No Mistake Plantation
South of Satartia on Hwy. 3
No Mistake Plantation, originally a 10,000 acre cotton plantation near Satartia, was established in 1833 by James and Nathaniel Dick, wealthy and prominent New Orleans merchants. James Dick wrote his brother Nathaniel about the land, and his brother advised that “we would make no mistake buying that land.” John Monroe Dick acted as the overseer of the plantation before the Civil War. This house was originally the overseer’s home and is a one-and-a-half story cottage with a sloping dormered roof supported by eight columns on the broad veranda. After becoming manager of the farm, Francis Pleasant Smith purchased the property from the earlier owners in 1888. Later this farm, under the ownership of William Henry (Billy) Smith and later his wife, Ethel Barfield Smith, became known for its beautiful gardens.
In the 1990s, No Mistake Plantation became a bed and breakfast establishment, and for several years was the home of Emmaus Retreat Center, with several added cottages and a Celtic chapel on the hill close to where the original plantation home is thought to have stood. Together the properties played host to retreats, conferences, prayer ministry, events, weddings and more. The property is currently in private use.