All Stories: 132
Stories
Give Me Liberty – A brief history of the historic Liberty Theatre in downtown Eunice
The Liberty Theatre in Eunice, Louisiana, has a rich history spanning from its founding in 1920 to its closure in 1982 and subsequent revival in 1987. J. Claude Keller and A. F. McGee partnered to establish the theatre, aiming to create a premier…
The Show Must Go On: The Story of the Grand Opera House of the South
In the year 1901, David E. Lyons built a theatre in downtown Crowley. It is estimated that the entire 33,000 square foot building priced out at approximately 18,000 dollars. The original name for this theater is debated, but the terms, “the opera…
Setting Sights on the Rice
On Friday, January 31st, 1941, a new center of entertainment and community held its formal debut. Throughout the decades since its grand opening, the Rice Theater has hosted a variety of events from film screenings to Christmas celebrations,…
Slim's Y-Ki-Ki: Zydeco's Highs and Lows in Opelousas
In 2016, after an alleged 69 years of business, a dancehall once deemed the zydeco hotspot of the world, closed. Following a change in patrons’ behavior and attendance, St. Landry Parish’s weakening grasp on zydeco, and sharp increases in band…
Against The Grain: The Endurance Of The Conrad Rice Mill – The 112-year-old Conrad Rice Mill is the oldest operating rice mill in America.
Philip Amalus Conrad, a true entrepreneur, founded the Conrad Rice Mill and Planting Company in 1912. Following in his father's footsteps as a rice planter, Philip saw an opportunity for growth. Instead of shipping his rice to New Orleans, a…
Peddler to Pioneer: A Slovakian Immigrant's Journey to Church Point Wholesale – Supplying Church Point and the South with almost anything, 112 years and counting.
Ján Hvorecký was born to Andrej Hvorecký and Anne Pastorek on January 3, 1868. They resided in Bytča, Slovakia, an organized Jewish community with a population of 750 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At 18 years old, in 1885, Ján immigrated to the…
A Lost Paradise: Rousseau's Catahoula Inn – The Tragic Story of a Forgotten Getaway
Gaston L. Rousseau was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, on November 7, 1881. In 1908, Gaston moved to Springfield, Illinois, where he lived for ten years. There, he met Lena Hogan of Illinois. The couple married in New Orleans in 1918. Within two…
Deep Roots and Sweet Cane – Exploring the Tradition and Resilience of Domingues Farms
Sugar cane production is a vital part of the history and economy of South Louisiana. Sugar cane has been grown in Louisiana since its introduction by Jesuit priests in the mid-eighteenth century. Étienne deBoré introduced a variety of cane, which…
From Wrought to Rot: The Story of J.B. Sandoz
In the early 1870s, a Quebec-born blacksmith named Joseph Jobin took on an apprentice in Opelousas, Louisiana. The apprentice's name was Jacques B. Sandoz. In 1877, Jobin passed away and left his blacksmithing shop to J. B. Sandoz. J.B married…
Forging A Legacy – The Enduring Spirit of Sam Guarino & Son Inc.
Sam Guarino & Son Inc., a historic blacksmith shop in Abbeville, Louisiana, traces its roots back to the early 20th century. Founded by Sicilian immigrant Salvadore "Sam" Guarino, the business initially operated as a blacksmith shop, serving the…
Rich History at the Royal Tavern – Twenty years of Roy Gathe's legacy, the Royal Tavern
Decades ago, music and dance were the epitome of South Louisiana’s nightlife. People from various parishes would travel miles to go to the ultimate hub of music and dance, the Louisiana Danchall. While the total number of dancehalls that have…
Lifetimes of Lumber: The Story of St. Landry Lumber Co.
St. Landry Lumber Co. is one of the oldest businesses in the Opelousas area. The oldest transactions can be dated to the 1890s. The story of its early owners quickly grows murky though, as the Opelousas Daily World says O.L. Guidry and his business…
The Veranda Hotel's Journey Through Fires, Violence, and Modernization – The Evolution of Abbeville's Historic Landmark
Construction of the Veranda Hotel began in 1845 as a courthouse by Catholic priest and founder of Abbeville, Père Antoine Désiré Mégret. The hotel underwent a tumultuous journey of evolution and transformation, marked by fires, acts of violence, and…
A Survey of Success: The Fenstermaker Story
Charles Howard Fenstermaker Jr. studied civil engineering at Louisiana State University from 1934-38. He fought in World War 2 at the Western Front, including the Battle of Anzio, and returned home in 1945. He worked as a surveyor for Texaco before…
Chocolate Soldier Chronicles: From Church Point to Hanley's Bottling Works – Supplying Church Point with delicious refreshments, from 1906 to 1978.
