The Amet-Lougarre Home: An Antebellum Remnant of Avoyelles
As one of the few surviving antebellum structures in Avoyelles Parish, The Amet-Lougarre holds many stories.* A history of the home and its architectural changes reflects the shifts in both lifestyle and design over the years. Built in 1856 for newlyweds Dr. Eugene Albert Amet and Palmire Lucie Boyer, the house has since been owned by several different families and residents of Avoyelles Parish.
An image dated around 1900 shows Marie Volcy Amet Lougarre, who inherited the house from her father, on her front porch. Image courtesy of the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation.
An Evolving Piece of History
One of the Amet children remained in the home with her husband Dr. Tobie Lucien Lougarre, a Parisian who opened a medical practice next door to the home in 1881 and eventually became the town’s first mayor in 1904. The Lougarres were the first residents to make major changes to the home, adding a T-shape addition to the back of the house and “gingerbread” trim on the front porch with many of the materials coming directly from France. A period of affluence after the Civil War popularized these Victoran-style elements and they’ve since become a highlight of the home.
Dormer windows, one of the more significant additions to the home, came in the 1930s.* According to the current owner, a local piano teacher added the dormers to the second story to have more space for lessons. A beautiful, yet impractical, change to the home as the original house was not built to support dormers and they did cause damage over time.
The front of the Amet-Lougarre Home in 2018 before the dormer windows were removed. Image courtesy of the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation.
In 1978/1979, the Amet-Lougarre home saw another major renovation with the addition of a modernized kitchen and bathrooms, an expansion of the den area, custom cabinetry, brick steps on the front porch and rewiring and replumbing. The addition on the back of the house had a sloped roof and cypress plank paneling on the interior walls, which was a popular at the time.
In August of 2020 the current owners began the process of stabilizing and renovating the house. The first step was removing the addition that had been added in the 1970s which was unfortunately past the point of restoration. They returned the back part of the home to its original T-shape that was established in the late 1880s.
One of the most significant aesthetic changes made to the home by the current owners was the removal of the dormers from the second floor. The front porch was close to collapsing due to the weight of the dormers. In addition, the wooden trim work around the porch was taken off and refurbished bringing the porch back as the architectural highlight of the home. According to the current owner, about 90% of the trim was able to be saved and put back onto the house. Any missing pieces were made with 110 year old refurbished cypress from a different property. Other than the addition on the back, the inside of the home was in good condition.
A current image of the Amet-Lougarre home after the removal of the dormer windows. Image courtesy of the current owners.
So what about the cannonball hole?
Anyone from the area has probably heard the tale that a cannonball was shot through the home during the Civil War. According to the current owner, the house was shelled by soldiers with musket rifles and there is still visible evidence of where the bullets came through the home and caused cosmetic damage. However, they found no signs of a cannonball-sized hole and any damage is about the size of a BB. For the most part, the house was left unscathed during the event, but Mrs. Lougarre, who resided in the house at the time, did succumb to injuries and passed away in the home.
The Future of the Home
The current owners have accomplished an incredible task with preserving the Amet-Lougarre Home. The house is currently listed for sale and is ready for the next owner to continue breathing life back into this community treasure. Because the house is located within the Bayou Des Glaises Cultural District, renovations to the structure may be elgible for state historic income tax credits. In addition, the house would be an excellent candidate for the National Register of Historic Places which would qualify the home for additional tax credits. The potential for this property is outstanding and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for this Bayou Des Glaises treasure.
For more information about the Bayou Des Glaises Cultural District and opportunities available through the district, you can reach out to us at bdgculturaldistrict@gmail.com.
* Antebellum translates to “before the war.” The term is most closely associated with the American Civil War.
*A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof.
See any information missing or corrections that should be made? Please contact bdgculturaldistrict@gmail.com. We’re happy to hear from the community!
