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Welcome to the Louisiana Helicam blog!
Nottoway Plantation Aerial Video-8/1/16Nottoway Plantation & Resort, a magnificent 1850's sugarcane estate, a AAA Four-Diamond property, and a member of Historic Hotels of America, is the home of the South's largest existing antebellum mansion, now stunningly restored to her days of glory.
Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, the massive white columns and grand balconies of this enormous Mansion stand guard over the Mississippi River and its famed River Road, while on the north side, the spectacular three-story Rotunda overlooks sweeping, oak-draped lawns. Nottoway spans 31 acres and offers a wonderful variety of venues, amenities and services. Click on the image on the right to see an enlarged property map.
Nottoway is centrally located between Louisiana's 3 largest cities:
Houmas House Aerial and Interior Photos-7/21/16I shoot aerial photos in the St. Gabriel | Gonzales area on a regular basis and finally had a chance to stop by Houmas House on 7/21/16. Houmas House Plantation and Gardens has reclaimed its position as Crown Jewel of Louisiana's River Road. Through the vision and determination of Kevin Kelly, who fulfilled a lifelong dream by acquiring the property in the Spring of 2003, the mansion today reflects the best parts of each period in its rich history alongside the big bend in the Mississippi River. The first owners of the plantation were the indigenous Houmas Indians, who were given a land grant to occupy the fertile plain between the Mississippi and Lake Maurepas to the north. The Houmas sold the land to Maurice Conway and Alexander Latil in the mid 1700's By the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the plantation was established and producing sugar. In 1810, Revolutionary War hero Gen. Wade Hampton of Virginia purchased the property and shortly thereafter began construction on the Mansion. However, it was not until 1825 when Hampton's daughter, Caroline, and her husband, Col. John Preston, took over the property that the grand house truly began to take shape. Construction on the Mansion was completed in 1828. At the same time, Houmas House began to build its sugar production and continued to increase its land holdings, which ultimately grew to 300,000 acres. Irishman John Burnside bought the plantation in 1857 for $1 million. A businessman and a character, Burnside increased production of sugar until Houmas House was the largest producer in the country, actively working the crop on 98,000 acres. During the Civil War, Burnside saved the Mansion from destruction at the hands of advancing Union forces by declaring immunity as a subject of the British Crown. In addition to building a railway to carry his products to market —"The Sugar Cane Train (1862)" — Burnside, a bachelor, is also said to have offered payment to any parents in the parish who would name their sons "John." An avid sportsman who wagered heavily in horse races, Burnside once secretly purchased a champion thoroughbred back East with the intent of defeating the steeds of fellow local businessmen in a big race. He quietly slipped the racehorse into the billiard room of the Mansion where it was "stabled" until Burnside's surprise was unveiled at the starting line and hailed in the winner's circle. Houmas House flourished under Burnside's ownership, but it was under a successor, Col. William Porcher Miles that the plantation grew to its apex in the late 1800's when it was producing a monumental 20 million pounds of sugar each year. In 1927, the Mississippi came out of its banks in the epic "great flood." While Houmas House was spared, the surrounding areas were inundated. The ensuing economic havoc was but a prelude to the devastation of the Great Depression just two years later. Houmas House Plantation withered away. The Mansion closed and fell into disrepair, a condition in which it remained until 1940 when Dr. George B. Crozat purchased it. Crozat bought Houmas House to be a summer home away from his native New Orleans. He renovated the property with the intent to give it a more "Federal" look than the stately Greek Revival style in which it was conceived. The structure was painted white inside and out. Crown moldings and ceiling medallions were removed and both interior and exterior forms and finishes were simplified. Eventually, the Crozat heirs opened the property to tourists. In 1963, the defining Bette Davis film "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" was shot in the property. The room in which Ms. Davis stayed while filming is preserved as part of today's Houmas House tour. In addition to the Mansion and Gardens, history is also reflected in the many antique furnishings and works of art that grace the Houmas House tour. Distinguished by its two Garconierre, the Mansion exudes the warmth of a home (it's the owner's active residence), while proudly portraying its role as a landmark in American history. Enjoy!
