By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

WALLACE – Vandals broke into the Whitney Plantation property in Wallace Wednesday night and made off with tools and other equipment after defacing portions of the more than 220-year-old home.

John J. Cummings III, owner of Whitney, said the incident marks the second time in two weeks the property was burglarized. Cummings is currently working to restore the home and adjacent property, which includes multiple structures, so it can eventually be opened to the public. His frustration over the thefts and damage has prompted him to offer a $5,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest in the case.

According to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, the first break-in occurred Dec. 23 when a garage on the property was broken into and copper wire and a .22-caliber rifle were stolen. Capt. Dane Clement, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, said the suspects also attempted to gain access to a safe inside the garage.

In the second incident, Clement said entry was made into a stone shop, where a computer was stolen. A wood shop was also broken into, where the thieves stole assorted tools, including two chainsaws, a workbench and a golf cart. Clement said the suspects also cut wires to various machines and removed batteries from other equipment.

The damage to the home, including the stolen property, is estimated at about $80,000, but some employees assisting in the restoration of the property said it could have been worse. Nicole White, an engraver and historian working at the property, said she was shocked and saddened by the break-ins but added she is glad that the vandals did nothing to damage an engraving machine in the stone shop where the computer equipment was stolen. She is using the machine to engrave the names of the 110,000 slaves that lived in Louisiana as well as the names of slave children.

“I have all the names on discs, but it would have been devastating to lose use of that equipment,” White said.

On Thursday, Cummings and other employees at the plantation sprung into action in an effort to track down information and possible suspects involved in the break-ins. The group drove through the local communities talking to residents.

“We received a great deal of cooperation from these residents,” Cummings said. “These are good people, and everyone knows each other. There is lots of willing help.”

Late Thursday afternoon, Cummings’ actions paid off as the group was able to track down the golf cart stolen from the property. The cart was located not far from the St. John Courthouse.

The plantation was founded by Ambrose Haydel, a German who immigrated to Louisiana with his mother and siblings in 1721. Haydel and his wife may have lived on the Whitney land tract as early as 1750. By the end of the 18th century, Haydel’s sons, Jean Jacques and Nicholas, owned adjoining plantations, which included and expanded upon their father’s original holdings. It was apparently Jean Jacques who built the Whitney main house around 1790 and expanded it around 1803.