Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Author: Lora Diane Peppers

  • Masur Museum Postcard

    Originally a private home owned by Sigmund Masur, cofounder of the Palace Department Store, after he died the home was donated for use as an art museum. The Masur Museum…

  • G.B. Cooley Tuberculosis Sanitarium Postcard

    This is a lovely postcard showing the TB hospital that once stood in West Monroe. As a postscript to the post about Father Louis Gergaud I did a few weeks…

  • Brown Paper Mill Postcard

    This is what is called a “Real Photo Postcard” showing the old Brown Paper Mill in Bawcomville back in the 1960’s or so. I grew up in Bastrop which had…

  • A Tantalizing Civil War Map

    I was exploring the National Archives online catalog, when I found some Confederate maps they have in their collection. One in particular intrigued me: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/171031936 A big problem is that…

  • Area High Schools Once Had Live Mascots!

    Did you know that Neville and Ouachita Parish High School once had live mascots? Above is pictured Shasta the tiger, who was Neville’s mascot. Ouachita’s lion mascot was called Cheepa,…

  • Bureau of Land Management Land Records

    Did your ancestor get land from the federal government? Would you like to see where it was and what the document looks like? Go here: https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx to search and see…

  • The Birth of Magnolia Cemetery?

    I found this little article a year ago and it makes me wonder if this is the birth of Magnolia Cemetery. For years there was a section of the Old…

  • A Little Fire Department History

    Earlier this week someone asked me about the history of the local Fire Department. I found way back in February of 1867, a man named A.W. Norcross donated $100 to…

  • Chee Chee: A Real Jailbird!

    Back in 1930, the following article was published in the News-Star. It tells about an unlikely mascot of the Ouachita Parish jail! News-Star, June 27, 1930, Page 14 CHEE CHEE…

  • A History of the Jewish Community in Monroe

    I found this great little article about the history of the Jewish faith in Monroe! https://www.isjl.org/louisiana-monroe-encyclopedia.html To view a great photographic slideshow on the history of the Jewish Community, check…