Author: Lora Diane Peppers
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Always Pay Attention to What You Are Drinking!
I wrote this back in 2010 for Louisiana Road Trips Magazine: The place where I work is currently indexing Ouachita Parish newspapers for deaths and marriages. Over the years, I’ve…
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The Third Masonic Temple
The Masons have a long history in Ouachita Parish. One of the prettiest buildings in it’s time was the Masonic Temple on the corner of 4th and DeSiard Streets. This…
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Jackson Street Residences
This is a copy of an old postcard from the collection of the Ouachita Parish Public Library. I don’t know exactly where on Jackson street this was. I can tell…
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The First Mardi Gras Parade in Monroe
Happy Mardi Gras! It is parade day in Monroe! I’ll be on one of the floats tonight, but I’ll be in disguise! If you recognize me, yell, “Throw me something!”…
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The V. S. & T. Railroad Depot
Monroe has had a few streets that are no longer in existence. Take for instance this view up Jefferson street around 1900. This was the first Railroad depot in Monroe,…
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The Love Story of Roland and Inez
I thought this would be a very appropriate story for Valentine’s Day! Back in 2008, I found a forbidden love story, involving one of the most important families in Ouachita…
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Shootout in Downtown Monroe
Written for a 2010 article in Louisiana Road Trips Magazine: Reading through Monroe’s history, one begins to wonder if Monroe was more like a frontier town than the thriving center…
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DeSiard Street 1920’s
And this is nearly the same shot, but about ten or so years later. Notice the Vantage building is going up in the distance.
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DeSiard Street – 1907
The above photo appeared in a 1907 Shreveport newspaper. I think the building on the right is next to 3rd street and the empty lot is where the Sugar/Saenger/Paramont theater…
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Riverside Pavilion
This huge building, known as the Riverside Pavilion, stood on the shore of the Saltwater Natatorium at Forsythe Park. It was the scene of many dances and plays in it’s…
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 