Wouldn't this have been a gorgeous building? This was published in the Monroe News Star back in 1913. Professor Foster and the trustees of the Monroe Academy were looking to expand the school space and the following conceptual drawing was made. It never happened to my knowledge. Ten years later, Monroe Colored High School would … Continue reading A Proposed New Building For the Monroe Academy
Tag: African-American History
Students in Other Parish schools
Last week, I told you about the Monroe Academy, a Leland University affiliate private school for African-American students at the turn of the last century. Leland had affiliate schools all over Louisiana in the 1890s and 1900s and some Ouachita Parish students were sent to these other schools! If the student lived in the western … Continue reading Students in Other Parish schools
Students and Faculty of the North Louisiana Industrial Institute
The bulletin for Leland University I found these lists of students in, can be seen on the Internet Archives here : https://archive.org/details/bulletin189798191011lela/page/n121/mode/2up?q=%22Monroe%2C+LA%22 . I also found them digitized on the Hathi Trust page and on the Worldcat database. I transcribed from each brochure the list of students, which added up to around 2,300 names! What … Continue reading Students and Faculty of the North Louisiana Industrial Institute
Monroe’s Ties to a Lost Black University
I am just recently hearing about a private school for African-Americans that was here in the 1890's and the early 1900's. To call out my own biases, I thought that Wisner Colored High School was the only school for African Americans during this time period. I knew of at least one small private school, but … Continue reading Monroe’s Ties to a Lost Black University
Lincoln School
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
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? I think it is. The man in the front holding his hat looks to be Mrs. … Continue reading Liller Maddox Marbles Recreation Center Photo