Locust Grove State Historic Site

Louisiana’s plantation past comes alive at this small family cemetery.

Locust Grove State Historic Site

See the grave of Jefferson Davis' sister, Anna E. Davis Smith, at Locus Grove State Historic Site.

A few miles northwest of St. Francisville is a little-known cemetery that holds a fascinating footnote to Civil War history. Locust Grove State Historic Site sits on the grounds of what was once Locust Grove Plantation, a Civil War-era home owned by Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ sister, Anna E. Davis Smith. In 1835, decades before Davis would achieve the Confederacy’s highest office, he brought his young wife Sarah Knox Taylor Davis to visit. They had been married only three months before both husband and wife contracted malaria. Sarah died at the age of 21.

Today, visitors can find her grave at Locust Grove State Historic Site along with other Davis family members. Also buried here is Brigadier General Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, one of the heroes of the War of 1812 and U.S. Representative from Louisiana.

After your visit, stop by Afton Villa Gardens and Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge also in St. Francisville. A short drive away, check out the Pointe Coupée Parish Museum in New Roads.

Entrance fee: free to the public. Contact Audubon State Historic Site to schedule your visit.