John Hill (March 12, 1824 – June 7, 1910) of Homestead Plantation was a wealthy industrialist, sugar planter, philanthropist, and benefactor of Louisiana State University.
[3] John Hill came to the United States for a visit in 1844, by a voyage of seven weeks on a sailing ship, arriving in New York City on July 4, 1844[5] but never returned to Scotland.
Hill started an iron foundry in partnership with Mr. J. William Markham at the foot of North Street in Baton Rouge at the age of twenty-four (1848).
[6] John Hill met a Scottish lady, Catherine McPhail (born 8 February 1819) of Glasgow,[7] in Baton Rouge, and they were married in 1851 by Reverend Jahleel Woodbridge,[3][8] pastor of the First Presbyterian Church.
[10] Hill also owned a sawmill on the bank of the Mississippi River, which was near the present location of the Louisiana Court of Appeal, First Circuit, and a steam-powered ferry boat named the Sunny South.
The Hills built a beautiful two-story mansion (no longer extant) at 638 Lafayette Street in Baton Rouge, which they named Homestead, as indicated by a brass plate near the front door.
He obtained permission from Admiral David Farragut, aboard his flagship, USS Hartford, to move his family across the Mississippi River to West Baton Rouge Parish.
"[21] John Hill resided on the bank of the Mississippi River in an existing Louisiana raised cottage style house[22] for the remainder of his life.
John Hill wished to create a memorial for his son, who had been a member of the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University (LSU).
John Hill died suddenly in his office at Homestead Plantation on June 7, 1910, at the age of 86 years and was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Baton Rouge.