The double row of oaks in front of the Blouin house were probably planted in the late 1800s by Zephirin Toups, Jr. (son of Zephirin Toups, Sr., who lived about ½ mile north, up the bayou from this location). Zephirin Jr. purchased the property in 1874 from Alcide Chauvin who became his father-in-law when he married Marie Adele Chauvin in 1876.
According to the Thibodaux Sentinel newspaper, Zephirin completed building a home on the property in 1894 (probably a small Creole cottage). The oaks surrounding the current home likely date to around that time – the late 1800s or early 1900s. Two of the oaks, one in the front right row, and another in the rear left of the house were knocked over by fierce winds from hurricane Betsy in 1965. Though leaning over almost to the ground, the oaks have survived.
The property and oak trees later sold to the Joseph Blouin family in the late 1920s or early 1930s, and the current home dates to that time period. The Blouin family lived in the home until the late 1960s or early 1970s. The home was purchased recently by Ramon and Dawn Barrera; the couple has renovated the home with modern touches while maintaining its 1894 history.
The Lafourche Live Oak Tour was created through the generous support of Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Tourism. For more information on Lafourche Parish events and activities, visit their website at LACajunBayou.com.