Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Category: Uncategorized

  • 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…

  • Ouachita Parish Public Library Historical Photos

    I just wanted to take a moment and highlight what my boss has been working on. She has set up a new section on the Louisiana Digital Library to upload…

  • Monroe Fire Department’s First Fire Truck

    I love this one! If I had to guess, this was Monroe’s first gas fire truck! At least, the vehicle is very old, so it is one of the first.…

  • The Pet Deer of Holiday Inn

    Did you know that an area hotel in Monroe advertised the attraction of having pet deer romping around that you could play with? Yep! They even put them on their…