Where it all began..

History of Blythewood Event Center – Bed & Breakfast as told by O.M. Roberts Kennedy direct descendant of original owner of Spanish Grant Land.

During the Spanish rule of this part of Louisiana, 3,000 acres of land was granted to Reliegh Self on which the original Blythewood was built, and later became a working cotton estate.

The home was burned and in 1885, Daniel Hardy Sanders rebuilt Blythewood in all its original splendor! Sanders hired architects Drake & Anderson of New York to design Blythewood, and renowned New Orleans contractor John Hames Dalstrom was charged with the construction. The project took three years to complete, and the result was the current 18-room colonial revival Style Mansion!

The mansion is approximately 10,000 square feet and sits on 10 acres. The interior is constructed with Mississippi Heart Pine, an extremely durable wood that has a very light color to it. One definition of the word “blythe” is light, and that is why Blythewood Event Center – Bed & Breakfast is so named. The Kennedy family bought Blythewood in 1969, and it took 7 years to restore it before they could move on to the premises. It has been placed on the National Register of Historical Places.