St. Francisville 5k Walk in West Feliciana Parish - Part 2, Sunday, January 16, 2022

Sunday, January 16, 2022, continued...

After our wonderful lunch at The Francis restaurant and checking into our hotel, we were finally ready to walk at 4 p.m.  

It was a short drive to the Parish Courthouse. It was still frigid outside. We bundled up again. This is the site of an 1855 structure damaged by Union gunboats. This courthouse was rebuilt in 1903.

West Feliciana Parish Courthouse.

From the start, this historic area of St. Francisville impressed us. The sun was on its way down which gave some great light for photography. This town has views of the Mississippi River in places. And there are gorgeous historic homes with signs in front of them to let us know the type of architecture as well as any unique historical facts.

Grandmother's Buttons is a restored
1905 bank building.

I found out later that there is a button museum in the old bank vault that showcases 200 years of beautiful and valuable buttons, including a rare button minted for George Washington's inauguration! Wow! 

The next surprise in St. Francisville is the old cemetery at the Grace Episcopal Church. The congregation at the church was organized in 1827. The present church was completed in 1860, but it was heavily damaged by Union gunboats in 1863 during the Civil War. 

 

Grace Episcopal Church. 

Grace Episcopal Church.

If this cemetery has not been used in any movies, it should be. This place has a mood. There is history here. Many of the early townspeople are buried in family plots.

The light on the moss is awesome. 

Windows on Grace Episcopal Church.

An intricate iron gate.

After the church, we headed toward the Mississippi River. We passed The Old Burying Ground, a cemetery for all faiths, established by 18th century Capuchin Friars.

We took a short detour uphill to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. There's a viewpoint of the river (Bayou Sara) from the fountain in front of the church. Magnolia trees are in bloom now, too. Beautiful.

Fountain in front of Our Lady
of Mount Carmel Church.

View of the Mississippi River. 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Catholic Church.

Magnolia in bloom
in January!

We circled the church, went back to the main road, and continued downhill to learn about Bayou Sarah and railroad history in St. Francisville, Louisiana. 

Susan Medlin on the caboose.

West Feliciana Railroad 
history.

You can see how bundled up
I am. Brr.

History of the caboose.

The name of the street we were on was Royal. When we headed back up the hill, we turned onto Prosperity. And, indeed, this area at the top of the hill was (and is) prosperous. The homes are in immaculate condition and have historic signs in front of them.

Corner Cottage, c. mid-1800,
post & beam

Hillcroft, built 1905. Imposing
town house built on classic lines.

Prospect, c. 1809. Anglo-Creole cottage 
has a gallery wall of bousillage*
and a classical well house.

*bousillage:  a mixture of clay and grass or Spanish moss used as the infill (chinking) between the timbers of a half-timbered building. This material was commonly used by 18th-century French colonial settlers in the historical New France region of the United States.

Sainte Reine, 1894. Built by Bayou Sara
barkeep. Later home of a riverboat captain.

The Printer's Cottage, post & beam. 
Believed to be the late 1700s.

"The St. Francisville Democrat."
Official Journal of West Feliciana
Parish since 1892.

Propinquity 1809. Spanish Colonial 
architecture built on the site of 
original Spanish land grant acquired by
William Williams in January 1795.

Unique planter.

Serendipity, c. 1895. A double-galleried
frame house. Gable pediment decorated
with Queen Anne fish-scale shingles.

The Cabildo, 1890. Spanish Colonial
architecture. Original courthouse of
West Feliciana Parish. 

Real gas lamp by the door.

Riverview, 1892 dog trot. 

Temple Sinai built in 1901 as a Jewish
Synagogue on Turner Hill.

What to see on 
the Great River Road.

A friendly cat came to visit.

Brasseaux House: fine gingerbread
from late 19th century.

Rosenthal House, c. 1884.

Sign says: "Cedar/Oak -
two trees in one created by 
God over 100 years ago."

District Mercantile c. 1890

Central Fire Station.

District Mercantile.

Mardi Gras window display 
at District Mercantile.

Mardi Gras window display 
at District Mercantile.

This description is for the house below.

Wisteria, built in 1902, is a pyramidal or
hip-roofed cottage. (See the sign above.)

Next, we learned about Benevolent Societies. The sign below explains them very well. 

The Benevolent Society building.

We finished our walk in another neighborhood. It was getting dark and colder. We already had a long day. 

We were both ready to get to our hotel rooms for a hot shower and some relaxation. After a delicious lunch at The Francis, the group split up to get dinner on our own. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an orange 

in my room. 

Tomorrow, we are going to Clark Creek Natural Area in Woodville, Mississippi, to hike to waterfalls.