Nottoway Plantation-8/1/16Louisiana Helicam recently shot both aerial and ground images of Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, LA. Nottoway Plantation & Resort, a magnificent 1850's sugarcane estate, a AAA Four-Diamond property, and a member of Historic Hotels of America, is the home of the South's largest existing antebellum mansion, now stunningly restored to her days of glory. Located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, the massive white columns and grand balconies of this enormous Mansion stand guard over the Mississippi River and its famed River Road, while on the north side, the spectacular three-story Rotunda overlooks sweeping, oak-draped lawns. Daily guided mansion tours are just the beginning of what you will find here. Nottoway also offers deluxe rooms for overnight guests, fabulous dining, luxury amenities, and multiple ballrooms and meeting facilities which have been the settings for countless special events and spectacular weddings. But, the most important thing you'll find here is unforgettably gracious southern hospitality and service.
The Assembly-7/31/16Recent progress of the new Assembly church facility located in West Monroe, LA.
Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site-8/1/16I had the opportunity to grab a few ground shots of the old Plaquemine Lock State Historic site in Plaquemine, Louisiana today. The site is located off La. 1 in downtown Plaquemine in Iberville Parish, 13 miles south of Baton Rouge and 8 miles north of Nottoway Plantation in White Castle. The site is on historic Main Street directly across from Iberville Parish Museum and historic St. John's Church. Enjoy!
John James Audubon Bridge | Mississippi River-7/7/16I recently had the opportunity to document the John James Audubon Bridge located between New Roads, LA and St. Francisville, LA. The John James Audubon Bridge, completed and opened in 2011, is a Mississippi River crossing between Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana parishes in south central Louisiana. The bridge has the second longest cable-stayed span in the Western Hemisphere (after Mexico's Baluarte bridge)[2][3] (although its total length is four times that of the Mexican bridge) and replaces the ferry between the communities of New Roads and St. Francisville. The bridge also serves as the only bridge structure on the Mississippi River between Natchez, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana (approximately 90 river miles). The bridge conveys Louisiana Highway 10, which is in a concurrence there with the Zachary Taylor Parkway. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_James_Audubon_Bridge_(Mississippi_River) Enjoy!
Aerial panoramic image:
Tarpan Construction-Black Bayou Bridge Reconstruction ProjectThe project is located in southern Calcasieu Parish at the intersection of Louisiana Hwy 384 and Black Bayou, adjacent to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). This project consists of performing various maintenance activities to the existing structure, as well as installing two steel sheet pile walls in the immediate vicinity of the existing concrete culvert structure in an effort to prevent saline water from traveling east of Louisiana Highway 384. In recent years, the Black Bayou Culvert Structure has been significantly undermined, resulting in a loss of structural support from the soil. As a result, the project will also include foundation strengthening, or underpinning, in an effort to increase the foundation support capacity. This construction effort will require the project site to be dewatered for an extended duration to allow for the underpinning and maintenance activities to be completed.
Tarpan Construction is the Prime Contractor on this project. Work began 6/1/2015. An excellent team of contractors was assembled to tackle the varying scopes of work on this project. Tarpan Construction is handling the management of the project to include Project Manager, Quality Control and Site Safety and Health Officer. Tarpan has crewed up and has 6-8 employees on the project self- performing tasks such as earthen coffer dams, dewatering, cleaning the culvert structures, placing rip rap, trucking, executing the traffic control and pollution control plan.
Links of interest:
 
Shreveport | Bossier 360-Degree Aerial Panoramic ImagesThese 360-degree aerial panoramic images are part of an aerial package that was completed for the Louisiana Boardwalk and the Bossier City riverside development projects. These panoramic images show the following locations:
North Louisiana Flood-March 2016-Phase 3This gallery contains a mixture of both aerial and ground images from the recent flooding in North Louisiana.
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