Calhoun Farmhouse

The Calhoun farmhouse was built in 1880 near the center of a 160 acre tract of land acquired by Mrs John D Calhoun, nee Emma L. Stow, in January 1879 as part of her inheritance. There is strong evidence that the house was a wedding present to Emma from her mother and stepfather, Mr & Mrs L. E. McGee. The McGee was "homeplace" was one-half mile east of the Calhoun Farmhouse.

The farmhouse was the headquarters for the extensive farming operations of John D. Calhoun and after McGee's death in 1883, of the McGee Plantation. John Calhoun's farming and overseeing included about 2,000 acres by the turn of the century.

The house was occupied by members of the Calhoun family till 1965. Since then, the Sherrill family has acted as caretakers for the Calhoun family. The present owners, (as of 3.82) Colonel and Mrs John John D. Calhoun are planning to restore the house to its original 1880 appearance.

The Calhoun Farmhouse is a rambling provincial Italianate frame house located in rolling farm country north of the town of Ruston. Of the over 700 fifty-plus homes in the Parish, only six stylistically or topologically pre-date the Queen Anne Revival. Of these, the Calhoun Farmhouse is by far the largest and most pretentious. Moreover, in a several parish area who's patrimony is almost entirely given over to the Queen Anne Revival, the Colonial Revival, and the bungalow style, the Calhoun Farmhouse is a rare example of the Italianate influence.

Additonal Notes:
The Calhoun Farmhouse is located beside what was the "Old Wire Road," also know as the "Old Clarborne Road." This was part of the travellers road and the stagecoach route from Monroe, LA to Shreveport,LA and points between. The land surrounding the homesite was orginally settled by the previously mentioned Stow Family. John Stow, Emma's great grandfather, came to North Louisiana shortly after 1800 stopping briefly near Fort Miro (today's Monroe) before moving westward into the "piney woods." John Stow and his family settled about one mile north of where the Calhoun Farmhouse is today and built up a planation of over 2,000 acres stretching over seven sections of land by the time of his death in 1861. John Stow, his wife and their children are buried at Stow cemetery at the site of their original homeplace.

The information for this site was provided by the Division of Historic Preservation, Louisiana.

Without their assistance this page would not have been possible.

 

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