America's largest remaining antebellum mansion burns down in devastating fire

[mystery-ak]

America's largest remaining antebellum mansion burns down in devastating fire
The cause of the fire remains under investigation
By Rachel Wolf Fox News
Published May 17, 2025 1:43pm EDT



Historic Nottoway Plantation, the largest antebellum mansion in the U.S., burned to the ground this week after a fire broke out on Thursday. There have been no reports of injuries or deaths connected to the fire.

Fire crews worked to extinguish the flames with water reportedly being poured onto the rubble as long as 18 hours after the fire started, according to Fox 8. As of Saturday, the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

"Some staff members stated they had gone into the museum and there was smoke. When they returned, the whole room was in flames," Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle told Fox 8, adding that it was "a total loss."

Daigle noted in a post on the Iberville Parish Government’s Facebook page that "The loss of Nottoway is not just a loss for Iberville Parish, but for the entire state of Louisiana.  It was a cornerstone of our tourism economy and a site of national significance."

The 64-room mansion was built by John Hampden Randolph in the late 1850s, according to multiple sources. It sat on more than 53,000 square feet and — in addition to the dozens of rooms — it contained 365 doors and windows and 22 white columns, Fox 8 reported. The property overlooked the Mississippi River.

Randolph first arrived in Louisiana in 1841 and began by planting cotton, but ultimately shifted to sugar cane, according to the LSU Scholarly Repository. The scholarly repository article also notes that the mansion was named "Nottoway" after the county in Virginia where his ancestors lived.

U.S. Department of the Interior records cited by Axios show that Randolph owned 155 slaves and 6,200 acres of land by 1860.

In addition to the luxurious mansion, the property also featured several trees that are over 100 years old, several of which are more than 120 years old, according to Nottoway Plantation’s website.



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https://www.foxnews.com/us/americas-largest-remaining-antebellum-mansion-burns-down-devastating-fire

[corbe]

[catfish1957]

Wonder where ol' Kevin was the last few nights.

[Timber Rattler]

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/nottoway-plantation-fire-iberville-parish/article_192f5411-7ba6-49af-a2cd-bea29a4473e3.html

The Nottoway Resort plantation home in Iberville Parish caught fire Thursday afternoon and slowly went up in flames, causing massive damage to the 166-year-old house on the Mississippi River.

The blaze started in the building's south wing before spreading to the main house. Dozens of fire response vehicles, ambulances and civilian cars lined La. 1, as wind kicked billows of smoke into the sky. Fire crews remained at the scene into the night.

Officials on the scene Thursday evening said it was too early to judge the full damage from the fire, but as the sun set, almost the entirety of the historic location was charred or had collapsed. The northern wing was gone, along with most of the mansion's back wall. Only the chimneys remained on those sides, standing where the second and third floors once were. The facade and upper balcony had collapsed as well.

EXCERPT

Suspicious fire.

BLM and Leftists overjoyed.