Frances Parkinson Keyes

Frances Parkinson Keyes (1885 – 1970) was an American author, and a convert to Roman Catholicism, whose works frequently featured Catholic themes and beliefs.

Related Topics:
1885 - 1970 - American - Catholic

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Born in Virginia, she lived in Washington and Virginia for a quarter of a century while her husband was in the United States Senate. He became Governor of New Hampshire in 1917.

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In the 1950s, she purchased the historic Beauregard House in New Orleans? French Quarter and became a fixture of New Orleans' life. Many of Keyes' books are set in south Louisiana and she eloquently described societal life and conventions in her historical fiction novels.

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Keyes' novel Blue Camellia tells about the development of south Louisiana from swampland to productive rice farms. Given the details with which Keyes writes about her subject matter, it is easy to forget they are novels. It is evident she went to great length to research her subject matter and ensure the historical accuracy of her writings.

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She traveled on location to learn about her topic and enlisted local historians and residents to assist her. The meticulousness of her detailed accounts make her novels valuable tools for learning about a time long past and customs that have died away.

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Steamboat Gothic is a true gothic novel set on the famed River Road. The plantation home where this novel was based is still in existence and open for daily tours. Set in 1869, Steamboat Gothic discusses the change in transportation methods from steamboat to railroad and the effect the change had upon plantations along the River Road.

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Also very popular was her murder mystery Dinner at Antoine's.

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While Keyes was a popular author of the 1940s and 50s, existing editions of her books are becoming rare, and many libraries have unfortunately purged her books from their shelves.

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Her home in New Orleans, Beauregard House in the Vieux Carré, is now a museum. It is located at 1113 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70116, USA. Phone: 504/523-7257. Formerly owned by Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard, Keyes restored the mansion to its Victorian glory, and her studio remains on display, complete with manuscripts, as well as her teapot and doll collections

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