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History
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A GUEST HOUSE IN HISTORICAL
LAKE PROVIDENCE LA

LAKE PROVIDENCE

In the very northeast corner of Louisiana rests a little town in a curve of the Mississippi River, situated on an oxbow lake that was once part of the river itself.
Cypress trees, glowing in Autumn, line a lake that more often than not offers a perfect reflection in its smooth waters of the sky above. The land is fertile, the people kind, and the way of life rooted in taking the long, slow way-- drives on the levee, sunset boat cruises, horse rides on turnrows that line fields of cotton, rice, soybeans.
Egrets perch on cypress knees at the edge of the lake, and during colder months, the pelicans rest on their southbound journey.
It is on the banks of this lake that in 1884 Doctor Frederick Robert and Estelle Bernard, along with the doctor’s mother, Sarah, built a home for their family. 134 years later it was purchased by a local family that had long-loved the house-- its simple lines that imply an understated elegance, the stature of the front porch, that rooted feeling that comes from some other time and from only this place.

HISTORY

The Bernard House sits on a piece of land that had been Sarah Bernard’s garden. In 1884, she and her son and daughter-in-law built the home and their family lived there until around 1930, when Estelle Bernard, the last of the three living, passed away.
A drawing from a photograph of the Bernard home on Lake Providence.
An archived letter from Frederick Bernard to "Ma,".
The Bernard family owned a drugstore and had a medical practice in Lake Providence and were pillars of a community of many storied and successful people.
Dr. F.R. was educated at a private school in Pennsylvania and then attended university at Ole Miss where his letters are archived. He earned his medical degree from Tulane in New Orleans, where he met his wife. They had five children, two of whom died as children. Local newspaper articles tell stories of Dr. Bernard’s kind attention to babies and of parties at the home with string ensembles and canaries for entertainment.
We gave the home their name because it is still theirs in so many ways. They had the vision and means to build it. One carpenter told us that it isn’t really ours, only entrusted to us, and we said, exactly.
The restoration of the home was, for its current owners, about more than the structure’s beauty-- which at the beginning might have been hard for most to imagine.
The house had sat empty since 1965 and was much closer to demolition than any kind of rehabilitation. But for Cassie Condrey, her husband Pete Lensing, and her brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Kathleen Condrey,
it was worth saving.
Because of its beauty, yes, and of course because of its history, but for them, saving the house was also about contributing to Lake Providence, where all but Kathleen grew up.
They believe in the power of community to bridge gaps and divides, to strengthen bonds, to connect to a world bigger than each of our individual lives.They believe in working together to improve what already exists and in focusing on the good and beautiful that surrounds us.
Cassie, the leader of the project, fell in love with the house when she was a child. By the time she turned sixteen and could drive herself there, she knew every inch of it, having crawled up rotten porches to see the inside.
She first loved the house from the outside but then became infatuated with Dr. Bernard’s signature in the center hall, the proportions of the rooms, the original details. When the house became available, she had to have it and her family was in it with her. Construction was long and there were many bumps along the way, but walking through it now, seeing life again in it, they cannot imagine it any other way.

STAY

A stay at the Bernard House is uniquely personal and we do our best to cater to your individual needs and wishes. We strive to give you as much interaction as you’d like-- from a full itinerary of local experiences and tastes to a door code that allows you to come and go as you please.
CHECK AVAILABILITY
The Sarah Suite

The Sarah is a luxurious junior suite featuring a king bed, a comfortable seating area, a desk, and a beautiful ensuite bathroom with the original ceramic tub, a custom walk-in glass shower, and gorgeous natural light. Open the full-length windows and walk onto the front porch with your locally roasted coffee in the morning and enjoy organic bath amenities. Our signature room, it features original hardwood floors with modern furnishings and is named after Sarah Bernard, the builder and first resident of the house.

KEY FEATURES
KING BED
HIGH SPEED WI-FI
NON-SMOKING
OUTDOOR SPACE
HIGH CEILINGS
DESK
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The Estelle Suite

The Estelle is a beautiful junior suite featuring a king bed, a comfortable seating area, a desk, and a modern but timeless ensuite bathroom with a bathtub/shower, and gorgeous natural light. Enjoy locally roasted coffee in the morning and organic bath amenities. One of our largest rooms, it features original hardwood floors
with modern furnishings and is named after Estelle Bernard, the wife of Dr. F.R. Bernard and first resident of the house.

