Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Explore fascinating little tidbits of lost Ouachita Parish history you probably didn’t know. I post every Tuesday and Friday. You can use the little magnifying glass at the top right of the page to search the past postings!

Current Blog Posts

  • 100 Block of DeSiard Street Circa 1930’s

    This week, I will share a couple of photos from ULM’s Griffin Photograph Collection I found on the Louisiana Digital Library. https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/ulm-p15140coll27%3A141 The Griffin photographer was standing near the intersection… Read more ⇢

  • An Early Monroe Doctor Survives a Ship fire on Lake Erie

    Dr. William McConchy/Maconchy was an early doctor of Ouachita Parish. The irony of this account is that he had lost his son and his brother-in-law Daniel Breard in the sinking… Read more ⇢

  • The Annie P. Docked at Monroe

    This postcard shows the Sternwheel packet Annie P. docked at Monroe. You can see the Endom bridge behind it. According to Way’s Packet Directory and Way’s Steam Towboat Directory, the… Read more ⇢

  • The Monroe Sanitarium

    This building stood on the corner of Apple and Jackson Streets and was a predecessor of St. Francis Hospital. It was a nurse training school, in operation between 1908 and… Read more ⇢

  • The Pargoud Family

    You have probably heard of Pargoud Blvd. and Upper and Lower Pargoud Plantation. You may have also heard the story that it was a Pargoud who planted the catalpa trees… Read more ⇢

  • Congregation B’nai Israel’s Second Rabbi

    The Congregation B’nai Israel are to be congratulated for having secured the services of Rabbi A. Levi, for the next year beginning the first of September. He comes from Jefferson,… Read more ⇢

  • Passenger Steamboats on the Ouachita

    I found this in the December 29, 1859 Monroe Register. It shows the passenger schedule for steamboats traveling up and down the Ouachita River. This was just about the only… Read more ⇢

  • Happy 4th of July!

    Tomorrow will be a big day in the Twin Cities! Look for me riding a float in the parade tomorrow! I was curious about July 4th celebrations in Monroe and… Read more ⇢

  • 1916 – 1917 City Budget

    One hundred and ten years ago today exactly, the News-Star printed the recommended budget for the City of Monroe. What jumped out at me was the $600 a year for… Read more ⇢

  • The Origin of Finks Hideaway Road

    I had a patron come in asking about the origin of Finks Hideaway Road. Here is what I found. You may have heard of Fink the Tailor. His son Herbert… Read more ⇢

Read more: 100 Block of DeSiard Street Circa 1930’s