Oak Alley
At this point, the fortunes of the Roman family had reached their pinnacle. Jacques' brother, Andre was serving his first term as Governor of Louisiana, and his sister Josephine, was married to Francois Gabriel "Valcour" Aime, whose wealth, interest in the sugar industry and opulent life style had won him the title of "Sugar King Of Louisiana". On May 19, 1836, Valcour Aime, sold Jacques Telesphore the plantation riverboat captains later dubbed "Oak Alley".
In keeping with the lavish standards of the society elite of that period, Jacques Telesphore and Celina plunged with enthusiasm into the building of their own mansion, located on their newly acquired plantation. The architect is believed to have been Celina's father, Gilbert Joseph Pilie, and master builder George Swainy was contracted to direct the construction, a task which took over two years to complete.
Read more about this topic: Jacques Telesphore Roman
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)