Our story starts off once more with the Daigle family of Church Point. In 1902, Ernestine Daigle, daughter of Joseph Ernest and Maria Madeleine Breaux Daigle, married Pierre Guidry, son of Thelismar and Marie Hermina Daigle Guidry. Marie…
Keeping Acadiana Beefed Up, The Story of Prejean's Wholesale Meats
It is no secret that in Acadiana, meat is everywhere. Every true Cajun/Creole loves filling their stomach with rice and gravy, fricassee, gumbo, or any other stew. This is thanks in part to Prejean's Meat distribution in Carencro.
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Generations of Banking in the Heart of Acadiana – The Bank of Abbeville and Trust Company
Abbeville, Louisiana, is renowned for its rich history as an agricultural community along the Vermilion River. The city was founded by the French Catholic priest Père Antoine Desiré Megrét in 1843. As the town’s population grew and its economy…
Greig's West Main Grocery – Greig's little store was a gatekeeper of the growing city of New Iberia for nearly 50 years.
Raymond August Greig was born in St. Martinville, Louisiana, on November 28, 1914. Raymond was a bright boy but never received more than an 8th-grade education. Ray met Carrie Leigh Broussard at a county fair. They wed on November 30, 1935, before…
Beyond Hammers and Nails: The Long Legacy of Theo. Daigle & Bros. Hardware Store – Supplying Church Point with the tools to build a town, 114 years and counting.
Our story starts with Joseph Ernest Daigle and his wife, Maria Madeleine Breaux Daigle, whose 12 children nearly had a monopoly over Church Point. One son, Theodore Daigle, was born in 1875, and after receiving his education in town, dabbled…
Allons Chez Tee Maurice: Tee Maurice Race Track and Dance Hall, 1902-1983 – Furlongs and Fais Do Dos
The Richard family possesses a sort of dynastic quality in the world of Cajun bush tracks. Maurice Richard and his wife, Celestine, bought the property in 1902 in present-day Church Point, an area once known locally as Marais des Buller.The Richard…
Hurricanes Batter Cameron Parish Cemeteries – Little Chenier Attempts to Defy the Storms
One of the lost and forgotten cemeteries is Little Chenier Cemetery in Creole, Cameron Parish. Located on Big Burn Road off the main Little Chenier Road, the cemetery is small but in an easily accessed clearing. The area is known for hunting camps…
Southdown Cemetery History Loss – Where are they now?
About three and a half miles from the Southdown Plantation house in Houma, Terrebonne Parish, lies a cemetery of the same name. Southdown Cemetery is still used today however, the history is being forgotten and the grounds are used in a nefarious…
Mount Zion Riverlake Cemetery – "To Lie With Those Who Have No Mark"
One of the lost and forgotten cemeteries is maybe not so lost, but unfortunately becoming forgotten. The cemetery is famous but a search on Google maps reveals a simple word to describe this place: Graveyard. Upon further inspection, however, an…
Marceaux Cemetery – Becoming the Norm
Marceaux Cemetery, located between Kaplan and Wright in Vermilion Parish, has sadly become very lost and very forgotten. The cemetery is located on private property, but after gaining permission from the Matthews Family, a quick climb over the…
Belleau Wood Monument – “Retreat, hell we just got here!” ~Capt. Lloyd W. Williams
Major General John Archer Lejeune was born in 1867 on a sugar plantation in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana. After studying for three years at Louisiana State University, Lejeune was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy where he trained from 1884 to 1888.…
Chateau Thierry Monument – "Come on ya sons of bitches, ya want to live forever?" ~Sgt. Dan Daley
While over 5,300 German troops were lost during the Battle of Chateau Thierry, the Allied forces only lost 1,900 troops. Of these 1,900 who fell, sixteen were from Louisiana, six of whom were residents of Acadiana. Henry Binet, Joseph A. Logg,…
Cantigny American Monument – "This was our first offensive, which had been ordered primarily for the purpose of its effect on the morale of the English and French armies." ~ Lt. Col. George C. Marshall
Despite the American army bearing the higher number of total casualties, only 318 American soldiers lost their lives, while the Germans had 1,400 killed and over 250 taken as prisoners of war. Of the 318 Americans killed, five called Louisiana their…
Montsec American Monument – “Don’t sweat over ’em Colonel. If they’re gonna get you, they’re gonna get you,” General Douglas MacArthur
The Men: Although over 4,000 American troops were lost in the Montsec salient over the course of the war, only two known soldiers hailed from Acadiana. Angel Duhon of Cameron and Eugene W. Rogillio of Rogillioville. Duhon was only 22 when he…
Aisne-Marne Cemetery and Memorial – "I never saw men charge to their death with finer spirit." ~Floyd Gibbons
The Second Battle of the Marne had incredibly high casualties with over 272,000 casualties within the space of three full days. Of these, only 12,000 were Americans who fell in battle. It is no surprise then that many of these men hailed from…
The Story of Father Charles M. Menard – The Apostle of Bayou Lafourche
One significant feature of the history of Acadiana was the struggle for practicing the Catholic faith. In 1713, the British captured Acadia and required the Acadians to swear allegiance to the British Crown and convert to Anglicanism from…