From the time of its construction until the time of its sale to the National Park Service as part of the creation of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the Cottage has been used as a family residence, mostly to house members of the Prud'homme family who owned and developed the area first known as the Bermuda Plantation and later as the Oakland Plantation. In fact, during its nearly 170-year history, it housed families unrelated to the Prud'hommes for a total of only about 25 years. Though the Main House of the Plantation has received a majority of the interest and attention, the...

The Gin Complex at Oakland Plantation, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Natchez, Louisiana is part of one of the most complete collections of plantation structures in the possession of the National Park Service. The National Park Service acquired the property in 1998. Of the original Gin Complex structures, only the Seed House and the Cistern remain, though remnants of the engine mounts for the steam and diesel engines that powered the cotton processing machinery during the productive life of the Gin Complex can be seen at the site.

In 1994, Historical Architect Ali Miri, of the National Park Service Southeast Regional Office, completed a Historic Structure Assessment Report for Allenbrook. Between 1998 and the present, the National Park Service has undertaken major renovations of the building, prompting this Historic Structure Report. The aim of this report is to expand upon earlier reports, both in historical inquiry and in reporting of physical condition, and to provide more detailed recommendations to the National Park Service for the preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, interpretation, and use of this historic...