Louisiana Folktale: The Treasure that is Parlange
Lloyd Sensat
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Living with and among our history and architecture is innately southern. It is with you all the time in the south. One of the first plantations that I ever visited as a child was "Parlange" My mom and dad brought me to see the house. I immediately fell in love with the place and all old houses after that. The ancient Madame Paula Parlange brought us through the house. Later her charming daughter- in- law Miss Lucy was always there. Even today, whenever we bring tour groups to "Parlange" they agree that is the most authentic place that they have ever seen, but they all" love Lucy!" As a kid I was also impressed with the pet cemetery where generations of the family's beloved pets where buried. Children in the neighborhood still flock to the park like grounds of the estate. Miss Lucy lets them play with generations of toys and calls them the "Parlange Playmates”. I once brought my yearbook staff there and she had us playing in the hay loft and swinging from the limbs of the ancient live oaks.
"Parlange" is located on False River near New Roads, Louisiana. It has long been considered one of the state's most important landmark. In truth, the Parlange family and the plantation house itself should be named Louisiana National Treasures. The treasure of Parlange is that it has survived intact and is occupied today by heirs in direct line to the original builders and with its multitudinous furnishings having never been divided. So, little has changed at Parlange that the sense of continuity is magic and awesome.
According to family tradition, this is the history of the house now known as “Parlange". It was built by Vincent de Ternant (1757-1818) the Marquis of Dansville-sur-Meuse of France sometime in the 18th century on a French land grant. Unfortunately, his grand tomb in New Roads was dismantled by the Catholic Church in recent years. De Ternant's home was to become recognized as one of the finest examples of French Colonial architecture in America. It is a style that would later be called Louisiana Creole, so perfect for its time and place. Flanking "'the big house", he built a pair of octagonal pigeonniers whose whole design emulates the feeling of northern France and the provincial architecture of the mother country.
When, Vincent died his son, Claude Vincent de Ternant inherited the house. Claude's first wife died and he married a Louisiana girl, Virginie Trahan. Virginie more than anyone left her mark on the house giving it elegance, style and furnishings and family portraits from France. Her life size portrait by Claude-Marie Dubufe still dominates the grand salon. Paintings of her children hang in corners of the salon to give the room the illusion of being circular in the nineteen century French manner. One of her granddaughters, Virginie Avegno Gautreaux was painted by John Singer Sargent. She is the scandalous "Madame X" Two books have been written about her: "I am Madame X" , a novel by Gioia Diliberto and "Strapless’, a biography by Deborah Davis. Today the New Orleans Creole beauty greets her public as the most favorite painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
When Claude died, Virginie married another Frenchman, Colonel Charles Parlange from whom the plantation acquired its name. They had one son, Charles. Virginie was one of the original "Steel Magnolia’s". Widowed again by the Civil War, it was her tact and hospitality to occupying armies that saved the house during the bitter war years. The Parlanges today point to a room which they call "the Generals' Room". It was here that General Banks (Union Army) and General Taylor (Confederate Army) slept, but not together!
On one of my visits, I slept in "the Generals"Room" I was awaken in the middle of the night by a squirrel scurrying across the four poster bed. It apparently had come down the chimney and came out the fireplace into the room. I was horrified that the creature would break something in the antique filled rooms and I would be blamed for it in the morning. I opened the french doors unto the gallery and managed to chase it out the house. 
During Reconstruction, Charles Parlange held on and saved the plantation from ruins. He also had a distinguished political career culminating as Chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Sometime after World War 1 Judge Parlange's son, Walter Charles gave up a law practice to reclaim his ancestral home. He brought his young bride, Paule Brierre to a house which had been abandoned for 20 years.
Their only son, Walter Parlange, Jr. whom his friends call "Skipper" and his wife Lucy and their son Brandon still live at Parlange today. Lucy was a Brandon, whose family also planted their roots early at a plantation across the River in Mississippi.
Skipper and Lucy have two other children, Walter Charles 111, and Angela. Virginie Parlange spent much of her time in New Orleans and Paris. From her Paris salon, the family has kept a sampling of calling cards of those who attended. Today, her great-great-great granddaughter, Angela Parlange is an international known designer. She has used Virginie's collection of Paris notables' calling card in beautiful fabric designs.
In the 1980's, Brandon masterminded a massive restoration of their old homeplace. Now whenever Gene and I visit, we stay in the pigeonnier which has been restored as a lovely guest house. The pigeonnier was once a source of squab for the table. Shelves which once supported hundreds of pigeons nest are today filled with books for visitors to read. We feel privileged to consider the Parlange family as some of our oldest and dearest friends. Whenever, we visit "Parlange"" there are always other interesting people there. When you live in a place like "Parlange' the whole world comes to you! To visit Parlange is to hear good talk, good food prepared on plates a century old and to drink good wine. Miss Lucy always introduces us as Doctor Cizek and Doctor Sensat. Gene has two PH. D.'s! He says that I got mine from the University of Parlange!
