Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Category: African-American History

  • The Pre Civil War Murder of Jailer Abram Williams and the hanging of “Tennessee Jack”

                 I found the following article one day while I was browsing pre Civil War newspaper of Monroe.  This crime was shocking and brutal by even today’s standards.  What drove…

  • Jim May: West Monroe’s Own Holt Collier

    Many people know of Holt Collier, who led Teddy Roosevelt on his famous area bear hunt, which gave birth to the Teddy Bear.  Did you ever hear of West Monroe’s…

  • Some Ouachita Parish History sites

    I have recently found a great blog on WordPress, where the author has posted items from her personal family history collection: https://okellyfamily.wordpress.com/ The O’Kelly family has deep roots in Ouachita…

  • The Shooting of W.S. Wade

    Written for Louisiana Road Trips back in 2013:             August 22nd of 1909 was an exciting day in the little town of Monroe.  A fire burned down Capt. L.D. McLain’s…

  • 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!”…

  • 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…

  • The First Female Legally Hung in Ouachita

                The first woman to be executed is quite unusual, since she made it all the way to a trial and legal execution.  At the time of her death, the…

  • Little Bell Baptist Church

    This little church is located on the Perryville road between Hwy 165 and Hwy 139. I’ve loved this little church since I was a kid. It stands down the road…

  • 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…

  • Wisner Colored High School

    Wisner Colored High School was one of the earliest African-American high schools in Ouachita Parish. It was founded by the Barrington family right after the Civil War. The Excellence Academy…