The recorded history of Carter Plantation dates back to 1804 when James Rheims acquired the property under a Spanish land grant. He subsequently sold the land to Thomas Freeman who became the first African-American to own property in Livingston Parish. Between 1817 and 1820, Mr. Freeman built what is now the Carter House and named it "Sycamore." He, his wife and their five children lived there until 1838, when he sold the property to William L. Breed who was Sheriff and later State Representative. After Mr. Breed’s death, the plantation property was acquired by George Richardson in 1856. Mr. Richardson’s daughter, Amanda, married Judge Marcus T. Carter. The property has continued, sometimes through the female line, in this family for seven generations.

Through the years, the primary crop of the plantation has been trees—pine, cypress and citrus. The house itself, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is representative of a middle class plantation home. It was built largely of indigenous materials. The foundation and fireplace bricks were made on the plantation, and hand-hewn cypress and pine were also used as well as mortar made from shell, lime, sand and native clay. The basic floor plan is similar to the “dog trot” style. The original kitchen and dining room, which were detached from the main house, burned in the late 1880s, and the present dining room and kitchen were added.

The house was restored by Wiley H. Sharp, Jr. and his sister, Beverly Sharp Burgess, during the 1970s and 1980s.

Carter Planation is managed by Stirling Properties, a regional real estate firm headquartered in Covington, Louisiana. www.stirlingprop.com