Caspiana Plantation Store
Historic building, former plantation store
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caspiana Plantation Store is an American historic building and a former plantation store built in 1906, located at 1300 Texas Street in Natchitoches, Louisiana.[2][3] The store served as part of the crop-lien system, during the time of sharecropping which impacted the lives of many African American workers.[4]
Caspiana Plantation Store | |
| |
  Location within Louisiana | |
| Location | 1300 Texas Street, Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31.770278°N 93.096389°W |
| Built | 1906 |
| NRHP reference No. | 92000583[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 5, 1992 |
It is listed as a National Register of Historic Places since June 5, 1992 for its agricultural history and significance.[5]
History
The Caspiana Plantation Store was part of the Caspiana Plantation, a Reconstruction-era cotton plantation built by William Joseph Hutchinson (1839–1913) and originally located in the unincorporated community of Caspiana in Caddo Parish, Louisiana.[6][7] The main house at the Caspiana Plantation is named Caspiana House, and is now part of the Pioneer Heritage Center at Louisiana State University Shreveport.[8][6]
The Caspiana Plantation Store allowed local sharecrop farmers to purchase seeds and equipment by using their future crop as collateral, which often trapped people in debt.[2] This store was most active from 1906 until 1942.[9] At one time there were hundreds of these plantation stores in the state, primarily found on the grounds of large plantations.[9]
In 1991, the plantation store was moved to the city of Natchitoches after the sale of the property.[2] The process of moving the building required it to be cut in half however despite the changes, it maintained much of its original features and is a rare example of plantation store architecture and history.[9]