Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Author: Lora Diane Peppers

  • Another Iron Coffin Body Found

                Many people in the area are familiar with the story of the “Girl in the Iron Coffin” that was dug up in Lakeshore in 1955.  She was so perfectly…

  • Solving a Mystery: The Confederate Dead of Monroe City Cemetery

                Since I first became interested in Ouachita parish history, I have heard the local story that the Confederate monument in Monroe’s Old City cemetery sits on top of the…

  • The Unsolved Murders of Crawford and Harris

                   I found this article several years back in the Ouachita Telegraph.  It appeared Saturday, September 13, 1873.  I incorporated this story into my Old City Cemetery tour.  Harris was…

  • The Fire of 1854

            If you are interested in Monroe history, you have probably heard of the Monroe fires of 1871 and 1889 that were supposedly set by the infamous…

  • A Peek into a Dentist’s Office in 1893

    The below description of a visit to a dentist’s office was found in a rare 1893 newspaper.  It offers a rare peek into the dental practices of long ago.  As…

  • The Pre Civil War Murder of Jailer Abram Williams and the hanging of “Tennessee Jack”

                 I found the following article one day while I was browsing pre Civil War newspaper of Monroe.  This crime was shocking and brutal by even today’s standards.  What drove…

  • The story of Edwin Francis Jemison: Louisiana’s Most Famous Boy Soldier

    His face is haunting.  He stares out expressionless from a photograph that has been used in countless books about the Civil War.  One could project any feeling you want to…

  • Jim May: West Monroe’s Own Holt Collier

    Many people know of Holt Collier, who led Teddy Roosevelt on his famous area bear hunt, which gave birth to the Teddy Bear.  Did you ever hear of West Monroe’s…

  • Art Alley in 1927

    This was taken from the News-Star building in 1927 by Griffin. At the time, this street was known as 2nd Street, but is now known as Art Alley. Most prominent…

  • Some Ouachita Parish History sites

    I have recently found a great blog on WordPress, where the author has posted items from her personal family history collection: https://okellyfamily.wordpress.com/ The O’Kelly family has deep roots in Ouachita…