to secede was unpopular with many in the city, particularly merchants, whose livelihood depended on trade with the North.
The Union began blockading the Mississippi on May 26, 1861, cutting the city off from the imports it had come to rely on. By the next spring, Union ships began bombarding the forts below the city. Troop ships passed the forts and headed upriver to New Orleans. Warehouses were burned and looters swarmed throughout the city.
New Orleans was occupied on May 1, 1862, by General Benjamin Butler, who soon alienated the populace. He was nicknamed “Spoons” because he allegedly stole silver from his hosts. Ladies hired artists to paint a likeness of the general on the inside of their chamber pots. He ordered that the words “The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved” be carved on the base of the statue of Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square.
What most angered Southerners, though, was his Order No. 28, which stated, “… any female who shall, by word, gesture, or movement, insult or show contempt for any officer or soldier of the United States, she shall be regarded and held liable to be treated as a woman of the town plying her avocation.” This order contributed to Butler’s removal from New Orleans on December 16, 1862. The city would remain occupied by Federal troops through the war’s end.
Several Crescent City sites have Civil War interest. The Confederate Museum, Camp and Howard Sts., the oldest museum in the state, displays flags, uniforms, weapons, medical instruments, currency, and personal effects of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and other Confederate leaders. Open daily except Sunday, 10:00-4:00. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and $2 for children. For information phone 504-523-4522.
The Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Ave. For a short time during the war, this was the only mint in the Confederacy. Operated from 1838 to 1909, it is now part of the Louisiana State Museum. The building has been restored and contains many popular exhibits and a collection of historic documents. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:00-5:00. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, teens, and active military personnel, and free for children under twelve. For information phone 504-568-6968.
In Jackson Square the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson was the world’s first equestrian statue with more than one hoof unsupported. The sculptor, the American Clark Mills, had never seen an equestrian statue, and hadn’t known the pose was thought impossible.
On U.S. 90, twenty-three miles east of downtown New Orleans, is the Fort Pike State Commemorative Area. The Louisiana militia captured Fort Pike before the actual start of the war and held it until Union forces took the city in 1862. In spite of much activity, not a single cannon was ever fired in battle from the fort. Open daily, 9:00-5:00. Admission is $2 for adults; seniors and children under twelve free. Museum and picnic area. For information phone 504-662-5703.
Terrell House
New Orleans, Louisiana
When you arrive at this handsome Greek revival house in the lower Garden District, a surprise is waiting for you inside—one of the city’s most impressive collections of antiques. The house, built in 1858 by a cotton merchant, is currently owned by the Hogan family, whose collections of gaslight fixtures and lamps, Louisiana and European furniture, Oriental rugs, and antique carnival memorabilia are on display throughout the house. In one of the twin parlors a glass case contains miniature carved antique furnishings, and in the hallway is a full set of 1850 salesmen’s sample furniture. The dining room, where breakfast and afternoon cocktails are served, has a magnificent Waterford crystal chandelier.
Guest rooms in the main house have balconies overlooking a beautifully landscaped courtyard with a fountain and a crape myrtle tree. Some of the rooms contain beds or armoires carved by the master New Orleans furniture maker Prudent Mallard. Four guest rooms are in the carriage house that opens onto the courtyard. Bobby Hogan operates Terrell House in a warm, comfortable manner. His wife, Cindy, who occasionally cooks dinner for guests, is known for her flair with regional dishes such as crawfish étouffée.
Address: 1441 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130; tel and fax: 504-524-9859 or 800-878-9859.
Accommodations: Eight double guest rooms with baths, two suites.
Amentities: All guest rooms have air-conditioning, phones, and cable TV; off-street parking, afternoon cocktails, Jacuzzi in courtyard.
Rates: $$-$$$. All major credit cards accepted.
Restrictions: Call in advance regarding children, no pets, restricted smoking.
Nicolas M. Benachi House
New Orleans, Louisiana
This exquisite Greek revival house near the French Quarter was constructed on Bayou Road in 1858 for Nicolas M. Benachi, cotton broker and consul of Greece. It cost $18,000 at a time when beef was five cents a pound. Bayou Road was the old New Orleans Trace, a trail on the Esplanade Ridge that connected the river with the bayous and their environs. Benachi called his house the Rendezvous des Chasseurs (meeting place of the hunters), and from here he and his friends would hunt the nearby swamps.
Today, the house retains its original details: fourteen-foot ceilings with banded cornices and medallions, carved black marble mantels, rococo revival chandeliers, Greek key doorways, and heart-of-pine floors. Many of the period furnishings were made by the New Orleans master cabinetmakers, Mallard, Seignouret, and Barjon. Each of the four guest rooms is named for a Benachi son or daughter.
The gardens, with pink Belgian flagstones, set the house off to perfection. It’s not surprising to learn that two recent movies featured the house. Hosts Jim Derbes and Cecilia Rau give guests a tour of the award-winning restoration.
Address: 2257 Bayou Rd., New Orleans, LA 70119; tel: 504-525-7040 or 800-308-7040; fax: 504-525-9760; E-mail: cottonenolabb.com. Internet browsers can visit their website at www.nolabb.com.
