Myrtles Plantation St Francisville Louisiana

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The  Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford.  The Plantation was 650 acres.  Bradford died on the plantation in 1808 but his wife stayed on until she sold the property to Judge Clark Woodruff.  Judge Woodruff was rumored to be a bad person.  It is rumored that he abused the slaves.  

In this abuse it was rumored that he cut the ear off of one of the housemaids.  In return for her fall from grace this house maid named Chloe, wanted revenge.  In doing so she baked a cake with oleander mixed in and served it to the family.  All the family died from ingesting the poison except Judge Woodruff who did not partake in the cake. 

The other slaves took it amongst themselves to remedy the situation that Chloe had created and it is rumored that they hung her and threw her body in the river. 

The property was sold in 1834 to Ruff Grey Sterling and his wife Mary  Catherine Cobb.  They proceeded to have the house renovated and doubled the house from its original size.  Then they gave their new home the name of The Myrtles.  Shortly after the renovation Ruffin Sterling died from Tuberculosis.   And sadly of his 9 children born only 4 would survive to see adulthood. 

The Sterling children had a teacher that lived in the house with them.   His name was William Winter.  He was teaching the children when he stepped out of the room and onto the porch to see whom had arrived on horseback.  He was shot by this stranger and stumbled back into the house and died on the stair case. 

In the early 1860's the Civil war had begun and took its ravages on the Plantation .  Between the Civil War and the plantation being occupied by Union soldier's whom looted the plantation, the plantation was left in near ruins.    Add to that the currency Mary Sterling had was now of no value and her sugar crops had been destroyed by the war, in 1886 the Sterling family was forced to sell.

The land was sold several times until in 1889 when Harrison Milton William  purchased the land.   In the early 20th century Mr. William's heir's broke up the property and sold off the land surrounding the house.   The house went through several owners again until 1970. 

In  the 1970's the house was purchased and underwent another renovation to convert it to a B&B.  It was converted and had 22 rooms.