Category: Uncategorized
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Students Fight to Observe Black History Week in 1971
In February of 1971, six Wossman High School students, petitioned the City school board to declare Feb. 7 – 13 as Black History Week. Their petition was withdrawn. In a…
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Bufferin and St. Timothy Cemeteries
Have you ever visited the two African American cemeteries at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge? They are known as Bufferin and St. Timothy. Bufferin was once called Richland Plantation…
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Monroe Academy Graduating Class of 1914
While going through our photo archives, I found this little gem I didn’t know we had. It shows a graduating class of the Monroe Academy (1000 Texas Avenue), which I…
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DeSiard Street Looking East 1930’s
What a sight this must have been! It is hard to believe this area was once packed with shoppers!
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Varino’s Grocery Building
Earlier this month, I saw a post on Facebook, announcing a historic grant was given to remodel the old Varino building at 200 Commerce Street in West Monroe, next to…
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City Grocery on Catalpa
This looks like it was taken in the 1920’s. The store opened in March, 1921 at 104 Catalpa Street, “Behind the Phoenix Drug Store”. It was owned by Mr. James…
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The E.E. Johnson Service Station
This postcard is a rare one from the 1920’s. When I saw it come up for sale on eBay, I had to have it! It came in last month. The…
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The Dispenza Grocery
George Dispenza was born in Palermo, Sicily in 1881. When he was twenty, he came to America and settled in Monroe. George opened a store at 117 DeSiard Street, although…
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UCV Marker Found
Over the Christmas break, I had a chance to wander the Old City Cemetery, looking for those markers the UCV placed to mark the graves of unmarked Confederate veterans back…
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Kansas Plantation is sold
I’m beginning to learn roughly where these plantations in eastern Monroe were (again…roughly). I found a front-page article in the News-Star June 22, 1920 headlined, “Plans for Transfer of “Kansas”…
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 