Accommodations: Four guest rooms, two with private baths, two with a shared bath.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, off-street parking, TV sets available on request, library, bathrobes provided, walking distance to French Quarter; a friendly Labrador dog is in residence.
Rates: $$-$$$, including full breakfast and evening beverage. Major credit cards and personal checks.
Restrictions: No children, no pets, no smoking.
Beauregard-Keyes House
New Orleans, Louisiana
The fiery Confederate general, Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, known as “The Little Napoleon,” lived in this 1826 Greek revival house for two years after the war. A native of New Orleans, Beauregard achieved fame by commanding the troops who fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in 1861 and as the victorious general at Manassas, Virginia, the first major land battle of the war. However, he angered Jefferson Davis and was sent to serve in the West. He took over the Confederate army at Shiloh after the death of Albert Sidney Johnston, but was driven from the field by Grant.
In the 1940s, the house was the home of Frances Parkinson Keyes, who set several of her best-selling novels in New Orleans. The house contains some furnishings of Beauregard and Keyes.
The Beauregard-Keyes House, 1113 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70116, is open daily, 10:00-3:00, except Sunday and major holidays. Civil War artifacts have been unearthed nearby. Docents conduct guided tours of the house and servants’ quarters from 10:00-3:00, when the last tour starts. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $1.50 for children twelve and under. For information phone 504-523-7257.
&
nbsp; Le Richelieu
New Orleans, Louisiana
This inn was created from two adjacent French Quarter buildings: an 1850 Greek revival house (one of five in a row built by a father for his children) and a 1902 four-story macaroni factory, and the result is a curious but pleasing mélange. It was named for Cardinal Richelieu (whose portrait hangs in the lobby across from the front desk), the powerful prime minister of Louis XIII, the king who once owned the land where the inn now stands.
Many discerning travelers consider Le Richelieu their secret hideaway in the Crescent City. Overlooking the courtyard is a bar and restaurant, which serves light continental fare. Both are frequented by New Orleanians who live nearby.
Le Richelieu offers guests two important amenities: off-street parking, a rare commodity in the Quarter, and peace and quiet, another rare commodity here, yet the Quarter’s many attractions are but a short walk away.
Address: 1234 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70116; tel: 504-529-2492 or 800-535-9653; fax: 504-524-8179.
Accommodations: Eighty-six rooms, including seventeen suites.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, ceiling fans, free off-street parking, satellite TV and refrigerators in rooms, swimming pool, concierge, valet service, bellhops, room service, balconies.
Rates: $$-$$$. All major credit cards.
Restrictions: No pets.
Mississippi Queen
Steamboats were commandeered by the military during the war to transport troops and supplies along the Mississippi and its tributaries. They played an important role in Grant’s capture of Fort Donelson and Nathaniel Banks’s Red River Campaign. Today passengers can travel those same routes aboard two authentic steam-powered paddle wheelers and visit and see Civil War sites accompanied by experts on the war.
Civil War Steamboatin’ Vacations are seven-day cruises in May and June on the Mississippi Queen and in September on the Delta Queen, herself a National Historic Landmark. Among the experts who give lectures aboard and guided tours ashore are Richard McMurry, author of Two Great Rebel Armies, William C. “Jack” Davis, consultant to the A&E Network’s Civil War Journal, and James I. Robertson Jr., author of The Stonewall Brigade. (Mr. Robertson, a deacon of the Anglican Catholic Church, conducts a special Civil War Sunday service using hymns and texts from the period.) In addition, actor James Getty presents his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, and balladeer Bobby Horton performs the songs of the Blue and Gray. The cruises travel between Memphis and Chattanooga, and Nashville and Memphis. Each cruise makes several shore visits to historic sites.
Civil War Vacation Cruises are offered by The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. Fares for the week-long cruises begin at $990 per person, based on double occupancy, and include all meals, activities, and entertainment. For information phone a travel agent.
ARKANSAS
Crescent Cottage Inn
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
In the Victorian era, well-to-do families needed a proper reason to take a summer holiday. The spiritual uplift of a Chatauqua meeting, perhaps, or the physical well-being induced by drinking water from mineral springs. This gingerbread town came into being practically overnight as families flocked to enjoy its mineral waters and clear mountain air.
One promoter of Eureka Springs was Powell Clayton, a Union general and the first postwar governor of Arkansas, who built the Crescent Cottage Inn in 1881. Today the mansion has been restored to its original elegance and furnished with antiques.
Innkeepers Ralph and Phyllis Becker pamper their guests with early coffee, a delicious full breakfast, and afternoon tea or wine. Crescent Cottage Inn is a superb inn, one of the best in the country. It is a short walk from the good restaurants and shops in the historic downtown area and an easy drive to the battlefield at Pea Ridge.
Address: 211 Spring St., Eureka Springs, AR 72632; tel: 501-253-6022; fax: 501-253-6234; E-mail: [email protected].
Accommodations: Four double rooms, all with private baths.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, parking, rooms have Jacuzzis; some have fireplaces and refrigerators; all have phones, TVs, and VCRs. Complimentary soft drinks.
