T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection

ABSTRACT

INTERVIEWEE NAME: Steele Burden

COLLECTION: 4700.0318

IDENTIFICATION: Landscape architect for LSU; Founder of LSU Rural Life Museum

INTERVIEWER: Susan Turner

PROJECT: LSU History

DATES: 19 July 1993

FOCUS DATES: 1920s - 1990s

ABSTRACT:

Tape 447

Burden hired to landscape LSU; Professor James Broussard, head of department of romance langauges, and his interest in landscaping campus; lake on site of Graham Hall; Stormy Lawrence's visit to campus; Greek Theater; De Soto statue; reflecting pool; Burden's work in City Park; Burden's LSU office located in George Caldwell's former privy; Caldwell and his home; LSU barns by Bayou Fountain; landscaping of privy office; Smith garden; Louisiana Hayride; formal gardens on campus; plantation on site of campus; slave cemetery on site of infirmary; memorial trees; process of landscaping campus; stadium landscaping; crepe myrtles on parade ground; McIlhenny's nursery; overbilling during Long era; Comptroller Troy Middleton and Burden testify; camouflaging of library in quadrangle; Middleton's reputation and the library; Hill family; fountain in quadrangle subject to pranks; animal industry building and removal of mural; John Francioni, Jr., head of Animal Industry department; barn; use of mules; disposal of trash; rescue of important artifacts from dumping ground; African-American landscape crew; Burden family moves from town to Windrush property (current site of LSU Rural Life Museum) in 1921; Burden begins landscaping family property; buying antiques from St. Francisville plantations; house parties in St. Francisville; aristocrats deny selling heirlooms; Burden's work at Cottage Plantation; Frances Parkinson Keyes; Burden's work on Beauregard-Keyes house in French Quarter; source of Burden's interest in and knowledge of landscaping; billing and lack thereof; 1940s plan for campus; cars and parking on campus; beginning of Rural Life Museum; source of museum buildings; funding; Ione Burden; original 1856 Windrush house; formal garden and statuary on property; museum as refuge from city life; statuary and theft problems; Burden's 1926 studio building; Burden's own sculpture work; source of plants and trees; landscaping of LSU quad; live oaks; Magnolia Mound and Burden's work there; campus plants; parking problem; LSU golf course; lack of aesthetic values; campus in disrepair; trees on streets; barn location; early landscaping of Baton Rouge; Cyfreud; Victory Park; Burden's work for the city under Garig; Burden's future vision for City Park; Gene Young; BREC and golf courses; City Park Zoo in 1920s; Kate Hill; Pike Burden driving horse and buggy after license suspended; restored 1856 Windrush home as part of museum.

TAPES: T 447

TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 1 hour 20 minutes

PAGES TRANSCRIPT: 92

RESTRICTIONS: Copyright retained by interviewee, interviewer and/or their heirs.