In 1819, the Louisiana State Legislature created the town of Lewiston in Ouachita Parish. It was just up the Ouachita from Monroe. No maps of it exist. The description of it was, “…blocks or Squares fronting DeSiard or St. George Street four block and extending North up Walnut Street seven blocks…” T.C. Lewis and Patrick Harmonson traded and sold some of the blocks which were described as 307 feet square and each block was divided into four lots of one quarter block each. The Streets were 60 feet wide. Never heard of Lewiston? Not many have. Monroe administrators and the State Legislature never got rid of the town designation so the town was just ignored. A town within a town!
Where did Lewiston get it’s name? I’ve never heard, but I would suspect it was named for Judge T.C. Lewis himself! I would guess the town never got going since the good Judge died the same year it was incorporated! Just a couple of guesses though.
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 