About Burden

Elma Sue Mccallum  |  6/27/2023 7:38:49 PM

Steele and Ione Burden

LSU Rural Life Museum bell

A farm bell stands in a blue sky at the LSU Rural Life Museum.

Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie

Roses bloom in the Rose Garden adjacent to the Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie.

Windrush House

Family and friends enjoy and afternoon on the porch of the Burden family home in Windrush Gardens,circa1920.

Windrush House

The Burden family home, circa 1920.

LSU Rural Life Museum

A panoramic view of some of the 19th century rural Louisiana homes at the LSU Rural Life Museum.

The Hostler's House at the LSU Rural Life Museum

The Hostler's House tucked away under the shade of oak trees and crape myrtles.

Steele Burden's studio

Steele Burden's studio, the Garden House, sits in a shady spot in Windrush Gardens.

Steele,Burden,Jeanette Monroe Burden, Pike Burden and another family member.

Steele Burden, Jeanette Monroe Burden, Pike Burden and another family member standing in the garden,

Steele Burden and an unidentified gentleman.

Steele Burden and another gentleman standing behind statuary in Windrush Gardens.

Statuary in Windrush Gardens

A statue stands over a sugar kettle in the lush gardens of Windrush.

History

Burden Museum and Gardens began in the late 1800s as Windrush Plantation, a wedding gift to John Charles Burden and Emma Gertrude Barbee. The home and property were passed down through the generations until they reached the three children of William Pike Burden Sr. and Ollie Steele: Ione Easter Burden, William Pike Burden Jr., and Ollie Steele Burden.

Following their brother’s death, William Pike Burden, Jr., Ione and Steele began donating the property to the LSU System to nurture and develop the Burden legacy. Love for their family, their ancestral home and the community sparked the idea to preserve Windrush by creating a place that would foster agricultural and horticultural research, provide a destination for generations to appreciate and learn about Louisiana’s rich rural and cultural heritage, and give people a place to experience the beauty of the natural world.

Today, Burden Museum and Gardens is guided by the generosity and vision of the Burden family through the stewardship of the Burden Foundation, LSU and the LSU AgCenter.

Annual Events

Burden Museum and Gardens is an ideal place to hold corporate and private events and hosts numerous events throughout the year. These events include:

  • Ione E. Burden Symposium
  • Master Gardener Plant Sale
  • Zapp’s International Beerfest
  • An Old Fashioned Easter Celebration
  • Gourmet in the Garden
  • An Evening at Windrush
  • Harvest Days
  • Corn Maze at Burden
  • Night Maze and Bonfire
  • Haints, Haunts and Halloween
  • Red Rooster Bash
  • Wine and Roses Rambler
  • Poinsettia Show and Sale
  • A Rural Life Christmas



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