(November 27, 2010)  Enlarge Lake Pierson

This photo was taken from Fort Randolph looking across Lake Pierson to Fort Buhlow. Fort Randolph is so heavily forested that finding a location in the timber with a clear view of Fort Buhlow was almost impossible
 
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(November 27, 2010)  Enlarge Fort Randolph from Red River

The copse of trees on the hill in the center of this photo is Fort Randolph taken from the Bailey's Dam pavilion on the Red River. There is a white Honda Odyssey in the parking lot to the left in order to give a frame of reference for the size and stature of Fort Randolph
 
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(2010)  Enlarge View from back of Kent House, Alexandria, Louisiana

This home is open for tours and visiting. On the grounds there are other historic buildings form other parts of Louisiana, like a slave cabin and sugar mill. Admission is charged

The completed home has some furnishings from the owners and many items from the period. One of the original handmade bricks even has the fingerprint of the person who made it and these bricks are not as uniform as bricks made today so it can be interesting to see how the bricks were laid

French settler Pierre Baillio oversaw the construction of his home on a 1794 Spanish land grant. The house was completed in 1800, but the next owners added the wings to the building in the 1850's so the photo is close to how it appeared in the War Between The States

The Union Army under Nathaniel P. Banks occupied Alexandria in the Spring of 1864, then burned the city on their departure. In Alexandria we were told this lone plantation survived the Federal devastation. The reason for the homes' survival is open to conjecture, but we were told the home was the birthplace of Gen William T. Sherman's former civilian boss, which might have saved the building from A.J. Smith's troops who were loaned by Sherman to Banks for the campaign. Union General William T. Sherman's former civilian workplace in nearby Pineville, La. was also spared from being burned but no longer stands

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(2010)  Enlarge  Kent House Interpretive Marker

This house is the only home to survive the Union burning of Alexandria, Louisiana. The home has been moved from its original site and is now located at 3601 Bayou Rapides Road, Alexandria, LA 71303

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(2010)  Enlarge Kent House Kitchen

We were told during the tour that the kitchen was usually away from the main house due to the danger of fire. We were also told this is the third kitchen as the others had burned. This kitchen is in-use at various times of year for demonstrations and occasional meals

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