KEY FEATURES
KING BED
HIGH SPEED WI-FI
NON-SMOKING
OUTDOOR SPACE
HIGH CEILINGS
DESK
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The Jewell

The Jewell is a spacious room with direct access to the back porch and features two queen beds, a modern but timeless ensuite bathroom with a bathtub/shower, and gorgeous natural light. Enjoy locally roasted coffee in the morning and organic bath amenities. It features original hardwood floors with contemporary furnishings.

KEY FEATURES
TWO QUEEN BEDS
HIGH SPEED WI-FI
NON-SMOKING
OUTDOOR SPACE
HIGH CEILINGS
ROOM WINDOWS OPEN
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The Elizabeth

The Elizabeth is our most unique space, featuring a king bed, a modern but timeless ensuite bathroom with a bathtub/shower, and gorgeous natural light. Enjoy locally roasted coffee in the morning and organic bath amenities. The room features original wood siding showing years of paint that has been sealed, original hardwood floors with contemporary furnishings, and provides direct access to the back porch.

KEY FEATURES
KING BED
HIGH SPEED WI-FI
NON-SMOKING
OUTDOOR SPACE
HIGH CEILINGS
DESK
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We are happy to accomodate just you in one of our rooms or to host your whole family in our four rooms, with free reign of the property.
We have a self-service kitchen where you are able to cook for yourselves or we’d be happy to arrange the services of a local, private chef for a breakfast in bed.
Relax in our common living area; enjoy your meals at our dining table; make the porches your morning coffee perch. Included in every stay is locally roasted Oxbow Coffee.
Our guest house is set up for you to check yourselves in and out, though we make every effort to say hello and welcome and meet you personally.
We’re known to show up around 5pm and share a glass of wine with you also, if you wish. And in the morning, if you're lucky, we'll come by with Pete's homemade biscuits.

EXPERIENCE

Call us to discuss led horse rides, sunset float boat cruises, agricultural tours, and evening rides along the levee. We are rich in natural beauty and resources and would love nothing more than to share all of it with you.
We will make your stay personal, restful and luxurious.
Whether you are coming from northwest Arkansas for a quick stopover en route to the Florida Panhandle beaches, are touring the Mississippi Delta and want a taste of the Louisiana side, love history and want to visit our World Heritage Site Poverty Point a short 20-minute drive down the road, or are looking for quiet and peace, a place to rest for a weekend or a week, we will make your stay personal, comfortable, and luxurious.
Dining Options

Contact us in advance to reserve a private chef for
a candlelit dinner or to arrange for breakfast in bed. And around town visit these local restaurants, all located within a mile of the property:

The Dock- excellent broiled shrimp, catfish and other Cajun specialties! Crawfish when in-season. Sit out on the deck overlooking the lake and enjoy the boats and the sunset.

El Agave- great Mexican food just down the road. The Burrito al Carbon is our personal favorite.

Sonic- Trust us, the breakfast burrito is excellent!


Lake Providence Country Club- contact us if you'd like to go as our guest! Wonderful food, drinks, and local camaraderie.

Distance To

Poverty Point World Heritage Site - 20 miles
Poverty Point Reservoir State Park - 35 miles
Vicksburg, MS - 50 miles
Greenville, MS - 50 miles
Monroe, LA - 75 miles
Jackson, MS - 90 miles
Grammy Museum, Cleveland, MS - 90 miles
Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, MS - 120 miles
Black Bear Golf Club - 40 miles

Things To Do
  • - Poverty Point UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • - Fishing, boating, relaxing on the lake
  • - Louisiana State Cotton Museum
  • - Panola Pepper House (local turned world-renowned hot sauce; contact us to set up a private tour)
  • - Buy original art and gifts at The Painted Petal
  • - Shop for anything you can imagine at Price Cutter
  • - Golf at the Lake Providence Country Club
  • - Picnic at the gazebo at Grant's Canal Park

GATHER

We think of Bernard House as a home and all good Southern homes are capable of throwing a good party. If you wish, you may contact us about reserving the home to host your friends and family members in times of celebration or for any other gathering.
The house is the perfect size for reunions, small weddings and receptions, and we also have common space ideal for baby and wedding showers, private dinners and business meetings.
We charge a service fee on top of your rental of rooms that is based upon size of your event and other particularities. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We also love connecting you with local chefs, florists and event planners in creating whatever you’re imagining.

RESERVE & CONTACT

808 Lake Street

Lake Providence,
Louisiana 71254
FOR BOOKING OR INFO
EMAIL INFO@
THEBERNARDHOUSE.COM
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