The Lafayette Museum is dedicated to sharing and promoting the history and culture of Acadiana by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting artifacts related to the families who lived in the house, the times in which they lived, and the events that contributed to the development of Lafayette and the surrounding area.
The Lafayette Museum Historic Home & Gardens is dedicated to sharing and promoting the history and culture of Acadiana by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting artifacts related to the families who lived in the house, the times in which they lived, and the events that contributed to the development of Lafayette and the surrounding area. Today, the Lafayette Museum stands as a living testament to the families who shaped this community and to the enduring spirit of Acadiana. As you explore its rooms and gardens, we invite you to reflect on the stories preserved within these walls and the generations who called this place home. We hope that you visit soon, and we thank you for helping to keep Lafayette’s rich heritage alive.
Background
The house served as the residence of several prominent families. Three of these families, the Moutons, the Mills and the Girards, made major additions to the house and contributed greatly to the growth of the town. From these strong families’ roots, a culture survived, a community prospered, a university emerged and a thriving city developed. Jean Mouton, a major landowner in the area, built a small structure called a Maison Dimanche or Sunday House. It was used by the family when they traveled from their plantation home near Carencro to attend church services. Mr. Mouton donated land for the church and city hall around which the village of Vermilionville grew, making it one of the only settlements not located on the banks of a river in the early 19th century. Vermilionville was renamed Lafayette in 1884. Alexandre, Jean’s son, moved to the Sunday House following his marriage to Zelia Rousseau in 1826. He added three rooms to the right of the downstairs hall. Alexandre was a United States Senator who in 1843 became the first Democratic governor of Louisiana. In 1849 the house was sold to Dr. W. G. Mills who added the rooms on the left side of the house along with the second and third floors and the cupola. Dr. Mills’ addition transformed a modest three-room structure into a grand Greek Revival-style home. In 1896 Dr. Percy Girard purchased the house and built a small medical office near the street. Upon his retirement, the office was moved and attached to the house. In 1954 his heirs sold it to Les Vingt-Quatre, a civic-minded group of women who established this Museum.
Founded in 1932 Les Vingt Quatre, a group of twenty-four dedicated women in Lafayette, Louisiana, has left an indelible mark on the community through its commitment to cultural preservation and education. Initially formed to study history and current events, the organization expanded its mission to establish the Lafayette Public Library in 1932 and transform the historic Alexandre Mouton House into the Lafayette Museum in 1954.
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The entrance hall pays tribute to the Mouton family, the original owners of the property. The foyer was originally the front porch of the three rooms added by Alexandre. The plantation desk belonged to Alfred Mouton, Alexandre and Zelia’s son. Alfred attended the Military Academy at West Point and became a general in the Confederate Army. He was killed at the age of thirty-three at the Battle of Mansfield. The desk traveled with him during the Civil War. The furnishings in the house are from the mid-to-late 19th century. The mahogany Pier table, circa 1840, is Louis Philippe-style. The mirror below the table is called a “petticoat mirror.” The ladies used the mirror to check whether their petticoats were showing. The rosewood scroll-back sofa is frequently called a “fainting couch.” The framed portraits on either side of the gold wall mirror are of Alexandre Mouton and his wife, Zelia Rousseau. The pair of mahogany Directoire chairs on either side of the table are upholstered in the original black horsehair fabric. The carpet is a reproduction of a style of the period.
Across the hall is the parlor, a very formal room only used for company. The wall colors and wallpaper borders in the room are replicas of the original. The parlor mantel and the baseboards in the adjourning Music Room have been restored to the original faux marbre (“false marble”—wood painted to resemble marble). In the parlor are a tall case clock belonging to the Mouton family, an early 19th century French Empire mahogany secretary and armchair and a mahogany sofa. A pair of fine Vieux Paris (Old Paris) vases grace the parlor mantle. In the center of the room is a double octagonal table and upholstered chairs made of rosewood. The rustic child’s chair dates from 1790; its restored rush seat is of Louisiana cattail. The chair belonged to Jacques Dupre, the eighth governor of Louisiana and the grandfather of Zelia Mouton. The portrait of the woman in black is Marie Gadrat Rousseau Mouton, Zelia’s sister who married Alexandre’s brother, Antoine Emile. Above the sofa, dated 1837 and signed “Bernard,” is the portrait of Sosthene Mouton, a grandson of Jean Mouton. The needlepoint rug is of the period, but not original to the house.
