Located in the Natchitoches (NACK-a-tish) Parish of Louisiana, the remarkable Melrose Plantation is one of the largest plantations in the United States built by and for free black people. Also known as the Yucca Plantation, the site is a National Historic Landmark, dating back to 1832. Louis Metoyer, who began construction of the home, was a son of Marie Therese Coincoin and Claude Thomas Pierre Métoyer. The Metoyers were free people of color for four generations before the American Civil War.
   When Louis Metoyer died in 1832, construction of the Melrose Plantation was taken over by his son Jean Baptiste Louis Metoyer, who died just 6 years later. The next young heir, Theophile Louis, was an inexperienced businessman and was in deep debt by 1845. Two years later Theophile Louis Metoyer lost nearly everything he owned and the Metoyer family was never able to regain ownership of the property.
   The Melrose complex includes the original mansion as well as the Yucca House, the Ghana House, and the Africa House. The African House is an extremely rare example of African-influenced architecture in the South. The plantation was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 and is open for guided tours. Tours begin at 10:15 am with the last tour at 3:15 pm. There are admission fees to tour the grounds and main house. House tours involve walking up and down more than one staircase. The Melrose Plantation is one of the exceptional sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

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