• 8"x 12" image size (10"x14" paper size) / 480 prints / 14"x 18" matting size
• Original available

Early records indicate that, in 1704, Canadian born Michel Arceneaux claimed 250 arpents along the west bank of the Mississippi River. He built a four room house and planted 40 live oaks between the house and the river.

In 1836, Jacques Telesphore Roman bought the plantation and began the construction of the plantation home. The design included 28 classic columns surrounding the house. The columns measure 8 feet in circumference and are of solid brick. The bricks were made in pie-shaped molds in order to achieve the circular form of the columns. All the construction materials used in the home were found or manufactured on the plantation with the exception of the imported floor and fireplace marble and roof slate. The veranda extends 13 feet from the walls, keeping the home in shade most of the day. The tall windows and doors face each other for cross ventilation. The ceilings are 12 feet high and the walls 16 inches thick throughout. Furnishings and interior fittings arrived continuously by steamboat. The final result was a plantation home to be envied by other well-to-do sugar planters of the day. Travelers on the Mississippi, impressed by the avenue of mighty oaks, called it "Oak Alley".

In the late 1800's and early 1900's the plantation went through a succession of owners and was even boarded up at times. In 1925, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Stewart purchased Oak Alley and began its restoration. The restoration took two years. They recognized the historic and aesthetic value of Oak Alley and felt it was a privilege to live there. Mrs. Stewart created a non-profit foundation to insure the house would remain open for all to share.