Rates: $$-$$$. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and personal checks.
Restrictions: No children under twelve, no pets, restricted smoking.
Pea Ridge Battlefield
Pea Ridge, Arkansas
On March 7 and 8, 1862, a battle fought here, near the Elkhorn Tavern, kept Missouri in the Union. It was one of the most important battles of the war fought west of the Mississippi River.
Confederate general Earl Van Dorn planned to march from Arkansas into southern Missouri and retake St. Louis. When his seventeen-thousand-man army approached a strongly entrenched Federal force of eleven thousand under General Samuel Curtis south of Pea Ridge, Van Dorn abandoned his supply train and slipped behind him.
Federal scouts (among them, Wild Bill Hickok) observed the maneuver. Alerted, Curtis turned his back on his fortifications and prepared to meet Van Dorn’s two-pronged attack.
On the first day of the battle, the Federals held their ground on their left flank southeast of Pea Ridge, and gave ground slowly in bitter fighting on their right around Elkhorn Tavern.
The next day, exhausted and low on ammunition, the rebels broke and ran under Curtis’s determined counterattack, led by German immigrants under General Franz Sigel.
Pea Ridge was the only major battle in which Indian troops participated as regular troops. (The Confederates recruited about one thousand Cherokees from the Indian territory, now Oklahoma.) The Indians, having never before seen field cannon, were so awed by the power of the artillery that they eventually took to the woods.
Pea Ridge National Military Park is thirty miles northeast of Fayetteville, and an easy drive from Eureka Springs. The Visitor Center has a collection of arms, uniforms, artifacts and historical photographs. A slide presentation describes the battle and its significance. A self-guided auto tour goes along a seven-mile loop of the battlefield. The park is open daily, 8:00-5:00, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The battle is reenacted in the spring, and living history demonstrations are given in the summer and early fall. Admission is $2 for adults, children under sixteen free, $4 for cars. For information phone 501-451-8122.
Two other sites of interest are in the area. Headquarters House, 118 E. Dickson St., Fayetteville, was used at various times for both the Federal and Confederate armies. The Battle of Fayetteville was fought on the house grounds and across the street on April 18, 1863. The battle is reenacted here on the third Saturday in August. Open Monday, 10:00-12:00, Thursday, 1:00-4:00, and Saturday, 10:00-12:00. Tours by appointment. Admission is free. For information phone 501-521-2970.
Ten miles west of Fayetteville on U.S. 62 is the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. On December 7, 1862, the last major battle fought in northwest Arkansas took place here and it paved the way for control of the region by the Union army. The battle is reenacted the first weekend in December in even-numbered years. Open daily, 8:00-nightfall (museum open 8:00-5:00). Admission is $2.50 for adults, $1.50 for children. For information phone 501-846-2990.
The Old State House
Little Rock, Arkansas
One of the most beautiful buildings in the state, the Old State House is also one of the most historically significant. Opened in 1836, the year Arkansas was admitted to the Union, the legislature met here until the present capitol was built in 1911.
The 1861 secession convention was held here, and in 1863 the Confederate state government fled the area and the town was occupied by Union troops. General Frederick Steele quartered his army in the Old State House during the occupation.
The Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham St., is a museum with six rooms furnished to show how tastes in the state changed over the years. Five galleries have changing history and art exhibits. On the lawn is “Lady Baxter,” a cannon that dates from the Civil War. It is open Monday-Saturday, 9:00-5:00, and Sunday, 1:00-5:00. Admission is free. For informa
tion phone 501-324-9685.
The Empress of Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
James Hornibrook, a prosperous saloon keeper, determined to give his family the finest house in the city, built this magnificent Queen Anne-style mansion in 1888. Among its many features: a divided stairway, stained glass, a three-and-a-half-story corner tower, and 7,500 square feet of interior space. Mr. Hornibrook, however, died shortly after the house was completed.
Over the years the mansion has been a women’s college and a nursing home, and was finally divided up into apartments. Bob Blair and Sharon Welch-Blair bought the dilapidated eyesore, gave it the restoration it deserved, and turned it into a charming inn.
A Victorian atmosphere pervades the house. Bric-a-brac is everywhere. Floral Aubusson rugs cover the parquet floors, complemented by large-patterned wallpaper. The house, in the city’s Quapaw Quarter Historic District, is on the National Register. The National Geographic Traveler described the Empress of Little Rock as “one of the loveliest buildings in the state.” It is the only inn in Arkansas with a four-diamond rating from AAA.
Address: 2120 S. Louisiana St., Little Rock, AR 72206; tel: 501-374-7966.
Accommodations: Five guest rooms, all with private baths.
Amenities: Climate-controlled rooms, air-conditioning, off-street parking, rooms have clock-radios and phones, TV in room on request, exercise trail nearby, laundry service available, fax and copier available, computer dataports available.
Rates: $$-$$$, including choice of early-bird continental breakfast or gourmet brunch.
Restrictions: No children under ten, no pets, no smoking.
Chuck Lawliss Page 14
