Laura is a little different than most of the Louisiana antebellum plantations, in that it is built in the French "Creole" style, rather than in the style of the English or American antebellum homes common throughout the area. While it has the wide veranda that most plantation homes had, the ceilings were not quite as high, and the architectural style is noticeably different.
According to Mr. Norman Marmillion, owner and manager of Laura, "Twenty five years ago, before we knew anything about Laura or her
Memoirs, we wanted to save this small place. It was because of those last houses you can see in the back. We have four of the old slave cabins standing. There were once 69 cabins and people lived in those houses until 1977."
Upon entering, you see a sign that proclaims Laura to be "The American Home of Br'er Rabbit" (remember Uncle Remus, by Joel Chandler Harris?).
As Mr. Marmillion went on to explain, "…in 1871, a neighbor of Laura's, by the name of Alcee Fortier, just 18 years old, came into the cabins here and on neighboring plantations. Here he wrote down the stories he heard the workers telling their children in Creole French. Fortier recorded some 20 stories about Compair Lapin and Compair Bouki (the clever rabbit and the stupid fool). Twenty-five years later, Fortier was president of the American Folklore Society and Dean at Tulane University. He published his stories, calling them "Louisiana Folktales." One year later, these stories were adapted and published by his friend and colleague in Georgia, Joel Chandler Harris and, from that day, the English-speaking world has known these stories as the "Tales of Br'er Rabbit."
