Did you know there’s a country estate in Beauregard Parish that looks like a plantation?

When the late Murrell Ewing and his wife, Joan, decided to build a new place almost ten years ago, they decided to make it more than a house. The couple began their life’s work as evangelists and music ministers before Murrell assumed the pastorate of a local church for 48 years. So they thought they would create a retreat for other ministers and their wives and plan spaces for church events too.

It was the Ewings’ hope that these ministering couples would appreciate the restorative nature of the peaceful rural setting and that the church youth group would enjoy the freedom of riding four-wheelers and other rambunctious outdoor activities on the property.

“You know, when we started evangelizing, people were kind enough to allow us to stay in their homes. Sometimes there wasn’t much room and only one bathroom in the house,” Joan explained when she showed how each upstairs bedroom had its own bath.

As the Ewings brainstormed for the ideal layout they found inspiration in a Southern Living plantation-style house plan and a visit to Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville.

It’s one of Louisiana’s restored historical landmarks that embodies the antebellum South and originally encompassed over 3,000 acres.

The Ewing plantation is only 32 acres. Although it has sometimes been called “Rose Down,” it’s more often referred to as ‘a place called Still.” According to Joan, that’s because of a sermon that included the Bible verse where God tells Moses, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…”

The two-story home has around 6,500 square feet of living space and there is a large outside kitchen, garage and barn on the property too.

The exterior, like Rosedown in St. Francisville, is Greek Revival with its symmetry, center entrance, rear and front balconies and columns.

Joan said that she and her husband noted the large fireplace in the separate kitchen on the Rosedown grounds and used the concept — in a way — for their own outside kitchen. “We use it for church cookouts or you can close it off and smoke meat using the fireplace,” she said. There is a modern kitchen downstairs in the house. An upstairs galley provides food storage, a coffee pot, sink and microwave.

There are a few antiques in the Ewing plantation, but only automobiles in her carriage house and Joan said that the only produce they ever raised usually came in when they were at church camp or conferences.

There is a music room with a grand and electric piano. An antique violin from Murrell’s grandfather sits on the fireplace mantle.

Joan studied classical music in college and performed in the Lake Charles Little Theatre at age 12. “Everybody in this family is musical,” she said. Her husband was a founding member of the Conquerors Quartet and recorded 8 solo albums.

Joan is known for her singing and her song- and play-writing. She is considered one of the most prolific songwriters in the United Pentecostal Church and wrote and produced “The Other Side of Glory,” staged at the Lake Charles Civic Center for years.The 6