Opelousas Main Street, Inc. and the City of Opelousas Tourism are excited to present the 2022 collectible holiday ornament featuring the historic Venus House located at Le Vieux Village on 828 E Landry Street.
Located at Le Vieux Village du Poste des Opelousas, the Vénus House is recognized as a rare early Creole style house. It is one of the oldest buildings of its kind in the Lower Mississippi Valley and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the Louisiana African- American Heritage Trail.
The house is named after its former owner and occupant, Marie Françoise Vénus, who lived in the home during the late 1700s. What is known is that Vénus had two children: a son named Jacque Esclavon, whom she had with André Esclavon; and a daughter, Marie, whom she had with Joseph Juachin del Castillo. According to Louisiana Freed Slave documents 1719-1820, Marie Françoise was freed by her master, André Esclavon. The reason stated was for “much love and affection and various particular deeds.”
The structure is constructed with cypress, pegged timbers, and bousillage, a natural insulation typically made by mixing mud and moss, which is held into place by a series of wood bars set between posts. This was common in early Cajun and Creole dwellings.
The Vénus House was originally located in northwest St. Landry Parish in the community of Grand Prairie. Other families who’ve lived in the house include Guillory, Doucet and Fontenot. The Earl Fontenot family donated it to the city and in 1973, it became the first structure to arrive at Le Vieux Village.
This 2022 collectible ornament is the eleventh in a series of collectible ornaments. The first collectible Christmas ornament debuted in 2012 and featured the famed Jim Bowie Oak and the old Homère Mouton Law Office. The rest of the ornaments include Hope, Hook & Ladder Co. #1 (2013), St. Landry Catholic Church (2014), the Old St. Landry Parish Courthouse (2015), St. Landry Lumber (2016), Old Governor’s Mansion (2017), Michael Prudhomme Home (2018), Holy Ghost Catholic Church (2019), Old Federal Building-Post Office (2020), and the Twin Silos (2021).
Priced at $16 each, the ornaments are available for purchase locally at Sebastien-Dupre Fine Jewelry, Back in Time, and Opelousas Tourist Info Center. Ornaments can also be purchased online by clicking HERE. Proceeds from the project go towards the preservation and promotional projects for downtown Opelousas.
For more information email tourism@cityofopelousas.com or call 1-800-424-5442.