MUSIC ROOM
The music room showcases the history and memorabilia of the Mills family. The room features an 1840 melodeon, a bellows-type musical instrument similar to an organ, a pre-Civil War violin and a bird’s eye maple harp adorned with gold leaf. One of the most interesting portraits is the small one of Rosa Budd Mills, Dr. Mills’ daughter, wearing a white dress. When first acquired, Rosa’s white dress was over-painted in black. A professional art conservator restored the painting to its original as documented in the photos. According to local tradition, a lady’s portrait was painted in white when she was young and again in black when she was mature or widowed. Among the items in the armoire is a poem written by Rosa and etched with a diamond ring on two framed windowpanes. The poem reads: “Around me will hover in grief or in glee, Til life’s dream be over, Sweet memories of thee,” signed Rosa Mills, 1855. The large portrait over the library table is of Henri Bendel, a native of Lafayette who became an internationally known fashion entrepreneur.
DINING ROOM
The focal point of the dining room is the painting over the mantel of Governor Alexandre Mouton’s son, Alfred, at the age of three. Originally, young Alfred posed without a hat. When the Governor refused to pay the itinerant artist until he added a hat, the artist painted a copy of his own hat on the boy’s head. On the mantle is a small sword encased in a walking cane similar to the one in the painting. The mantle is another example of faux marbre popular in the mid-nineteenth century. The room houses a large mahogany armoire belonging to the Mouton family and a Victorian sideboard displaying a beautiful coffee service of Vieux Paris and a collection of antique French Limoges porcelain. A framed silk-embroidered map of the world hangs above the sideboard. The 1845 Louis Phillippe mahogany cabinet contains a collection of glassware. The oil-cloth floor covering beneath the dining room table replicates a typical floor cloth of the era.
EXHIBIT ROOM
The exhibit room contains history and memorabilia from the Mouton and Girard families. Take note of the historical chronology of the house and the Peeling Back Time display. Originally two rooms, removal of the common wall revealed remnants of paint, plaster and wallpaper dating from 1826 until 1849. Also on display is a section of the initial restoration work that revealed the original paint color of the walls and the size of the original wallpaper border used in the house. An arrangement of Civil War memorabilia features Confederate coins and paper bills, diaries, letters, guns and shells and a framed remnant of the 1864 18th Louisiana Regimental flag. General Alfred Mouton’s portrait and sword complete the display. A genealogy chart of the Mouton family is featured on the wall. A large bookcase, which originally belonged to the Girard family, holds some of Dr. Girard’s medical equipment. The grouping of pictures is of the Girard family, who occupied the house from 1896-1940. The present-day University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Girard Park, adjacent to the University, were established on land generously donated to the city by the Girard family. A map of Lafayette in 1916 is also on display. The small, rough-hewn desk belonged to Governor Jacques Dupre, the grandfather of Zelia Mouton. An interesting item is the newspaper printed on wallpaper in both English and French, evidence of the shortage of materials available during the Civil War. A tall cypress display case stores personal items belonging to Alexandre Mouton and the Mouton family, including account books, silverware, a Bible, books, a cup and saucer and Governor Mouton’s will. His inkstand and paperweight were used at the signing of the Secession Convention, which Governor Mouton chaired.
