The Keegan House was moved to be closer to the railraod Photo by Candice Pauley, courtesy of Cane River National Heritage Area

The Keegan House is a prominent two-story frame plantation house located in the town of Robeline. Its Greek Revival architecture is unusual and distinctive in the small town of Robeline, and the region as a whole. The Greek Revival style was never popular in the Cane River region. Instead, most residents preferred to build plantation homes in the more traditional French Creole style.

The Keegan House was originally built about three miles from its current location in the mid 1850s, where it served as the big house for a plantation. This situation changed in 1881, however, with the arrival of the New Orleans Pacific Railroad. In that year, tracks for the line were laid through the Cane River region. Eager to capitalize on the new railway, the nearby population migrated towards the tracks and, in 1883, established the city of Robeline. J. E. Keegan, then owner of the Keegan House, saw possibility in the budding town and, sometime between 1881 and 1890, had his large plantation home moved into the city to serve as a railroad hotel.

The Keegan House is an example of Greek Revival architecture Photo by Candice Pauley, courtesy of Cane River National Heritage Area

Though the exact date when the Keegan House shut its doors as a railroad hotel is unknown, we do know that it was open until at least 1914. It is likely that the business closed as Robeline’s railroad industry declined. Today, there is little evidence that the city was once a railroad town. The depot and the tracks have both been removed, and the Keegan House stands as one of the only buildings remaining connected to that period of the town’s history. In 1994, the Keegan House was restored and now serves as a bed and breakfast and antique store.

The Keegan (Cook) House is located at 143 Chaplin Loop in Robeline. It serves as a bed and breakfast and also contains an antique store on the first floor. For further information call 318-472-8610, 866-472-8610 or visit the website..