There are many mansions in and around Abbeville, and we decided to visited the Joseph Jefferson Home (1870) which is fairly close in New Iberia and is surrounded by a 20 acre semi-tropical garden.
It sits atop a coastal salt dome on Lake Peigneur. It was build by the American actor, Joseph Jefferson, famous in his time for playing Rip Van Winkle. The plantation was a part of a 2000 acre plot and it was used as his summer home. On his passing the land and home was purchased by an investor, John Bayles, and it was his son, Jack, that developed the marvelous gardens.
We were given a personal tour of the house and viewed a movie detailing the history of the property. We learned that on November 20, 1980 the dreams of Bayless Jr. were washed away when a drilling rig pierced one of the giant caverns of the Diamond Crystal Salt Company, flooding the entire mine. This created a vortex that swallowed the lake, 65 acres of native woodland, drilling machinery, the Jack Bayless' new mansion and much of his beloved gardens.
Although, the Plantation did sustain some damage it was mostly intact and much of the gardens has been thankfully restored so we can enjoy its beauty.
There are many mansions in and around Abbeville, and we decided to visited the Joseph Jefferson Home (1870) which is fairly close in New Iberia and is surrounded by a 20 acre semi-tropical garden. 
It sits atop a coastal salt dome on Lake Peigneur. It was build by the American actor, Joseph Jefferson, famous in his time for playing Rip Van Winkle. The plantation was a part of a 2000 acre plot and it was used as his summer home. On his passing the land and home was purchased by an investor, John Bayles, and it was his son, Jack, that developed the marvelous gardens.
We were given a personal tour of the house and viewed a movie detailing the history of the property. We learned that on November 20, 1980 the dreams of Bayless Jr. were washed away when a drilling rig pierced one of the giant caverns of the Diamond Crystal Salt Company, flooding the entire mine. This created a vortex that swallowed the lake, 65 acres of native woodland, drilling machinery, the Jack Bayless' new mansion and much of his beloved gardens. 
Although, the Plantation did sustain some damage it was mostly intact and much of the gardens has been thankfully restored so we can enjoy its beauty.
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