UPSTAIRS HALL
From the top of the stairs, the staircase appears curved, but this is really an illusion created by the cutting of the treads. Victorian furniture accents the upstairs hall. Note the bust of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wrote the story of Evangeline, bringing fame to Acadiana. The large armoire contains Beverly Randolph’s wedding dress. She was the bride of Edwin Lewis Stephens, the first president of the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
CARNIVAL ROOM
The Carnival Room contains costumes of royalty from the Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association celebrations. Their balls have been held in Lafayette on Mardi Gras Day since 1934. The king and queen, appropriately named Gabriel and Evangeline, represent the legendary Acadian lovers immortalized in Longfellow’s poem “Evangeline.”
NUN’S ROOM
The nun’s room honors the Mount Carmel sisters, who were the first teachers in Lafayette, and whose convent school was across the street from this house from 1873 to 1982. Sisters of a cloistered order used the reclining chair for visits from the dentist. The Acadian coverlet on the single bed is white with indigo-dye designs. The prie-dieu, a kneeler used to say prayers, is also on view. Hair art was popular during this time. Two examples, one in the shape of a crucifix, hang on the wall. When a girl became a nun, she shaved her head. The hair was sent to New Orleans and shaped into an ornament used to surround her picture. The picture of the nun in the shadow box is a Mouton family member. The glass cabinet contains a collection of homespun brown cotton quilts and other needlework. Marie Gadrat Rousseau Mouton crocheted the large framed “Lord’s Prayer” positioned above the washstand.
CHILDREN’S ROOM
Enticing furniture, dolls, toys and playthings of the period fill the children’s room. The room features “small furniture samples” used by salesmen who exhibited these samples and took orders for full-sized furniture. The white-capped doll in the child’s rocker belonged to Flora Plonsky Levy, whose portrait hangs on the wall. The rare “tiger oak” armoire was a gift to Governor Mouton’s daughter, Mathilde.
VICTORIAN BEDROOM
The furniture in the Victorian bedroom is circa 1880. The Acadian bedspread made from locally grown cotton dates to 1812. Displayed is the wedding dress of Flora Plonsky Levy, niece of Henri Bendel. The pine cradle dates to the late 18th century. The washstand was a standard item in bedrooms. The larger door on the bottom right of the washstand housed the chamber pot. Homes during this time period lacked indoor plumbing and bathrooms. Armoires took the place of closets. The round table in the center of the room is a rare American Renaissance carved walnut and gilt-incised sewing table dating to the third quarter of the 19th century. The cheval mirror belonged to William C. C. Claiborne, the first governor of Louisiana.
MAISON DIMANCHE
Behind the main house is the original Maison Dimanche or Sunday House, constructed of handmade briquette-entre-poteaux (brick between cypress posts) in the tradition of wealthier homes built in the 1800s. Today the Sunday House contains household items used during the early nineteenth century in Acadiana, including flat irons, a spinning wheel, waffle irons, coffee grinders, old washboards, a money post, saddles, an old screened pie safe, a churn and old bottles. The steeple is from the old Lafayette Court House. Woodpeckers made the holes in the steeple. In the backyard is a large iron kettle used in making syrup from sugar cane. The bell came from the first courthouse and rang to announce court sessions to attorneys and interested people. The small brick structure near the main house, called a “milk house” or a “potato house,” kept food items cool. Built at the same time as the Maison Dimanche, it now houses various tools and equipment from the period. The perimeter of the backyard is enclosed by a continuous border of azaleas. Camellias, seasonal flowers and plants and various seating arrangements add to the tranquility of the yard. The two massive oak trees are registered by the Live Oak Society.
Frequently Asked Questions from our Tours
What are the names of the different varieties of azaleas on the property?
Backyard pastel/baby pink: George Tabor
Backyard white: G. Gerbing
Backyard purple/lavender: Formosa
Backyard bright neon pink: Pink Ruffle
Backyard red: Red Ruffles
Front yard rosy, pink: Pink Formosa
Side-yard multicolor: Conversation Piece
We’re always happy to help—feel free to ask questions during your tour or get in touch with us anytime!
