Once again... has nothing to do with New Orleans Pet Care (well - I guess it does?!)

This weekend I received an email about this photo from a very attentive reader.    

Thanks for following our blog Chris. You are correct... it is a stair case and the book is Vestiges of Grandeur.  How you got that is beyond me!  The photo is the stair case at Ashland Belle Helene Plantation. I bought the book because I worked as a Tour Guide at Ashland in 1984/1985... the only time it was ever open to the public.  The Hayward family owned the home at the time and opened for tours during the Worlds Fair in New Orleans.  

The home has been used in lots of movies over the years.  When I was there, they filmed the William Faulker story "Long Hot Summer" with Don Johnson and Ava Gardner.  

The photo that I have of Ashland was taken before we opened.  The first owner of the home was a horse breeder and the home had a racetrack that went around it.  Until 1984, there were still horses on the property and as we understood it, they were of the original lines.  The horses were moved to the other Heyward home...Germania Plantation (located across the Mississippi River in Donaldsonville) when we opened Ashland.  

The Heyward family sold the home to Shell Oil and it is protected as a National Historical Landmark. They still own Germania.  

I hope that answers your question!