Finding beauty in the broken



Glad you joined us!
You might remember when we left off here
Sister and I had just left The Corbel and our mouths were running 90 miles a minute!
True typical fashion for us.
We were heading for some cute shops downtown.
What we didn't know..... we had passed up our turn that lead us right into one of our greatest adventures yet.

Sister spotted a Plantation sign "Afton Villa" on the side of the road.
We looked at one another and smiled.
Sure. Why not!
We paid an unusually low fee to enter and headed down a moss covered driveway.
To our surprise, what once stood at the end of the long driveway was no longer.

Can we back up for just a bit?
We entered into a whole lot of history just begging to be shared.
The property we were now standing on, was purchased in 1820 by Bartholomew Barrow from his brother. He was one of the richest families in Louisiana at that time. He later sold his land to his son David in 1839. David built a thriving plantation on his newly owned 3,000 acres. After the death of his first wife, he remarried Susan Woolfok. And just like any typical woman, she wanted to make the home hers. David gave her the OK but with only one catch. The original home had to stay intact. No worries for Susan, she just built right around it...lol
The 40 room Gothic Revival began in 1849 and took 8 years to complete. Not bad for a remodel. The fancy gardens alone, spread over 25 acres!
David passed in 1874 leaving Susan to care for the plantation until she sold the estate in 1876.

Here is Afton in its Hay Day!
Unfortunately, A huge lightening storm in 1963 passed through the small town and struck Afton Villa. The beautiful home was left in ruins.
But not for long!!
Another family bought the grounds and here is where our story begins...

Where Afton once stood at the end of the driveway, now greets you with beautiful statues and mounds of flowers.
You can see above where the steps lead into the home.

Some may see rubble.... we saw beauty!

What remains today is a few walls, steps and a look back in time.
Just past the steps, you will discover a huge circle of where the house once stood. It's now a grass covered courtyard.

We came at the perfect time too!
The flowers were putting on a show for us.

Just past the grass covered courtyard, you will find the open area where the kitchen once stood.
You can see it here with the cement picnic table.

This was an original shot of the back of the house.


Today.

We found small surprises around every corner.

The steps below near the kitchen were believed to take you to the second floor.

Another view from the back of the house.

I can't tell you how in awe Missy and I were.
Pictures just don't do this sweet place the justice it deserves.
And to be honest, I had goosebumps the entire time.
We were free to walk the grounds as we pleased.

I'm guessing this was a window or door that lead to the formal gardens.


Speaking of formal gardens...
They thrived!!

Just off of the main house and down a few stone steps...

You find yourself in a maze of beauty...
Not all those who wander are lost. J.R.R Tolkien
to be cont..
xoxo
  • Love
  • Save
    2 loves
    Add a blog to Bloglovin’
    Enter the full blog address (e.g. https://www.fashionsquad.com)
    We're working on your request. This will take just a minute...