Shadow House, also known as Ivy Vale and Sunnyside Plantation, is a historic plantation house near the village of Dubberly in

Webster Parish, Louisiana Webster Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de Webster'') is a parish located in the northwestern section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat and largest city is Minden. As of the 2020 census, the Webster Parish population was 36,967. ...

. The house is the oldest wooden structure in

North Louisiana North Louisiana (), also known locally as Sportsman's Paradise, (a name sometimes attributed to the state as a whole) is a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The region has two metropolitan areas: Shreveport-Bossier City and Monroe-West Monr ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

The first structure on the property was a twenty-foot-by-twenty-five-foot one-room log cabin, built in 1816 by the Robert Byas family. In 1850, the property was purchased by the

planters Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gent ...

Calvin Leary and Hepsey Leary, who moved there with their family and twenty-three slaves. Calvin Leary, originally from North Carolina, owned land in

Bienville Parish Bienville Parish (, ) is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,981. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Arcadia. The highest natural point in Loui ...

and in

Houston County, Georgia Houston County ( ) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 163,633 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Perry; the city of Warner Robins is substantially larger in both area and populati ...

. He used the logs from the original cabin to build a larger

dogtrot house The dogtrot, also known as a breezeway house, dog-run, or possum-trot, is a style of house that was common throughout the Southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some theories place its origins in the southern Appala ...

. As his wealth grew, Leary added on porches to the front and back of the house and an

elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

addition, in the

Greek Revival style Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

, including a formal dining room and parlor. He renamed the estate Sunnyside Plantation. The plantation used the labor of enslaved people to produce cotton, wheat, peaches, and pecans, and raised pigs, for salt pork, and chicken. Leary fathered multiple children by Mariah, a woman he enslaved, during the twelve years that he was a widower. He sold the property in the 1870s. The plantation was purchased by W.R. Shadow in 1902, who operated the Dixie Nursery there, one of the largest

plant nurseries A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry, or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general ...

in the Southern United States. He was known for his cultivation of pecan trees, camellias, roses, fruit trees, and evergreens. Shadow closed off the dogtrot and added a dormer upstairs to the house. The property is a private residence owned by Denton Culpepper. He started restoring the property in 2017. He renamed the property Ivy Vale. It is the oldest wooden structure in

and is listed on the

References

{{Coord, 32, 33, 39, N, 93, 14, 54, W, type:landmark_region:US-LA, display=title Buildings and structures in Webster Parish, Louisiana Cotton plantations in Louisiana Dogtrot architecture in Louisiana Greek Revival houses in Louisiana Houses completed in 1816 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Log houses in the United States Plantation houses in Louisiana Plant nurseries