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 →

World War I Boy Scout Troop in Monroe

The Layton Castle Collection

Layton Castle has a massive amount of records in it's collection. Some documents even date back to the 1790's! As the current owner of the castle has been organizing the collection, she graciously has allowed us to digitize some of the photos that came from it. A good chunk remain unidentified, but the photos are … Continue reading The Layton Castle Collection →

Oldest Camellia Trees in Ouachita Parish

I found a fun little article in the September 29, 1963 Monroe Morning World, describing the oldest known Camellia plants in the parish. Three were documented. The oldest was a plant of the variety known as the Henry Bry, growing at Layton Castle. It was also known as the Woodville Red. It was brought from … Continue reading Oldest Camellia Trees in Ouachita Parish →

Happy Halloween!

One of my favorite times of year is here! I thought I would share some of the tales I have heard through the years about ghosts in Ouachita Parish. Judge J.N.T. Richardson is said to still haunt Ingleside Plantation. He tends to play the piano. Chains rattle throughout the house and the plantation bell rings … Continue reading Happy Halloween! →

Early Monroe Homes Report, 1966

Here is another treasure from Nan Saulsberry! It is a report she did on the area's historic homes. The buildings that are mentioned: O'Kelly House, Lower and Upper Pargoud Plantations, Fort Miro DAR Chapter House, Layton Place, Ingleside, Colonial Dames Museum [Isaiah Garrett Law Office], Boscobel and the Filhiol Home. Keep in mind, some of … Continue reading Early Monroe Homes Report, 1966 →

Your Hometown Tycoon Game

About a month ago, this board game came up for sale on eBay. I had never heard of it! Apparently, in 1992, a company did a take off on the popular game of Monopoly. They did these board games for several towns around the country, Monroe included. They solicited ads to appear on the board … Continue reading Your Hometown Tycoon Game →

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 →

Miscellaneous Photos and Documents on Ouachita Parish

And to go along with yesterday's post, Vernon Parish Library also has a collection of miscellaneous photos and documents they have put on Flickr. https://flic.kr/s/aHsiVtCZhU There are some things on here I have never seen before. Photos of Layton castle, the Cooley House, The Jewish Temple...even a copy of the Dedication Program for the Civic … Continue reading Miscellaneous Photos and Documents on Ouachita Parish →

Painting of Isaac Henry Bry

This painting hangs in Layton Castle. It is the only known portrait of Henry. I love it, due to the slight smile he has. According to the book, "Louisiana Portraits" by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Louisiana, (we have the book in the Genealogy Department) it is … Continue reading Painting of Isaac Henry Bry →