Bayou Gardens, the Story Behind the Scenery

If camellias and azaleas could tell stories, they might have some tales to tell. One is the story of the landscape which today is the headquarters of the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges...

...“a panorama of beauty that only Mother Nature can paint. Here…the natural charm and beauty of the Bayou Country are preserved and enhanced by profuse plantings of camellias, azaleas and other shrubs.” - excerpt from 1950's Bayou Gardens brochure

In 1950, the Bayou Gardens botanical attraction and camellia nursery in Lacombe, Louisiana opened to the public. Visitors paid 75¢ to enjoy a stroll under Spanish moss draped oaks, and along boxwood lined paths, bordered with more than 400 varieties of camellias and azaleas.

An old barn housed an eclectic "museum" display of baskets and artifacts from the local Choctaw people, wooden ship models, and a weapons collection.

While Bayou Gardens' museum and nursery are gone, and some of the old oak and pine trees were toppled by hurricanes, two miles of trails and pathways lined with camellias and azaleas remain. Enjoy a stroll winding through the gardens by the shore of Bayou Lacombe. Find the fountain and the hidden grotto and watch for wildlife as you explore the present day location of the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Headquarters. Discover layers of history, scattered around the landscape like petals of past bloomed camellias...

Hover your cursor over the numbered spots on the map below to see the significant sites on the 110-acre landscape. Continue scrolling below the map to discover the story behind the scenery of this unique location.

Evidence of indigenous occupation dating back 10,000 years was found not far from this site.

Native people lived here long before Europeans arrived. Many people inhabiting the Lacombe and Pearl River area today can trace their ancestry to tribes.

Native peoples were tremendously skilled in using local natural resources for food, clothing, shelter, basketry, and hunting implements.

The Choctaw people lived along the banks of Bayou Lacombe and their descendants are here today.

They sold their beautiful and functional basketry in the French Quarter Market of New Orleans starting in the late 1700’s. By the 19th century, Lacombe Choctaw could and did travel by a steamship from the Mandeville lakefront to New Orleans to sell their wares.

At left, a Choctaw baby in Lacombe smiles from a basket woven of rivercane, circa 1909.

Bayou Gardens' museum had many local baskets on display. Visit the  Bayou Lacombe Museum  to see some of these locally made baskets and other artifacts from Choctaw culture.

Following early native occupation, this area came under the control of the Spanish and French at different times, eventually becoming part of the United States in the early 1800's. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages this property as part of Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge

In 1935, a young federal judge - Wayne Borah - acquired this land. Borah built a country estate with a pond, a swimming pool (now gone), and an elegant home overlooking the bayou. He and his wife Elizabeth laid out gardens lined with boxwood hedges and camellias. This brick house is said to have been the first air-conditioned house in St. Tammany Parish. This was a second home, the Borahs maintained a home in New Orleans as well.

A somewhat disgraced former governor of Louisiana, Richard. P. Leche, bought the estate in 1945, after being released from serving five years of a ten-year term in a federal penitentiary. Leche had been Huey P. Long’s campaign manager, and was elected governor in 1936 after Long’s assassination. Leche was one in a long line of Louisiana politicians to "serve time."

Leche and his wife Elton lived in the house that Borah built. They expanded the landscaping begun by the Borahs, adding new plantings, and creating paths and boxwood lined walkways that meandered under live oak, pine, cherry, and magnolia trees.

Leche opened a landmark horticultural attraction and commercial nursery — Bayou Gardens. The gardens consisted of 25 acres, with close to 400 varieties of camellias and several varieties of azaleas.

In 1956 the Redemptorist Order, a Catholic religious community founded in 1732 by St. Alfonso Maria de’Liguori, purchased this 110 - acre property. The Redemptorists operated a seminary “Holy Redeemer College,” a high school (1970’s – 1980), and held retreats here, until closing in 1996.

In 1997, The Conservation Fund acquired this land, and in 1998 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased it and began renovations of the seminary school and administration building. Renovations were completed in 2002, and since then site has been headquarters for staff of the  Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex. 

The nine Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges are part of a rich ecological system which includes marshes, pine and bottomland hardwood forests, lakes, barrier islands, swamps and bayous. Ranging from the marshy delta at the mouth of the Mississippi, to the wetlands that help protect New Orleans from hurricanes, to the wild bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin — the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex preserves wildlife, habitat, and recreation opportunities representative of this unique part of the country.

The Bayou Lacombe Center is part of  Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge . The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains the property with the help of community volunteers and the  Friends of Louisiana Wildlife Refuges Inc.  

We hope you enjoyed this virtual visit to the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex Headquarters and a look at some of the stories behind the scenery at this special place. If you plan an actual visit, you can enjoy exploring the grounds and over a mile of walking trails. The grounds are open to the public Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Stop by the Bayou Lacombe Visitor Center to grab a walking trail map and history brochure. Brochures are also available at the kiosk outside.

Reach out to us to learn more, and y'all come visit your Southeast Louisiana Refuges!