BRBC Fall in the Felicianas Century Ride

BRBC Fall in the Felicianas Century Ride
The BRBC Fall Century will take place on Sunday, October 11, 2009. The ride will start from the Centenary College in Jackson, Louisiana. Louisiana State Parks has offered to host the riders at Centenary College, Rosedown Plantation, and Oakley House at Audubon State Historic site. There will be SAG stops at these locations and other sites along the route. Your entry fee will cover the fees to tour the buildings and grounds of these historic sites. There will also be a cannon demonstartion by members of the Port Hudson Historical site on the grounds of Centenary College around 11:30 am. A post ride meal will be provided by the club, along with maps, road markings, pre-ride annoucements, and full SAG support.



Fee is $30 if pre-registered, and $35 if registering the day of the ride. Fee is per rider. T-shirts guaranteed to riders who register by October 1. Registration the day of the ride opens at 7:00 am. The century riders (100 miles) depart at 7:30 am, and all other riders (62, 50, 25 miles) depart at 8:00 am. Since SAGs will be coordinated with these historic sites, please depart at the times specifed above.

Online registration is available at www.active.com. For printable registration forms, click here.



Below is a brief history of the Louisiana State Parks that are hosting this ride:

Centenary State Historic Site (East College and Pine Street in Jackson) - This is the former site of Centenary College. Visitors may tour the old West Wing dormitory or a professor's cottage, and learn about the history of education in Louisiana. A Confederate cemetery is located on the grounds. Originally opened as the College of Louisiana in 1826, the school occupied an old courthouse and other buildings in the town of Jackson. The college steadily grew and two dormitories were built on new property in 1832 and 1837. The West Wing, the latter of these two buildings, remains today.

Audubon State Historic Site (South of St. Francisville on LA 965) - The nearly 200-year-old Oakley House is where John James Audubon drew inspiration and sketched many of the birds found in his famous Birds of America. The visitor may tour the house-turned-museum, formal gardens, an outside kitchen building and barns, walk the trails and enjoy a picnic lunch at the large pavilion nearby. This lush natural setting, with a variety of birds singing throughout the 100-acre forest, still inspires visitors. In these peaceful environs, it is easy to imagine the artist filling his sketch pad with notes and drawings for his famous series of bird illustrations.

Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site (In St. Francisville on La. Hwy. 10) - Built during the 1830s, Rosedown had one of the largest private gardens in the U.S. in the 19th century. Daniel and Martha Turnbull began construction on the main house at Rosedown in 1834, completing it by May the following year. The home was furnished with the finest pieces available, most imported from the North and from Europe. In addition to the gardens and many original structures, visitors can see many furnishings and items that the Turnbulls themselves brought into the main house. Rosedown Plantation is located in the West Feliciana Parish community of St. Francisville along one of the most historic corridors in South Louisiana. The historic presence of the River created deep soil deposits to form uplands that became, in the days of the cotton boom, extremely productive and valuable. In addition to the natural flats, creeks draining to the River created some expanses of rugged, heavily tr!
eed terrain that became profitable as timberland.

Port Hudson State Historic Site (US 61, 30 minutes north of Baton Rouge) - This 909-acre site encompasses part of the Port Hudson Battlefield Civil War Site. Featured are six miles of hiking trails, 1 and 1/2 miles of trenches, a museum and interpretive programs. Fort Desperate, a primary Confederate position, is accessible by a concrete walkway and elevated wooden boardwalks. (The ride will not visit this site, but the members of this site will do a cannon demonstration at 11:30 a.m. at Centenary College)