The Taylor home was used as the Eatenton family residence in Steel Magnolias.

Released in 1989, Steel Magnolias celebrates the strength of Southern women in the face of personal tragedy. It was shot in the town where the true story took place--Natchitoches, Louisiana. The cast of the movie was a Hollywood dream team--Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Darryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Sally Field--and reflected the true essence of what it is to be a steel magnolia. There is a direct parallel with the houses used in the film and a steel magnolia: they're all sweet, soft and very old, yet they have a certain degree of hardness to them. Two of the film's homes, with their French and Creole influence, defined the look and feel of the movie. The plot revolves around the lives of the Eatentons, played by Sally Field, Tom Skerritt and Julia Roberts, and the Taylor residence was used as their home.

The palatial Tauzin Plantation is an elegant brick house with landscaped grounds, which hosted the elaborate Christmas party in the movie.

This is the living room where Sally Field's character and her friends gathered strength from each other during a difficult time.

Built between 1820 and 1830, the second principal location was the Tauzin home, where Olympia Dukakis's character, Clairee Belcher, lived. There were so many memorable scenes shot in and around the Tauzin home, but one of the most poignant was in the living room when Sally Field sits in a side chair and, in typical Steel Magnolias fashion, stacks her hands with the other ladies showing a bond of friendship and compassion. Except for some set decorations, the interiors and exteriors of the two homes remained unchanged for the film, and the furnishings inside stand intact today. The production of the movie touched people's lives and transformed the gentile, gracious town of Natchitoches forever.