South Bossier Plantation for Sale in Elm Grove, LA is a Historical Treasure

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I happened upon this South Bossier Parish Plantation home for sale in Elm Grove, LA completely by accident, and boy am I glad I did! Its walls contain a treasure trove of local history!

When I stumbled across this house, it was because I was doing research on this gorgeous abandoned and super-spooky mansion in downtown Shreveport that turned out to be the Mayor of Shreveport's residence in the late 1800s... it even has underground tunnels that reportedly stretch to Municipal Auditorium, the Strand, and the old Shreveport police station. But then I found this gem!

From what I've been able to gather using the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center archive online, this property was most likely part of the Atkins Plantation that had land in SEVEN parishes!

After a cursory internet search, we know that John Hall Livingston, a Missouri native, settled in Bossier Parish in 1949 after WWII along with his wife, a Shreveport girl, Eilyeen Broyles.

So how did Livingston, a Missouri native, end up in Northwest Louisiana? It turns out that he came to Shreveport by way of Fort Polk in the early 1940s and that's when he made Eilyeen's acquaintance. After meeting, the couple had a date at the fair. Sounds romantic, right? Sadly, he had to leave. However, he ended up traveling back to Shreveport around six months later after a stint at Fort Leavenworth and that's when the two decided to get married.

The online interview transcript with Livingston is required reading for any history buff. He served under General Patton and even met him, describing him as flamboyant. Livingston bought the land in 1946 while he was still in Germany, but as mentioned above, they didn't occupy it until 1949. In an interesting twist, the couple originally lived in what he described as a sharecropper's abode. It wasn't until the late '70s that the house you see pictured was moved from another property down the road in SIX SECTIONS to where it stands today. Pretty amazing, right? Especially considering the time period it was built (the early 1900s), the sheer size of the home, and when it was subsequently moved.

While the house looks a little rough right now, I'm sure the new owners will be able to restore it to its former glory. Its physical address is 13573 Highway 71 in Elm Grove, LA if you'd like to make a drive-by to check it out for yourself. No trespassing! The property is currently listed as pending by Michelle Moore at Century 21 Elite. You can see the listing for this huge historic three-story home at realtor.com.