Ouachita Parish History Tidbits

Tag: African-American History

  • 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…

  • Ed Logan

    The following article was published in the Monroe Morning Post, probably in the 1920’s.  It was undated and was found in the papers of the Garrett family.  Very few issues…

  • African-American Education in Ouachita Parish Near the Turn of the Century

    This is a tiny little key hole glimpse into the history of education in the African-American community of Monroe.  It talks about a trade school that had been started by…

  • Logtown Legend

    The WPA writers project in 1937 interviewed John B. Filhiol, who told the following story.   Paul and Agatha were two of the slaves owned by Edward Landry Grammont Filhiol,…

  • Louisiana Freedmen’s Bureau Office Records, Monroe, LA Indentures, Mar.-Nov., 1867

    Right after the Civil War, orphaned African-Americans were “apprenticed” to local white families to learn a trade.  The Louisiana Freedmen’s Bureau took care of writing up the contracts and were…

  • Zadoc Harman

    Here is another article I wrote for Louisiana Road Trips magazine in June, 2001.  Zadoc Harmon was a fascinating Ouachita Parish character! Zadoc Harman:  Free Man of Color in Colonial…

  • Miller-Roy Building

    The Miller-Roy building is one of the most historically important buildings in Ouachita Parish.  In 1929 two doctors, Dr. Dr. J.C. Roy and Dr. J.T. Miller decided that they needed a…