This picture is amazing! https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-bsc%3A44 It shows the faculty and staff of Lincoln School, which was an African American school during segregation. In 1962 or so, the Elm Street Elementary School was renamed Lincoln Elementary and the old Lincoln School became Carroll Jr. High. I am not sure if this Lincoln Elementary or Carroll Jr. … Continue reading Lincoln School
Tag: African-American History
Mahalia Jackson Comes to Monroe
In 1970, the Queen of Gospel herself, Mahalia Jackson sang at the Monroe Civic Center. Mayor Jack Howard presented her with a Pacemaker Bracelet and rolled out the red carpet for her. Mrs. Irma DeTiege took her around town and they made visits to several local pastors in the area. Among the songs Mrs. Jackson … Continue reading Mahalia Jackson Comes to Monroe
A History of Library Service to the African-American Community in Ouachita Parish
I have found another digitized thesis! This one was written in 1967 by Ms. Shirley Rush at Atlanta University. It details the history of the establishment of the Carver Branch library on a level I have never seen before! Many influential names in the African-American community are mentioned. https://radar.auctr.edu/islandora/object/cau.td:1967_rush_shirley_c
Layton Castle Blog
The other day, I found a blog run by the current owner of Layton castle, which only has a couple of posts. They are very interesting though! The first post is about a former enslaved resident of the castle named Annette. The second post is about a little girl ghost who haunts the castle. You … Continue reading Layton Castle Blog
Boley Jr. High Students, Circa 1967
Did your family have a member who attended Boley Jr. High in the mid to late 60's? Take a look at this picture from the library's collection. You can click on the photo and zoom in. https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-pho%3A351
Liller Maddox Marbles Recreation Center Photo
This one is a little bit of a mystery. Can anyone identify the people in this photo? Our best guess is that it was taken when the center was dedicated, May 20, 1962. Could this be the Marbles family? https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-pho%3A543
Junior Chamber of Commerce Bubble Blowing Contest – 1946
Our grandparents and great grandparents knew how to party! On September 28, 1946, the Junior Chamber of Commerce threw what they called a "Big Teen-Age Party" at the new teen recreation center over the old USO. The City Directory for 1945-46 says the USO was at 113-15 Catalpa Street. That is either the old Club … Continue reading Junior Chamber of Commerce Bubble Blowing Contest – 1946
A List of Monroe’s African-American Newspapers
I was browsing through the Genealogy Department's collection, when I found a book called "Bibliographic Checklist of African American Newspapers" by Barbara K. Henritze. It was published in 1995. It is basically a list of all known Black owned newspapers that had been published in the United States. There were a few from Monroe that … Continue reading A List of Monroe’s African-American Newspapers
XYZ Club Mardi Gras Program
When I saw this program come up for sale on eBay on Shrove Monday, my eyes popped out of my head! It even had a "buy it now" price, which surprised me. I thought surely, something like this would be up for bid. You'd better believe I bought it as soon as my fingers could … Continue reading XYZ Club Mardi Gras Program
Welcome to Monroe brochure
Here is a fairly new brochure (historically speaking) we just had to digitize due to it's uniqueness! It was a guide to African-American owned businesses in Monroe produced in the 1980's. It was put together by the Top Gun Boy Scout troop. You can look at it here: https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-orv%3A113