The Bernard House

ARTICLE BY MARÉ BRENNAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Built on the banks of Lake Providence in 1884 by local physician Frederick Robert Bernard and his wife Estelle, the Bernard House was crafted on land which had been his mother Sarah’s garden. In the center hall of the home, Dr. Bernard wrote his name and the year the home was built on the wooden shiplap walls, which were then covered with a beautiful wallpaper. Perhaps he left his mark so that his home could reveal its secrets over a hundred and thirty years later. 

The family lovingly raised their children in the home and lived there until the 1930s, when Estelle Bernard passed away. The Bernard family owned a drugstore, had a medical practice in Lake Providence, and were pillars of a community that once boasted the second highest real estate values outside of New Orleans. Dr. F.R. Bernard was educated at a private school in Pennsylvania and then attended Ole Miss. He earned his medical degree from Tulane in New Orleans, where he met his wife. They had three of their five children survive into adulthood. The local newspaper’s archived articles from that era tell stories of the doctor’s kind attention to babies and of parties at the home with string ensembles and canaries for entertainment. 

When the Past Becomes the Future.
The Bernard House, like so many of the stately homes of its era that lined Lake Providence’s oxbow lake, fell into disrepair and sat mainly empty since the mid-1960s.  The home and its overgrown grounds were purchased in 2017 by Cassie Condrey, her husband Pete Lensing, and her brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Kathleen Condrey, who saw a vision for bringing the home’s understated elegance and welcoming front porch back to life as a bed and breakfast and event venue with modern amenities. 

“I’m a sucker for old houses,” muses Cassie, who grew up in this agrarian-based small town, lived in exotic, faraway lands, only to find love in New Orleans with a fellow Lake Providencian and find their way back to raise their own family on the shores of the lake. She’s not kidding about her love of old houses. She and her husband also have taken on stewardship of Arlington, an 1832 antebellum home on the Historic Register located across the lake from The Bernard House. 

You can feel the love that both the Bernard and Condrey-Lensing families have poured into the structure of what is now known as the Bernard House. Its new life as a bed and breakfast and event venue assures that new generations of Lake Providence children will grow up knowing that architectural beauty can and should be preserved and that community can be built on the spirit of the past. 

A sign of early spring, tiny white flowering snowdrops with dark green leaves line the long walk to the front of the house. Azaleas filling flower beds around the home’s perimeter are about to burst into bloom. The front porch is wide and welcoming, and you can easily imagine a family reunion or wedding party with guests lingering to watch the sun set over the lake. Inside the home is filled with stunning floral arrangements sourced from local flower farmer, Carla Costello and her Concord Flower Farm. 

The large front door with side lights allows warm sunlight to flood into the center hall. Once adorned with wallpaper, the shiplap covered walls have been stained a rich hue illuminated by large mercury glass bell jars. The spot where Dr. Bernard signed his name on the timber has been carefully left as natural wood, an artistic signature that serves as a piece of art. Across the front of the home, original floor-to-ceiling windows were restored to perfect working order by a craftsman from South Louisiana, who spent months rebuilding the windows. Antique pieces of furniture and original art mix playfully with more modern elements throughout the home. Original floors were carefully restored throughout.

Two sets of double pocket doors lead from the central hall into the spacious dining room and an equally comfortable living room which are separated by a brick freestanding fireplace. Large Japanese paper globe lanterns provide a contemporary, soft glow in each space which is artfully decorated with a mix of contemporary and antique furnishings and art.  

Of course, a stay at the Bernard House is uniquely personal and the owners’ goal is to cater to your individual needs and wishes. Cassie and her family can provide as much interaction as you’d like, providing a full itinerary filled with the best local experiences and tastes or leave you to explore at your leisure. They can arrange for local caterer, like Suffit, to provide meals for you or you can take advantage of the home’s full kitchen.

The two bedrooms in the main part of the house located off the central hall are named after Sarah and Estelle Bernard, the first residents of the home. 

The Sarah Suite is a luxurious suite featuring a king bed, a comfortable seating area, a desk, and a beautiful en suite bathroom with the original ceramic tub, a custom walk-in glass shower, and gorgeous natural light that pours through original windows. Open the full-length windows and walk onto the front porch with your locally roasted coffee in the morning. 

The Estelle Suite is a beautiful junior suite which also features a large, upholstered king bed, a comfortable seating area, a desk, and a modern en suite bathroom with a bathtub/shower with lovely black and white marble flooring and tiles, and is filled with contemporary art. One of the property’s largest guest rooms, features original hardwood floors with eclectic mid-century modern furnishings.

The Jewell and the Elizabeth rooms are both accessed from the back porch which wraps around the back side of the home. The Jewell features two queen beds, a modern and timeless black and white marble en suite bathroom, and peaceful views. The Elizabeth room is the property’s most unique space, featuring a comfy king bed, an en suite bathroom, and contemporary furnishings. The original wood siding showing a century of well-worn paint that has been sealed and forms an unforgettable feature wall that celebrates the past.

The owners are happy to accommodate just you in one of our rooms or they can host your whole family in all four rooms, with free reign of the property. 

The Bernard House has a self-service kitchen where you can cook for yourselves or the owners can arrange the services of a local, private chef for a breakfast in bed or meal shared around the dining table.

If you are seeking a delta adventure, Cassie loves to help you plan horse rides, sunset boat cruises on the lake, ag tours, and evening rides along the levee. Poverty Point, a World Heritage Site is a 20-minute drive and worth every minute to see the mounds and artifacts. 

Make Time to Gather
The Bernard House is like all good southern homes, fully capable of being the site of a legendary party. The whole home can be reserved to host your friends and family members in times of celebration or for any other gathering and is the perfect size for reunions, small weddings and receptions, and has common space that is ideal for baby and wedding showers, private dinners, and business meetings. 

The philosophy on community is strong in Lake Providence and is evidenced as we gather around the Bernard House dining table, sharing stories of days gone by and hopes for the future. As Suffit provided rich and delicious foods that satisfied hunger, friends, old and new, forged bonds over broken bread. 

Overhead at the Bernard House table: “Our heart is about hospitality and the authentic part that starts with family and overflows into community. Unbelievable conversations can take place over meals, and it’s easy to see the good in others.”

It is obvious those gathered believe in the ability of Lake Providence’s citizens to bridge gaps and divides and to strengthen ties to the land and to each other, to connect to a world bigger than each individual life. They believe in working together to improve what already exists and in focusing on the good and beautiful that surrounds us all.

For booking or info, email info@thebernardhouse.com or book online at www.thebernardhouse.com