[StBernard] Sebastopol Plantation Makes A Comeback After Storm

[Westley Annis]

For Immediate Release
May 1, 2006
 

Sebastopol Plantation
 to be Restored at May 2nd Community Celebration
 
Only Private Residence in St. Bernard Parish on National Register of
Historic Places
 
St Bernard, LA-Sebastopol, an 1830's sugar plantation damaged by Hurricane
Katrina, will celebrate its restoration on Tuesday May 2, 2006 with a 2:00
p.m. - 4:00 p.m. community celebration. Prior to the storm, Sebastopol was
the only private residence in St. Bernard on the National Historic Register.
Students from St. Bernard Unified School will be allowed to choose and bring
one special item of their choice (whether it be a toy, family photo album,
etc.) to be treated for mold at the event and will get it back at 3:00 p.m.
mold free.  
The event will feature living history re-enactors dressed in period costume.
Owner James Lewis and curator Alberta Lewis will be giving tours and
discussing the restoration, including the challenges of trying to restore a
historic building without the "destroy and rebuild" approach that is often
seen as the only option.
"We feel it's important to save and share this charming hidden treasure with
the community.  Folks aren't always aware of the history of St. Bernard
Parish.  We thought it was vital to share this gem with everyone," James
Lewis, owner of Sebastopol, said.   
Sebastotol suffered damage in the storm, including extensive mold and mildew
growth, but is otherwise structurally sound. "Some of the historic
architectural features of the home are irreplaceable.  For example, the
wallboard was made of bagasse, the dry, fibrous residue left after the
extraction of juice from the crushed stalks of sugar cane. We didn't want to
lose that interesting piece of history," said Lewis.   "Old fashioned
methods to remove mold would have destroyed some parts of the building, so
we feel blessed to have a way to preserve its original character," Lewis
added.
Lewis continued, "Sabre Technical Services is donating their mold fumigation
services to help get Sebastopol reopened.  Their process will eliminate the
need to rip out the original walls and allow us to preserve the original
character of the building.   We're particularly pleased that we're going to
be able to tell everyone that the building has been certified as perfectly
safe, since we hold events for the public there."
"This is part of our life - this is our life," said Lewis, "we're dedicated
to bringing Sebastopol back for our community."
Location: 621 Bayou Road in St Bernard in St. Bernard Parish.  Sebastopol is
15 miles down river from the Orleans Parish line (Historic Jackson Barracks)
on Louisiana Highway 46 Scenic Byway. It is about 1 mile above the Islenos
Museum. 
 
Directions:   From New Orleans, take Louisiana 39 east (West Judge Perez
Drive).  Go 13 or 14 miles to intersection of 39 and 46 and turn right on
Bayou Road = Louisiana 46.   Sebastopol is on the right, four properties
down. 
 
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