Ouachita Parish Runaway Slave ads

These have been collected over the years from area newspapers. It was quite common for the local law enforcement to advertise captures of runaway slaves in local newspapers, and hope word got back to their enslavers. If they were not claimed, the captive would be resold. I have always wondered how many of these men … Continue reading Ouachita Parish Runaway Slave ads →

Crystal Springs

The above photo, taken around 1922, was used on the front cover of the "Images of America: Monroe and West Monroe Louisiana" book. This spring was located between Kiroli Park and Good Hope Road in West Monroe. It was owned by Dr. Henry David Catlett. In 1925, it was rumored that the nearby Hasley Cemetery … Continue reading Crystal Springs →

Gas Well Fire Near Monroe

A few weeks back, I bought from ebay three photo postcards of well fires. One of them was labeled "Gas Well Fire Monroe La.". On the back were the dates of July 10 and July 19. I found a gas well fire in the News-Star that happened July 17th, 1951. A well 15 miles north … Continue reading Gas Well Fire Near Monroe →

A New Found Map Website

If you are interested in old maps, take a look at the website oldmapsonline.org . You can type in the name of a town and then scroll through different time periods to see maps of that area. I found an 1817 map showing Fort Miro and what I assume is a building symbol showing where … Continue reading A New Found Map Website →

“FRIENDS”: A weekly News-Star Column

Back in October 1979, the News-Star decided to create a regular column where a local citizen would be profiled each day. It was called "Friends" and lasted till about 1987. I took it upon myself to index those columns, and this index contains the names of almost 2,200 individuals! The person's photo was included, along … Continue reading “FRIENDS”: A weekly News-Star Column →

The Voter Purge of 1956

Imagine getting a notice from the Voter's Registration Office that there is something wrong with your voting registration and you need to come in to the office at the courthouse within ten days and rectify it. You then get to the courthouse and find a line of people out the door and down the sidewalk. … Continue reading The Voter Purge of 1956 →

A Pioneer’s Tale

As told by Daniel Armand Breard, Sr. to the News-Star, December 4, 1925, Page 5. BREARD HAS SEEN CITY GROW FROM VILLAGE OF 350Octogenarian Tells of Early Days in Ouachita Parish Seat. Recalling Monroe as a little village of 350 people, back when his memory first began to function, D.A. Breard, Sr., told reminiscently today … Continue reading A Pioneer’s Tale →

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 →

Early 20th Century Ouachita Parish Ward Map

I was given this little Ward map back in late October. There is no date on it, but Mr. J. Wilbur Kilbourne, written on the top left of the map, died in 1938. I see mention of him in the paper as early as 1909. The town of Kilbourne in East Carroll Parish, was named … Continue reading Early 20th Century Ouachita Parish Ward Map →

The Hanging of Ike Tellis

Now this is a story I had never heard of! I knew of Ike Tellis's hanging on July 10, 1931, but I have never heard about this story! http://southernghoststories.com/louisiana-ghost-stories-stay-of-execution