Oak Alley Plantation is located 55 miles west of New Orleans along and south bank of the Mississippi River and half way between the very small towns of St. James and Vacherie.     The mansion was built in 1837 and was in a sad state of disrepair by the early 1920&#39;s when purchased and restored by the Stewart family in 1925. Upon the death of Mrs. Stewart the property was turned over to a non-profit organization which opened Oak Alley to the public.