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Bayou Folk Museum

© Ella Robinson

P. O. Box 411
Cloutierville, LA 71416
(318) 379-2233

Hours: Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; closed on major holidays
Admission: adults, $5.00; children, $2.50

This two-story plantation home, constructed of handmade brick, heart cypress and pine, was built by slaves in 1809. The leaded glass windows, the upstairs wainscoting, and the French doors which open onto the balcony are original to the home, having aged almost 200 years. Handmade square nails and wooden pegs are visible in some areas of the building. Each floor has two fireplaces.

The property has three other buildings--a doctor's office, a blacksmith's shop, and a building that houses the rest rooms. Two towering magnolias and a beautiful wrought-iron and brick fence are visible from the street. Many of the trees such as dogwoods, persimmon, and sweet olive grew on the property when Chopin lived there. And, certainly, Chopin would have had daylilies, iris, ivy, and mint growing outside her door, just as they do today.

Kate Chopin, her husband Oscar, and their five children moved to this village home in 1879. Oscar had inherited a portion of the nearby family plantation which included a large general store and several farms. While Oscar managed the store and other property, Kate reared their children and turned the Louisiana social values for women upside down. She was often seen wearing pants and smoking cigarettes in public--a transgression for the era.

After Oscar's death in 1882, Kate ran the store and other property alone. A woman of considerable strength and determination, she supervised the cotton production and took care of the children.

In 1884 Chopin and her children left the plantation and returned to St. Louis to live with her mother.

While touring the home, visitors will find the first edition of Bayou Folk and various items that belonged to Chopin.

Literary tourists can learn more about the Bayou-Folk Museum at http://www.natchitoches.net/melrose/chop...

Kate O'Flaherty Chopin (1851-1904)

Born on February 8, 1851, in St. Louis, Missouri, Kate O'Flaherty was labeled as a rebel in her early school days. She challenged authority in the convent schools in St. Louis, reading books of her own choice and writing imaginative poems and short essays. In 1870 she married Oscar Chopin, a Louisiana cotton broker and banker. They had six children.

In 1879, the Chopins moved to Louisiana, where Oscar had inherited a portion of the family plantation. The rebel from Missouri was never quite accepted by the Louisiana aristocracy. She dressed differently, smoked cigarettes, and took long walks through the streets of New Orleans instead of taking care of her housework. Perhaps the worse offense of all, however, was that she often publicly met and talked with people of all classes.

The copyright of the article Bayou Folk Museum in Literary Tour is owned by Ella Robinson. Permission to republish Bayou Folk Museum in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.