P. Mallard 3pc Mahogany bedroom set,
consisting of Half-Tester bed, Dresser with mirror and Wardrobe with
mirrored single glass door.
The
original owner of the bed was Alfred Hennen. Hennen was a civil
lawyer, a Presbyterian, a professor of constitutional law in New
Orleans, and a director of the old Bank of Louisiana. ( information
from LSU Libraries - History of New Orleans
after the Civil War)
Name on Label: P. Mallard 56 Royal St. & Bienville
Label has been laminated to protect it.
Prudence Mallard's store was located on
Royal St. in New Orleans from 1850-1867. Prudence Mallard died
August 7, 1879.
The Bed is in
perfect condition. All of the pieces were restored approximately 25
years ago. There is one minor mark on the armoire on the back lower
corner. It was damaged by a house keeper while vacuuming.
History of Zemurray Gardens Lodge
Complex:
Zemurray Gardens, with
it's flowers, fountains, statues, woods, lakes and unusual buildings
stand as one of the notable scenic attractions of Louisiana. The
land now occupied by Zemurray Gardens was one of the earliest
settled areas in what is now Tangipahoa Parish and was originally
settled by Thomas Joiner sometime in the 1790's. In 1828, Alfred
Hennen purchased 1280 acres and built a house here the following
year. By 1860, Hennen was the third largest rice producer in
Louisiana and owned over 100 slaves. After his death in 1870, his
daughter Cora, wife of John A. Morris, the financial backer of the
Louisiana lottery, purchased the plantation. The Lake Superior
Piling Company of Chicago, of which Charles H. Houlton was
president, bought the property from the Morris heirs in 1918.
Houlton and his brother William made extensive improvements to the
buildings, adding the colonnades and interior redecorating that give
the main buildings of the estate their unique architectural
character. The estate was given the name "Houltonwood." However, The
Zemurray Gardens and Lodge Complex take their name from Samuel
Zemurray, a Russian Jewish immigrant who made his fortune in America
from the banana trade with Central America. He sold his successful
fruit company in 1929 for $33,000,000. to the United Fruit Company,
a year after he had purchased the "Houltonwood" estate. After make
his millions, Zemurray became a noted philanthropist and expanded
Zemurray Gardens , which began in 1922. A trail of azaleas cuts
through the forest of magnolias, cypress, poplars, gum and oaks. The
path, which also boasts camellias, irises, daffodils, dogwoods,
honeysuckles, marigolds and yellow poplars, goes around Mirror Lake,
where cast bronze statues stand reminiscent of the great gardens of
the earlier epoch.
Zemurray
gardens is not only renowned for its scenic gardens and founts, but
also architecturally local significance. The lodge complex forming
the main buildings on the grounds has an interior designed in the
arts and crafts style of the early 1900's by distinguished architect
Moise H. Goldstein. Some of the decorating and architectural
features characteristic of this movement, like wainscoting
medieval-looking beamed ceilings, the inglenook, and the craftsman
styled staircases are all present in the one- and- half -story
gable-end house with the log cabin recreation room that serves as
the main building. There are few if any surviving examples of the
Arts and Crafts style found in Louisiana's Florida Parishes, making
those within the Zemurray Gardens Lodge Complex truly unique.
(information on Zemurray Gardens taken from
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/zem.htm)
Dresser Dimensions
- Width: 47"
- Depth: 22"
- Height: 7 ft from the top
Armoire Dimensions
- Width: 51"
- Depth: 22"
- Height: 109"
Bed Dimensions
- Width: 56"
- Height from top to the bed:
90"
- Height from bed to floor: 29"
- Bed Board: 56"
