Melrose Plantation

Melrose Plantation
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Melrose Plantation
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Location	LA 119 off LA 493, Melrose, Louisiana, U.S.
Coordinates	31°35′59.94″N 92°58′0.09″W / 31.5999833°N 92.9666917°W / 31.5999833; -92.9666917
Architectural style	Colonial
NRHP reference No.	72000556
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 13, 1972[1]
Designated NHLD	May 30, 1974[2]

Melrose Plantation, also known as Yucca Plantation, is a National Historic Landmark located in the unincorporated community of Melrose in Natchitoches Parish in north central Louisiana. This is one of the largest plantations in the United States built by and for free people of color. The land was granted to Louis Metoyer, who had the "Big House" built beginning about 1832. He was a son of Marie Thérèse Coincoin, a former slave who became a wealthy businesswoman in the area, and Claude Thomas Pierre Métoyer. The house was completed in 1833 after Louis' death by his son Jean Baptiste Louis Metoyer. The Metoyers were free people of color for four generations before the American Civil War. The Métoyer family was derived from Marie (a former slave and Claude, a Spanish military gentleman who bought and married Marie. They had many children (free POC,) but they were also one of the largest plantations and owned slaves themselves.

The Association for Preservation of Historic Natchitoches owns the plantation and provides guided tours. Some early twentieth-century traditions associated with the plantation, such as its first owner and origins of architectural style, have been disproved by historic research since the 1970s. An archaeological excavation begun in 2001 has revealed more evidence about the early history of the site, its owners and construction. In 2008, the state included Melrose Plantation among the first 26 sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.