Obituary of Frank W. Barrington

I was VERY surprised to find an obituary for Prof. Barrington in state white owned papers. This was found in the March 6, 1896 New Orleans Times Picayune on page 9. It is a very glowing tribute to one of Monroe's greatest educators and the founder of African American education in the parish.

Contributors of Ouachita Parish book

A colleague pointed this out to me late last year! Back during the Bicentennial in 1976, a group of prominent local African Americans researched and compiled a comprehensive history and biography of Ouachita Parish African Americans. The book was called, "Contributors of Ouachita Parish: A history of Blacks To Commemorate the Bicentennial of the United … Continue reading Contributors of Ouachita Parish book →

Pierce’s Pharmacy – The First Black Pharmacy in Monroe

This is an ad from the News-Star in the mid 1920's for the first African American pharmacy in Monroe, founded by R.O. Pierce.

Men of the F.D. Thompson Post American Legion

This photo shows the first members of the F.D. Thompson post American Legion just after WWII. I have never found out who the men were in the photo. Thank you to all who have served!

WWII Soldiers Making a New Year’s Meal

In honor of Monday's upcoming Veterans Day, I give you this photo, which includes a Monroe soldier named Arzellous Howard: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8e02776/ . I think the order is wrong and the names read from left to right. Mr. Howard is the one on the far right. Thanks to all who have served, especially those of the … Continue reading WWII Soldiers Making a New Year’s Meal →

Teachers of Monroe Colored High School – 1944

There are some heavy hitting names in this photo! Those identified starting in the bottom row: Unknown, Katie Black Williams, Mrs. McClanahan, Henry Carroll (principal of the school), Clara Andrews, Henrietta Windham Johnson, Unknown. Second Row: B.D. Robinson, Zerita Thompson, Ruby Gilbreath, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, George Mills. Third Row: Unknown, Mary Louise Coleman, Unknown, Eula … Continue reading Teachers of Monroe Colored High School – 1944 →

Photos of Mulberry Grove and Layton Castle

I recently went back to the Layton Castle website. They have recently added photos of the building before and after it was turned into a castle. You can see them here: https://www.laytoncastle.com/history/blog-post-title-one-gczzx-pa49b I encourage you to take a thorough look through their webpages. Particularly interesting is a blog post earlier this year, detailing their project … Continue reading Photos of Mulberry Grove and Layton Castle →

A Former Enslaved Person Passes Away

I have a feeling I am going to be sharing quite a few things from the new Willis collection! One of the things that was found was a newspaper clipping detailing the death of a former enslaved person who was living with the Willis family. There is no citation with the clipping, but it seems … Continue reading A Former Enslaved Person Passes Away →

St. James Methodist Church

Monroe Colored High School Class of 1929

You can see Professor M.J. Foster in front in the black cap and gown. The school building was fairly new. One of the ladies in this class is Mrs. Ollie Mae Burns, a pioneer trailblazer in the library field. A branch of the Ouachita Parish Public Library is named for her.