Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Author: Lora Diane Peppers

  • Endom Livery Stable

    The above building was built in 1878 by Frederick Endom. He and his brother were German emigrants who settled in Monroe just before the Civil War broke out. Fred was…

  • Lyceum Theatre

    This building once stood in the 100 block of DeSiard Street almost directly across from St. John. It opened December 29, 1909 as a vaudeville and movie theater. It boasted…

  • Jackson Street at the Turn of the Century: Another View

    On November 30 of last year, i posted a view of Jackson street taken probably between 1906 and 1910: .https://ouachitaparishhistory.com/2018/11/30/jackson-street-at-the-turn-of-the-century I found this second view, probably taken pre 1906 due…

  • Sidney and Annie’s Marriage License

    Back in 2001 I was very interested in Monroe’s black sheep couple! Their story fascinated me. I had access to a very bad copy of what looked to be a…

  • Sidney and Annie Saunders Part III

    Annie Saunders had now lost her husband and son.  She was inconsolable.  Rumors that Sidney and Annie were never married were still active among Monroe society.  When Sidney’s brothers and…

  • Sidney and Annie Saunders Part II

                Annie was born to the union of Alfred N. and Catherine Livingston in Bastrop around the year 1852.  One of the rumors was that Annie was of mixed race. …

  • Sidney and Annie Saunders Part I

    I wrote about Sidney and Annie over three issues of Louisiana Road Trips Magazine in 2012. I put most everything I knew about Sidney and Annie Saunders in those articles.…

  • Ivy Davis Home

    According to the News-Star of April 29, 1937, the above old residence stood at the corner of Washington and North Second Streets. It had been built in 1871 by attorney…

  • Monroe’s Legendary Bag Lady

    Another article I wrote for Road Trips: There are a few in Monroe who remember a disheveled African-American homeless woman, wrapped in an old dress and coat with burlap bags…

  • Mary Goss: Monroe’s Forgotten Philanthropist

    I wrote this article for Road Trips Magazine back in 2016: Many people in Monroe are familiar with the name Mary Goss.  The first thing that comes to mind is…