Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Category: Uncategorized

  • 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…

  • The Cost of Electricity in 1893.

    This little article comes from the Opelousas Courier of April 22, 1893. It lists the cost to light a home in Monroe: The Monroe Electric Light Company shows up quite…

  • DeSiard Street Circa 1926

    This shows the 300 block of DeSiard Street, looking west towards the river. The first building on the left was T. John, which was a clothing store. It was located…

  • School Integration…in 1908?

    This article made me smile! Daily Enterprise-Leader (New Iberia) December 19, 1908, Page 6 Whites in Negro School. Monroe, Dec. 19. – Two Italian children are attending a private negro…