Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Author: Lora Diane Peppers

  • Bayles’ Fish Market – 1985

    For over 52 years Bayles’ Fish Market was a staple in West Monroe. It was THE place to go for the freshest fish! Opened by Mr. Albert Bayles circa 1939,…

  • The History of The Bright-Lamkin-Easterling Home

    The land that the above home would be built on, was once part of Henry Bry’s Mulberry Grove plantation. The Bry family sold the land to William A. Bright, a…

  • 1971 Burning of Crosley Elementary

    On June 9, 1971, fire broke out in the copy room of Crosley Elementary School, located at 700 Natchitoches Street. Due to the interior being of wood, the fire quickly…

  • Yearbooks Online at the Internet Archives

    Another thing I have noticed is that several Ouachita Parish High School Yearbooks have been digitized here, mainly from the 1960’s – 1980’s. You will find Ouachita, River Oaks, Carroll,…

  • Monroe and West Monroe in the 1960s.

    Well this one is stunning! I decided to see what new items are available on the Internet Archives and I found a glimpse into what Ouachita parish looked like in…

  • The Murder of Frederick Ludeling

    Tuesday I mentioned that Frank Stubbs’ eldest son murdered John Ludeling’s son Frederick near the Cedars plantation on Riverside. I now realized that I have never written about it on…

  • The Cedars – Plantation Home of the Stubbs Family

    This one surprised me. The above home was built by Frank P. Stubbs, Sr. on Front Street (now Riverside Drive) circa 1853. This is a very historic home. A few…

  • Sycamore Hall Burns

    What got me interested in researching today’s post and next week’s two posts was thumbing through the Genealogy Department’s copy of Sycamore Hall by Sylvester Breard on Wednesday. I am…

  • Three Grand Openings in One Day!

    November 16, 1925 was a great day in northeast Louisiana history. A grand opening banquet was being held for the Hotel Virginia in downtown Monroe. It was Monroe’s newest and…

  • Northeast Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Association

    Many people have asked me if this group still meets and the president of the society happened to come in a couple of months ago. Yes, the group still meets,…