Natchitoches Street West Monroe Almost Had a New Name

Back in 1953 a movement began in West Monroe to change the name of Natchitoches Street to Main Street. The DAR vehemently opposed the suggestion. You see, Natchitoches Street was part of the original trail/road between Fort Miro and Natchitoches during Filhiol's residency. Those who wanted the name changed argued that Natchitoches was too hard … Continue reading Natchitoches Street West Monroe Almost Had a New Name

Walking Tour of old Cottonport

A few years ago, the Downtown West Monroe Revitalization Group created a pamphlet guide to the historic buildings and sites in the Antique Alley area of West Monroe. The pamphlet is online here: https://www.downtownwestmonroe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Walking-Tour-Brochure_FINAL.pdf . It is chocked full of historic data! I encourage you to print out the guide and take a walking tour … Continue reading Walking Tour of old Cottonport

A Lost Grave at Travelers Rest Plantation

I have a personal subscription to Newspapers.com and have noticed that they have now digitized the Ouachita Citizen from 1925 to 1976. While playing around with search terms, I found an article in the April 16, 1931 edition which talks about Travelers Rest plantation. The following paragraph caught my eye: Perhaps the outstanding historical spot … Continue reading A Lost Grave at Travelers Rest Plantation

The Beginnings of the Brown Paper Mill

Today, this facility in West Monroe is known as Graphic Packaging. Back in 1924, a newsletter out of Delaware called "The Super Calender" did a profile about the brand new West Monroe Mill that had just started operating. I found a copy of this newsletter on Ebay and bought it for the collection. You can … Continue reading The Beginnings of the Brown Paper Mill