Highlights:

Historic Nottoway Plantation in White Castle was destroyed by fire on May 15, 2025
Once the South's largest antebellum mansion, it was built by enslaved people in 1858
The new owner, Louisiana attorney Dan Dyess, hopes to rebuild
Public reaction split between mourning a landmark and reckoning with its history
Rebuilding raises new questions about how we preserve the past without repeating it

Rebuilding Nottoway: After the Fire, a New Chapter Begins

A historic Louisiana landmark burned to the ground. As plans to rebuild take shape, the real question is whether we’ll tell the whole story this time.

WHITE CASTLE, La. (KPEL News) — When Nottoway Plantation burned to the ground on May 15, it didn’t just make headlines for its size or historical significance.

The fire reignited a long-running conversation in Louisiana about how we preserve the past—and who gets to decide what parts of it are worth saving.

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Built in 1858 by slaves, Nottoway was known as the largest surviving antebellum mansion in the South. The 53,000-square-foot estate was used in recent years as a resort, event space, and tourist attraction. It also sat at the center of ongoing cultural debates over how the legacy of slavery is remembered and represented in public spaces.

The History and Controversy of Nottoway Plantation

For decades, Nottoway has been both admired and criticized. Some viewed it as a beautifully preserved example of Southern architecture and heritage. Others saw it as a sanitized monument to a brutal chapter in American history.

That tension—between preservation and progress—has long defined public attitudes toward plantations like Nottoway. The fire didn’t start the conversation, but it’s brought it into sharper focus. Activists on social media say it was a symbol of oppression, and have even hinted that the fire may have been a "small act of justice."

The cause of the fire is unknown, and investigators have not said whether they believe it was intentional or an accident.

Plans to Rebuild Nottoway: Owner Dan Dyess Speaks Out

Attorney Dan Dyess of Natchitoches, who recently bought the property, says he intends to rebuild. He’s called the site historically significant and believes it deserves to be preserved in some form.

So far, details are thin. Dyess hasn’t said outright what the rebuild will look like. However, while there is online discussion about whether or not using the home as a wedding venue whitewashes a troubling past, the attorney maintains he isn't trying to glorify that era of American history.

“I take this position — we are non-racist people. I am a lawyer and my wife is a judge. we believe in equal opportunity rights for everyone, total equality and fairness,” Dyess told the New York Post. “My wife and I had nothing to do with slavery but we recognize the wrongness of it.

“We are trying to make this a better place," he added. "We don’t have any interest in left wing radical stuff. We need to move forward on a positive note here and we are not going to dwell on past racial injustice.”

Dyess also owns the Steel Magnolia House in Natchitoches. His wife is Judge Desirée Dyess of the 10th Judicial District in Natchitoches Parish.

Reactions From Across Louisiana

Some see the fire as a tragic loss for Louisiana’s cultural landscape and are hopeful that the building will be restored. Others view it as an opportunity to rethink how the state approaches sites tied to slavery.

Chris Daigle, Iberville Parish President, wrote on Facebook that the plantation home was "not only the largest remaining antebellum mansion in the South but also a symbol of both the grandeur and the deep complexities of our region’s past."

"While its early history is undeniably tied to a time of great injustice, over the last several decades it evolved into a place of reflection, education, and dialogue," Daigle said in the Facebook post. "Since the 1980s, it has welcomed visitors from around the world who came to appreciate its architecture and confront the legacies of its era. It stood as both a cautionary monument and a testament to the importance of preserving history — even the painful parts — so that future generations can learn and grow from it."

And while several voices and activists on social media are celebrating the building burning down, some historians aren't surprised, according to The Advocate.

"That's the inherent conflict in any plantation house or history," Sarah Duggan, project manager for Decorative Arts of the Gulf South at The Historic New Orleans Collection, said. "This building is a monument to, sort of the apex of an exploitive, abusive system that exploited the lives of enslaved people to build elaborate, some would say bloated, homes like this."

There is no single answer to what should happen next, but there is widespread agreement that the conversation is necessary.

What’s Next for Nottoway and What It Says About Us

At the moment, there’s no official timeline for rebuilding and no blueprint for what form the project might take. But what Nottoway represents—past, present, and future—is once again up for public discussion.

Whether Nottoway is restored as a piece of architecture or reimagined as something more inclusive, the broader question is one Louisiana has wrestled with before and will likely continue to: how do we reconcile pride in heritage with honesty about history?

That’s the real story unfolding in the ashes of Nottoway.

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Gallery Credit: Joe Cunningham