Fire decimates Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana: What we know so far
Fire decimates Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana: What we know so far
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Texas fire captain Marvin Taylor III dies in Mother's Day car crash
Killeen Fire Capt. Marvin Taylor III died in a car crash after leaving an Austin hospital after the birth of his fifth child at around 1 a.m. on May 11.
Fox - 7 Austin
Crews continued to douse water onto Louisiana's Nottoway Plantation on May 16, local media reported, a day after a devastating fire broke out at the mansion.
Photos published by local outlet WVUE showed the home, which dates back to the antebellum South and was once home to slaves, had virtually been ruined by the fire that sparked in Iberville Parish on May 15.
The blaze began sometime around 2 p.m. local time and no guests were present at the time, according to the New Orleans Advocate and WBRZ.
In a Facebook post on May 15, Chris Daigle, president of Iberville Parish's government, said there were no injuries reported in the fire.
"Today, Iberville Parish mourns the loss of one of its most iconic landmarks," Daigle wrote, adding that the site dates back to 1859 and is the largest remaining antebellum mansion in the South. The estate had been used as a museum and wedding venue prior to the fire.
"The loss of Nottoway is not just a loss for Iberville Parish, but for the entire state of Louisiana," Daigle said. "It was a cornerstone of our tourism economy and a site of national significance."
USA TODAY has reached out to the Iberville Parish Fire & Emergency Services Department for comment.
What is Nottoway Plantation?
Nottoway Plantation sits on a 31-acre property in White Castle, a town in Iberville Parish.
The house was built in 1859 and owned by prominent Louisiana planter John Hampden Randolph, according to Louisiana State University. The property housed Randolph's family as well as his slaves.
Prior to the blaze, the property was used as a museum and wedding venue.
In addition to the property's main mansion, there are several ballrooms, cottages, a tennis court and other amenities on site.
"While its early history is undeniably tied to a time of great injustice, over the last several decades it evolved into a place of reflection, education, and dialogue," Daigle wrote on Facebook.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Can you still view the strawberry moon? Why is moon so low in sky? When is next full moon?
Miss this week's "strawberry" full moon? The full moon peaked at 3:30 a.m. June 11, but prime viewing will continue in Bucks County Wednesday night when the full moon rises at 9:25 p.m. in our southeast skies. It is the lowest full moon in decades because we are near what's called a Major Lunar Standstill — a phenomenon that occurs every 18.6 years when the moon's orbit is tilted at its maximum angle, reaching its highest and lowest points in the sky. This accounts for the lateness of its rise in the night sky. June 12's rise will occur even later, at 10:15 p.m. Thursday night. June's full moon, also known as the rare strawberry moon, appeared this week next to the bright red Antares star in the constellation Scorpius during a Major Lunar Standstill. Here's what to know about June's full strawberry moon, the moon phases and the summer solstice. The strawberry moon reached peak illumination at 3:44 a.m. on June 11, 2025, according to the Almanac. The moon appeared bright and full on Tuesday night, June 10, and will again be visible June 11 in the clear skies over Bucks County until setting at 5:15 a.m. June 12. To catch a glimpse, find a location with unobstructed views of the horizon. Click here to see moonrise and moonset times in your area. 🌓 First Quarter: June 2. 🌕 Full Moon: June 11. 🌗 Last Quarter: June 18. 🌑 New Moon: June 25. Similar to April's Pink Moon, June's Strawberry Moon gets its name from the seasonal strawberry harvest, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Ripening berries are traditionally ready to be harvested around this time in the northeastern United States. While strawberries are of course a reddish-pink color, the color of this moon phase is not derived from the 'strawberry' name, but this year it coincidentally has a reddish glow since it is closer to the horizon and the light rays pass through the densest layers of the atmosphere. The June solstice will mark the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere as it heralds the start of the new season of summer, which this year will begin at 10:42 p.m. ET on June 20, 2025. The July full moon, known as the buck moon, will be visible on July 10, 2025. USA Today trending reporter Maria Francis contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Can you still view strawberry moon? Why is moon so low in the sky?
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brillion Fire Department welcomes and congratulates its first-ever Fire Cadets
BRILLION, Wis. (WFRV) – In a Wednesday morning Facebook post, the Brillion Fire Department introduced the community to some of its newest members. Reese, Kiera and Blake were welcomed by the station in December as the first cadets in department history. Village of Bellevue gets two new Community Orchards courtesy of volunteers & New Leaf Foods 'These cadets are gaining hands-on experience, training alongside our firefighters and preparing to serve the community with dedication and pride,' the post said. The Brillion Fire Department's post expressed pride and excitement for the trio, as they become part of the next generation of firefighters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
What Does It Mean To Be a Modern Dad?
