Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Author: Lora Diane Peppers

  • A West Monroe Boy Separated From His Dog Outrages the World

    This one was brought to my attention in one of the Facebook groups I am a member in. Back on October 5, 1954, a ten year old boy named Joe…

  • A Texas Revolutionary buried in Northeastern Louisiana

    Baton Rouge Tri-Weekly Gazette and Comet, July 3, 1859, Page 2 The death of Mr. Eli Harris a prominent citizen of Carroll parish, is announced in the Lake Providence Herald.…

  • A New Royal Court for the Krewe of Janus

    Saturday night at the Krewe Cocktail Party, the theme for next year’s parade and the members of the royal court were announced. Janus Goes to Hollywood King and Queen Janus…

  • Windmill at Forsythe

    Did you know that Forsythe Park once had a big windmill? It was built to hide something. In the February 20, 1930 issue of the Monroe News-Star was the following…

  • The Kings of Casino Park

    About ten years ago, there was a push to put a historical marker in Monroe in honor of the 1932 Monroe Monarchs baseball team at the site where they played,…

  • Two Great Monroe Books

    If you are interested in the African-American experience in the Monroe area, I highly recommend the above two books by Dr. James O. McHenry. They are available at the Ouachita…

  • A Description of the Ouachita Post in 1806

    In 1803 the United States purchased from France a huge tract of land that included present day Louisiana. A few years later, the rest of the country was still curious…

  • The Obituary of Eleanor Hook Morhouse Hook Grayson

                This is the most detailed biography of Eleanor Grayson that I have ever found.  I was SO excited when I found it! Eleanor was the ward and later wife…

  • Steamboat Sinks at Monroe – 1841

    Newspaper editors in the early days could get a bit snarky! This one is amusing! Times-Picayune, December 23, 1841, Page 2 STEAMBOAT LOST. – The steamboat Little Rock sunk recently…

  • The Monroe New Moon Newspaper Editor

    I found this in an Arkansas paper (Weekly Arkansas Gazette, May 1, 1839, Page 2) which shows the uproar over a newspaper editor in Monroe. This guy isn’t the first…