If you’re a fan of Louisiana’s forests, state parks, and nature preserves, then you should know about Caroline Dormon. The list of her accomplishments is long: she was an author, a teacher, an archaeologist, an environmentalist, and a conservationist just to name a few. She was the first woman to work in environmental education and the first woman to work for the Division of Forestry in Louisiana, and without her, we would not have the Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana’s only national forest. She passed away in 1971 but her legacy lives on in her homestead of Briarwood, which you can visit and learn all about the life of this extraordinary woman.

So what is Briarwood?

Briarwood is a nature preserve and the homestead of Caroline Dormon. Before it became her home, it was her grandparent's sugar plantation. The plantation no longer exists, nor does the original house Caroline grew up in. There is a gazebo built in memory of the original house, but the log cabin you'll visit was actually Caroline's home that she built and lived in until her death.

Caroline Dormon was born in 1888 at Briarwood, the family homestead.

Her mother was an avid gardener as well as an author, which may have had an influence on Caroline’s life and why she was so passionate about protecting Louisiana’s natural landscape.

Around 1920, she began to become concerned about the impact of logging on Louisiana’s old-growth forests.

She fought for the protection of the forest for many years and even played a role in the naming of the Kisatchie National Forest. Dormon was well respected by local Native Americans and she suggested the name Kisatchie, which means "long cane" in Kichai.

Pictured above is Caroline Dormon with "Grandpappy," her favorite long-leaf pine at Briarwood.

To say that Caroline Dormon loved her home is an understatement.

It was basically an extension of her. While the original homestead is no longer standing, the home you'll visit was Dormon's log cabin which she had built in 1951. She and her sister, Virginia, moved in and lived in the home until their deaths.

She spent the majority of her life landscaping it, filling the property with native plants.

When she passed away, Briarwood passed on to the Board of Directors for the preservation of the preserve and was overseen by Richard Johnson, who she hand-selected to run things after she was gone.

Briarwood is open and available for tours during select times of the year.

Tours are available every weekend during March, April, May, October, and November.

During your tour, you’ll learn even more about Caroline’s work, the nature preserve itself, and all of the surrounding plants.

You'll get the opportunity to see the inside of the log cabin where Caroline spent much of her time.

Depending on the time of year you visit, you'll see hundreds of flowers.

Like these native azaleas.

And of course, no visit to Briarwood is complete without a photo with Grandpappy.

It's the most famous long-leaf pine in Louisiana!

Visit Briarwood's website to learn more and schedule a tour. Check out our previous article to learn more about the Kisatchie National Forest, one of the many gifts Caroline Dormon left for future generations of Louisianans to enjoy.