Madewood Plantation- Napoleonville, Louisiana

Stay, O sweet, and do not rise,
The light that shines comes from thine eyes;
The day breaks not, it is my heart,
Because that you and I must part.
Stay, or else my joys will die,
And perish in their infancy.

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This magnificent Greek Revival mansion, designed by noted Irish architect Henry Howard, is located halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge amid a lush country setting overlooking Bayou Lafourche. The live oaks and magnolias that surround this mansion and the six massive ionic columns that support the portico all add to the stunning visual appearance of Madewood Plantation. This National Historic Landmark was built in 1846 for Colonel Thomas Pugh. The mansion eventually fell into disrepair before being renovated after the Marshall family purchased the property in 1964. The interior is every bit as stunning as the exterior. The main hallway is lined with tall fluted Corinthian columns. Hardwood floors, Oriental rugs, crystal chandeliers, fresh flowers, and 18th- and 19th-century antiques lend an elegant air to this stately mansion. There are five bedrooms in the mansion. All are taste-fully decorated with watercolor hues on the drapes and walls. The bedrooms are furnished with canopied beds and feather pillows, and each has a private bath (however the back two rooms upstairs must access their baths through the hallway). Three additional suites are available in the Charlet House which was once home to a riverboat captain before it was moved eight miles to the Madewood Plantation. Couples looking for an extra-special touch may want to try the honeymoon suite complete with fire-place and a large screened porch. Guests will no doubt enjoy the candlelit dinner, usually presided over by a member of the Marshall family. This meal will serve to round out this thoroughly Southern and delightful visit. Madewood Plantation has been featured in numerous publications and was named in 1994 as one of "The Year's Top Twelve Inns" by Countiy Inn magazine. Guests take note that the rooms in the main mansion must be vacated between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. for tours and noon to 3 p.m. in the Charlet House.

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