Bufferin and St. Timothy Cemeteries

Have you ever visited the two African American cemeteries at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge? They are known as Bufferin and St. Timothy. Bufferin was once called Richland Plantation Cemetery and dates back over a hundred years. I would imagine there are older burials out there than that. Richland was John Blanks Parker's country … Continue reading Bufferin and St. Timothy Cemeteries →

Pioneer West Monroe Figure Ben Allen

Monroe Morning World, November 18, 1934, Page 6. Ben Allen was born enslaved in Alabama. According to his death certificate, he was the son of Fed Allen and Willie A. Rushing and died in Monroe at the age of 95. According to the book, "Contributors of Ouachita Parish: A History of Blacks To Commemorate the … Continue reading Pioneer West Monroe Figure Ben Allen →

What Plantation?

This is a bit frustrating. I am familiar with the names of plantations, but I don't really know the exact area they stood in. I can tell you exactly where Limerick Plantation stood (on the site of Sherrouse House), but some of the others in that same area, nope. That is frustrating at the moment, … Continue reading What Plantation? →

Selecting the Site of Ouachita Junior College

Back in 1930, the Ouachita Parish School Board and Police Jury decided to bring higher education to the Parish. The first problem, was selecting a site. A July 18, 1930 article listed the suggested sites: Dr. E.G. Calvert suggested 15 acres west of the railway, west of West Monroe and running through to Stella street. … Continue reading Selecting the Site of Ouachita Junior College →

Hotel de Flournoy

This one stumps me. I find no references in the newspapers to "Hotel de Flournoy". Is this just the farm of the Flournoy family? Who knows!

The Cantillon Settlers

Tuesday's post had me thinking about the Cantillon settlement, established over three hundred years ago. Who were these people? If you remember my post a while ago on it, I said this appeared to be the first real effort by the French at settling the area now known as Ouachita Parish. They set up residence … Continue reading The Cantillon Settlers →

Fort Miro/Ouachita Settlement Semiquincentennial Coin

I found this curious coin for sale on eBay and bought it. I have it in a holder, hence the white "fingers" holding it in place. After a little research, I found that the Louisiana Numismatic Association produced different metal coins each year commemorating different Louisiana historical events and sites. They honor whatever city they … Continue reading Fort Miro/Ouachita Settlement Semiquincentennial Coin →

Biographical Sketches of the European Immigrants of Northeast Louisiana, 1880-1900

The above book, compiled by William Francis and Debra Nance Lawrence in 1982, is a treasure trove of biographical information on northeast Louisiana European immigrants of the late 1800's. I decided to share the names of the Ouachita Parish immigrants listed in it. The entries are mainly by the male's name, but their families are … Continue reading Biographical Sketches of the European Immigrants of Northeast Louisiana, 1880-1900 →

Portrait of Abraham Morhouse

A few weeks ago, stumbling around the internet, I found this little gem. It is identified as Abraham Morhouse and it is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian. You can see the book it came from here: https://npg.si.edu/bache/book . The image is on page 26 on the right hand side, … Continue reading Portrait of Abraham Morhouse →

The Baron de Bastrop

Bastrop is more closely associated with Morehouse Parish and Texas, but did interact with Ouachita parish and is an early settler of Colonial Ouachita Parish. The Texas State Historical Association has a great write up on the self-styled "Baron". https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/bastrop-baron-de Another article about him is found here: https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/765 64 Parishes has a great article about … Continue reading The Baron de Bastrop →