Every spring, when Mother's Day and Father's Day roll around, many of us ponder what an ideal holiday honoring our leadership within the family might look like. Coffee in bed? An uninterrupted afternoon nap? Maybe just a day of serenity with no scuffles between young siblings? These all sound great to me… but this year, I find myself contemplating something larger: What does it really mean to be a 'father' in 2025, anyway? I suppose in order to really unpack that question, we need to consider how the paternal role has evolved so dramatically over the last century. First things first: I don't identify closely with the term 'father.' According to my kids' birth certificates, I am indeed a father of two, but I consider myself a dad. And having interviewed well over a hundred other dads on my podcast, Modern Dadhood, it's clear that I'm not alone. In discussing the evolution of the 1940s and '50s father to the father of the 1980s, when co-host Marc Checket and I were growing up, to the modern dad of 2025, several recurring ideas have surfaced, which I'd argue are central to the way we understand the modern dad. Modern dads instinctually strive to be engaged, empathetic, and mindful parents. Comedian Pete Holmes seeks to explain why, suggesting that for most of us, modern life is much more 'comfortable' than it was for our predecessors of decades past, which creates more space for that present, mindful parenting:'You can't really spend too much time wondering about your child's needs if you're worried about food or shelter or whatever it might be. And I just think modern life having gotten more comfortable, just literally like pizza being delivered… in the '80s, that was a newer thing. They'll drive it to your house! And the Internet. […] And every time I'm sitting at a dinner table, let's say, and I realize in a panic that I didn't reply to a very important email, and I just do it. I just take out my phone, I search for it, find it, yes, let's do this. Send. And I'm back at dinner. I have more time to get down on one knee and mirror my daughter's reality to her.' More than ever in history, men are embracing the importance of their mental health and choosing to make it a priority in their lives. I believe that the act of self reflection and a desire for self-improvement and open, honest communication lead to a vulnerability which men have resisted in the past. I believe that embracing vulnerability can lead to a closer relationship with our partners and our children. Men's coach Sean Hotchkiss suggests that therapy is beneficial for men at any age, even those with grown children: 'Just because of the way that things are and how mainstream therapy has become, how destigmatized some of these things have become, I feel like it's starting younger. […] I have seen just beautiful things with men with grown kids, the work that they've done on themselves, rewiring those relationships, kind of putting an end to the old relationship and having this whole rebirth and new connection with their kids, initiated by either them or the kids as they begin to change and shift how they show up with their kids.' Every family is different, but more so than ever in recent history, today's dads are naturally and instinctually embracing parenting responsibilities. This is still very much a 'work in progress,' though; according to a 2019 Gallup poll, 78% of mothers say they do more than their partner in managing their children's schedules and activities, and 57% of mothers with children under 5 say they do more to meet their children's basic needs, such as feeding, bathing, or changing diapers. (Men tend to report these responsibilities to be more equally distributed.) Margaret Ables, co-host of the podcast What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood, shares her take on gender roles and parenting equity: 'The balance can look like anything in any given relationship versus, 'Dads do these things, and moms do these things.' […] Because of who we are and our age and whatever else, we still came in with fairly strong gender roles in our division. And I do think I see this in the next generation with my nieces and nephews, that they're coming in much more with a blank slate on those issues. So it doesn't always have to be like, 'Well, of course you'll work, and of course I'll stay home, and of course I'll make the meals, and of course you'll do the grilling on Sundays.' They're coming in with less weighted versions of gender roles.' And with that, I move to officially change Father's Day to Dads' Day. (I briefly contemplated Modern Dad's Day, but it just felt too self-serving.) As for Mothers' Day? That one's up to the moms. These guest quotes were sourced from episodes of the parenting podcast Modern Dadhood, which are linked below if you care to dig deeper: ⇢ What Will Our Kids Be Saying About Us? | Comedian Pete Holmes ⇢ U Mad Bro? | Men's Coach Sean Hotchkiss ⇢ Parenting Podcast Collab | What Fresh Hell | Margaret Ables Adam Flaherty is the creator and co-host of Modern Dadhood, a fatherhood and parenting podcast available on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The post What Does It Mean To Be a Modern Dad? appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
