Felicity Plantation

Felicity Plantation is a historic sugarcane plantation on the Mississippi River in Vacherie, St. James Parish, Louisiana. It is situated along Louisiana Highway 18 and forms part of the concentration of historic plantation properties in the lower Mississippi River region. Although the supplied subject is not a commercial consumer brand, the name identifies a specific historic agricultural estate and architectural site. The plantation was established in the antebellum period, generally dated to around 1846 or 1850. Valcour Aime is associated with its construction, reportedly as a wedding gift for his daughter, Felicite Emma, and her husband, Septime Fortier, who was also her cousin. The property was developed for sugarcane cultivation, reflecting the plantation economy that shaped the social, architectural, and agricultural history of southern Louisiana. Felicity is closely connected to neighboring St. Joseph Plantation. In 1873, a bank acquired the property. Saturnine Waguespack later purchased Felicity in 1890 and combined it with St. Joseph Plantation to create the St. Joseph Plantation and Manufacturing Company. The main house remains associated with the Waguespack family, preserving a long connection between the site and local plantation ownership. The plantation house combines French Colonial and Anglo-American architectural influences. Its design includes broad hallways, tall rooms, a carved cypress balustrade, red Italian marble mantelpieces, and six substantial square wooden pillars. The surrounding grounds retain an original barn and surviving slave-quarters structures, giving the property significance not only as an example of antebellum architecture but also as a place connected to the lives and labor of enslaved people. Felicity Plantation suffered damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was subsequently restored. The property has also served as a filming location. Its appearance in The Skeleton Key, 12 Years a Slave, and the first season of the television series Underground has brought the site to wider public attention. These screen appearances are secondary to its historical identity, but they have contributed to recognition of the plantation landscape and its architecture. Because Felicity Plantation is a historic site rather than a conventional operating brand, information such as corporate leadership, product ranges, financial performance, stock-market status, and consumer positioning is not applicable or not documented in the supplied references.

Felicity Plantation is a historic sugarcane estate located on the Mississippi River in Vacherie, St. James Parish, Louisiana. Its setting along Louisiana Highway 18 places it within one of the state's best-known plantation corridors, where large agricultural estates and antebellum residences developed along the river. Felicity is also historically and geographically associated with St. Joseph Plantation, a neighboring property with which it was later consolidated. Construction of the plantation is generally placed around 1846 or 1850. Valcour Aime is identified with the building of the estate, which was reportedly intended as a wedding gift for his daughter, Felicite Emma, and her husband, Septime Fortier. The marriage connected the families through both kinship and property, as Fortier was also Felicite Emma's cousin. The estate's original purpose was tied to sugarcane production and to the plantation economy of antebellum Louisiana. The surviving house reflects a combination of French Colonial and Anglo-American architectural traditions. Its principal characteristics include wide passageways, high-ceilinged rooms, a carved cypress balustrade, and several red Italian marble mantelpieces. Six large square wooden pillars further define the structure. These features illustrate the wealth and cultural influences associated with major Louisiana plantations during the nineteenth century, while the surviving agricultural and service buildings provide evidence of the wider working estate. The grounds retain an original barn and houses that served as slave quarters. These structures are important to interpreting the property beyond its owners and architecture. They connect Felicity to the forced labor system that supported sugar production and to the experiences of enslaved people who lived and worked on Louisiana plantations. The site's historical meaning therefore includes both architectural preservation and the difficult social history of slavery, agriculture, and post-emancipation land ownership. Ownership changed significantly after the Civil War. A bank acquired Felicity Plantation in 1873. In 1890, Saturnine Waguespack purchased the property and merged it with St. Joseph Plantation, forming the St. Joseph Plantation and Manufacturing Company. The main house subsequently remained in the Waguespack family, preserving a family connection to the site into the modern period. The house was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was later restored, allowing the principal historic structure to survive despite the storm's impact. Felicity has also gained visibility through film and television production. The site was used for The Skeleton Key, released in 2005, the 2013 film 12 Years a Slave, and the first season of the WGN series Underground. These productions used the plantation's preserved architecture and landscape as visual settings, adding a media dimension to its continuing public profile. Felicity Plantation should be understood as a historic place rather than as a conventional brand or commercial company. There is no supplied evidence of a current product portfolio, listed corporate entity, independent executive structure, public financial reporting, or standalone consumer marketing program. Its significance rests on its agricultural origins, architecture, ownership history, surviving grounds, restoration, and representation in screen media.

• 2013

  Appearance in 12 Years a Slave

  [1]Felicity Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Felicity Plantation was used as a location for the film 12 Years a Slave.

• 2005

  Hurricane Katrina damage and film appearance

  [1]Felicity Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The plantation house was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and later restored. The property also appeared as a filming location in The Skeleton Key.

• 1890

  Waguespack purchase and consolidation

  [1]Felicity Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Saturnine Waguespack purchased Felicity and combined it with St. Joseph Plantation to establish the St. Joseph Plantation and Manufacturing Company.

• 1873

  Acquisition by a bank

  [1]Felicity Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  A bank acquired Felicity Plantation during the post-Civil War period.

• 1850

  Alternative construction date

  [1]Felicity Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Some historical accounts use approximately 1850 as the construction date for the plantation house and estate.

• 1846

  Approximate construction period

  [1]Felicity Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Felicity Plantation is generally described as having been built around 1846, although some accounts place construction closer to 1850.

Historic plantation estate, architectural landmark, and filming location associated with Louisiana's Mississippi River plantation corridor.

• 2005

  Post-Katrina restorationOther

  Background

  Hurricane Katrina damaged the historic plantation house.

  Action taken

  The house was subsequently restored.

  Aftermath

  Restoration preserved the principal historic structure and enabled the property to continue serving as a surviving example of Louisiana plantation architecture.

  Source

• 1890

  Consolidation with St. Joseph PlantationStrategy

  Background

  After Saturnine Waguespack acquired Felicity Plantation, the property was linked with neighboring St. Joseph Plantation under a shared manufacturing company.

  Action taken

  Felicity and St. Joseph were merged to form the St. Joseph Plantation and Manufacturing Company.

  Aftermath

  The consolidation connected the two plantations operationally and strengthened their shared historical identity.

  Source

1. 1Felicity Plantationen.wikipedia.org