The Hood Home Plantation was occupied by the Contemplative family during the antebellum period. Originally built in a dogtrot style, the house had front and back porches that served as social gathering places, like most plantation homes built during the same period. The rooms inside had high ceilings to promote natural ventilation. During the early 1900s, the back porch and dogtrot were enclosed and three fireplaces were added. The driveway along the south property line was formerly part of the road to Oak Grove known as Hood Lane. In 1993, local volunteers purchased and restored the home grounds, then donated them to the state for the Louisiana State Cotton Museum. The renovations were modeled after the home's appearance during the early twentieth century. In North Louisiana dogtrot houses, the dogtrot, or breezeway, was perpendicular to the front porch and divided the house into two segments.