Bellechasse Plantation was established by Col. Jean de Goutin Bellechasse, commander of colonial troops at the Louisiana Purchase transfer in 1803 and a prominent early state official. In 1844, it was purchased by Judah P. Benjamin, a noted attorney and Louisiana U.S. Senator who became known as the "Brains of the Confederacy" for his service in the Confederate cabinet. The main house originally stood about 1900 feet north-northeast of this site near the present ferry landing and was razed in March 1960.