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 at 328 DeSiard. Of course, the prominent buildings in the shot are the Theater on the right and the Ouachita National Bank Building on the … Continue reading DeSiard Street Circa 1926 →

LSU Glee Club Performs in Monroe – 1918

On March 15, 1918, the LSU Glee Club arrived in Monroe for a performance the next day at the City High School Auditorium. This photo of a street performance: https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/state-lhp%3A10138 was shot probably on the 16th in front of Wexler's Cigar Store. It's address was 206 DeSiard Street, which is now a parking lot next … Continue reading LSU Glee Club Performs in Monroe – 1918 →

DeSiard Street is Paved!

...or about to be! Back in November, 1898, Mayor Dr. Andrew A. Forsythe had just been elected. It seems he hit the ground running! This appeared in a New Orleans newspaper: MONROE.Dirt Broken for the First of Many Improvements. Monroe, La., Nov. 23. - At noon to-day, Mayor Forsythe broke the first dirt on DeSiard … Continue reading DeSiard Street is Paved! →

Hay on DeSiard Street.

Back on December 31, 2018, I posted this postcard: At the time, I dated it to circa 1910. Well, I was close. I found this exact same image (although very grainy) printed in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, August 19, 1906, Page 27. It had the following article with it: Monroe, La., Aug. 18. - The … Continue reading Hay on DeSiard Street. →

200 Block of DeSiard, circa 1920

What you are looking at is a view up DeSiard street circa 1920. It is the 200 block of DeSiard. To get a sense of where you are, Art Alley is on the left just off this view. The most obvious building is on the right, the Busy Bee Cafe. The site later became the … Continue reading 200 Block of DeSiard, circa 1920 →

The Swap Shop

This one stumped me, until a colleague looked at the sign in the photo and said, "Swap Shop". She was right! https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/lsu-sc-p16313coll52%3A1166 The Swap Shop was located at 905 DeSiard Street, at the corner of 9th and DeSiard, across from the City Cemetery. It was just down from the Miller-Roy building. WOW! Love the Chesterfield … Continue reading The Swap Shop →

The Dixie Lunch Room and the Square Deal Shoe Shop – 1947

I am discovering a treasure trove of photos from 1947! https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/lsu-sc-p16313coll52%3A1175 This one was taken in front of the two above named businesses. They were located at 607 and 605 DeSiard Street respectively.

Collens Five Point Pharmacy

This building was another one that stood in the 600 block of DeSiard Street, right at the corner of 6th: https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/lsu-sc-p16313coll52%3A1162 I am guessing that window is where African-American clientele picked up their prescriptions, since they were not allowed under Jim Crow laws to enter the whites only front entrance. I am not sure though. … Continue reading Collens Five Point Pharmacy →

1947 Photo of DeSiard Street

This photo was labeled, "Negro quarter on Main Street, Monroe, Louisiana." in the Louisiana Digital Library: https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/lsu-sc-p16313coll52%3A1163 . It is a photo from the LSU Special Collections. I did a little digging in the 47-48 Monroe City Directory, and the scene depicted here shows a strip of buildings that once stood next to the New … Continue reading 1947 Photo of DeSiard Street →

DeSiard Street Paving – 1923

What you are looking at is the 300 block of DeSiard Street being paved. This was a big deal when it was finished in late 1923! You can see the men are working around the trolley tracks! The area looks quite a bit different now. You will notice first off the big white building that … Continue reading DeSiard Street Paving – 1923 →