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Healing with Prayer
: Traiteur's
Traiteur, or faith healer, uses a technique known as “treating,” which is a prayer-based method used to fight illness or injury (Turner-Neal, 2016). “For centuries countless traditional healing…
Home of the Hansen's Disease: Leprosy House
The National Hansen’s Disease Museum in Carville, a small town in Plaquemine, is like no other because it seeks to inform their viewers of a tragic illness which resulted in a quarantine of the people…
Who Dare the Hoodoo Lady: Julia Brown
In Acadiana’s St. John parish, Julia Brown was a Hoodoo priestesses lived in a very small town called Frenier surrounded by Manchac Swamp. “In the town Julia was known for her charms and her curses,…
The Man Wolf: Rougarou
In Manchac Swamp, in Louisiana St. John parish, the Rougarou is a popular folklore similar to bigfoot. However, it’s a man who shapeshifts and looks tall and animal like. “It is most often described…
Central Louisiana State Hospital
Have you ever wondered what happens to tortures souls of Acadiana after their bodies have withered away?
Calcasieu Courthouse
Perhaps Toni Jo Henry lurks the halls of the Calcasieu Courthouse.
Rip Van Winkle Gardens
Joseph Jefferson, a famed actor for his role in Rip Van Winkle, owned the Rip Van Winkle Gardens property. It was sold to Dr. Don Ray who renovated the gardens to its original beauty. He then sold it…
Egan Hotel and Opera House
The Eagan Hotel and The Grand Opera House, located next to each other proudly in Crowley Louisiana, both have some quirks that add character to the Cajun area. Both locations were owned by the same…
Mary Jane's Bridge
Every town has their fair share of urban legends, and this little town is no exception. In Broussard, Louisiana you can find the infamous Mary Jane’s Bridge. On small road called Bayou Tortue…
Johnny Wyatt Memorial Highway: Honoring a Legacy of Service, Leadership, and Community Impact
Sweeping across a key corridor of Bossier Parish, the Johnny Wyatt Memorial Highway serves to do more than connect points on a map—it connects a community to the enduring legacy of one of its most…
An Old Plantation Meant for a Queen
: From Rose Hill Plantation to Queen's Ranch
From an antebellum plantation in the mid nineteenth century to a small family farm in the early twenty-first century, the old Rose Hill Plantation in now the beautiful Queen's Ranch.
Beneath the Oaks, Amidst the Cane: From Oasis Plantation to Episcopal School of Acadiana
Episcopal School of Acadiana resides on the beautiful mid-nineteenth century sugar plantation, Oasis Plantation, sitting along side the sugar cane and underneath the enormous oak trees covering the…
An American Actor's Dream Plantation: From Bob Acres Plantation to Rip Van Winkle House and Gardens
In 1869, American actor Joseph Jefferson purchased “Orange Island,” as it was known at the time of the purchase, which sat atop a salt dome on Lake Peigneur to use as his winter home and hunting…
Louisiana's Most Revolutionary Educator
John McNeese was one of the most influential educators of the Lake Charles area.
First Licensed Doctor of Calcasieu Parish
Dr. Lyons was the first doctor with a diploma to ever practice in Calcasieu Parish.
C.C. "Taddy" Aycock: Louisiana Lieutenant Governor and Lawyer
C.C. ‘Taddy” Aycock was a prominent Louisiana politician in the 20th century.
Louisiana's Canadian Founder: Pierre d'Iberville
The soldier and explorer who founded the French colony "La Louisiane"
An Influential Politician: Jean Noel Destrehan
A prominent Louisiana politician and legislator, as well as a mercantilist and planter.
Hurdling For Gold
Rodney Milburn was an Olympic hurdler who won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in the 110 meters hurdles. While in Munich, Rodney Milburn tied the world record of 13.24 in winning the gold…
Dr. Benoit Grolee
Grolee Street is one of the oldest streets in Opelousas, Louisiana. It was in 1934 on March 19th, when the Opelousas Board of Public met and passed an ordinance naming two streets that day. One of…
Beloved Businessman
Joseph Bloch was born in France in 1833. He moved to the Americas and Louisiana when he was 21. Bloch owned a mercantile business in Ascension parish before moving to Opelousas. Bloch’s store was…
New Life for Holy Rosary Institute
So I know you are probably wondering what so special about 421 Carmel Drive. Well it’s not about the street but what is on the street. Located at that address is a building that was once Holy Rosary…
"Lafayette Sports Hero" J.C. Reinhardt
J.C. Reinhardt, a graduate from The University of Iowa, who was hired in 1931 came to Lafayette, Louisiana and totally changed the dynamics of local sports. He was brought in to be the head basketball…
A Grandiose Building with a War-Torn Past: St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, LA
This immense and ornate church holds centuries of stories which tell the impact of wars on Acadiana.
Bishop Jeanmard’s War against Racism: St. Paul the Apostle Church - Lafayette, LA
This church was created out of the desire of a minority group to worship together as a community.
A Phoenix Rises from the Ashes: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception - Lake Charles, LA
Though this church and its associated buildings were destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1910, it has been rebuilt into something magnificent.
The Miracle that Paved the Way to Sainthood: Academy of the Sacred Heart - Grand Coteau, LA
The first miracle in North America ratified by the Vatican happened in a small town in south Louisiana.
The Church that Started a City: Saint Mary Magdalen Church – Abbeville, LA
The city of Abbeville owes its origins to the founder of St. Mary Magdalen Church.
“The Place Where Everybody Is Somebody”: State Representative Pinkie Wilkerson Memorial Interchange: I-20 & LA 149 interchange in Grambling, Louisiana
Louisiana Memorial Highway 148 is named the State Representative Pinkie Wilkerson Memorial Interchange. The small connection located at the intersection of Interstate 20 and Louisiana Highway 149,…
Preserving Louisiana’s Coastline: The Rodney Guilbeaux Memorial Highway: LA Highway 82 through Cameron Parish, Louisiana along the coastline
Louisiana Memorial Highway 102 is named the Rodney Guilbeaux Memorial Highway. Senate Bill 737 was passed in 2008, which designated the portion of Louisiana Highway 82 (LA 82) located in Cameron…