A 136 year old cold case may now be solved. The mystery of who set the fire that destroyed the St. Landry Parish Courthouse in Opelousas on March 22, 1886 may finally be known.
History
David Sweatt and Family, Traveling in Wagon Pulled from Texas to Louisiana, Stop in Opelousas for Baby’s Birth in 1938
73-year-old David Sweatt, a carpenter from Brownsville, Texas, with daughter walking at his side, is shown pulling their wagon loaded with his wife and other four children on c. May 9, 1938. The family is pictured as they leave Opelousas following a ten day stay in town while Mrs. Sweatt gave birth to a baby daughter.
What is a Historic District?
How often do you hear this question asked in Opelousas – What is a historic district?
Photo From the Past – City Hotel on the Old Bloch Corner 1897-1907
Featured Photograph: The City Hotel in downtown Opelousas was thoroughly modern with bathtubs and other up-to-date conveniences. It operated on the old Bloch Corner from 1897 to 1907.
Parish Genealogy Society Meets Friday May 13th
Imperial Genealogical and Historical Society to meet on Friday, Mat 13, 2022.
St. Landry Parish Properties on the National Register of Historic Places
St. Landry Parish Properties Listed on the National Register of Historic Places through the National Parks Service.
Photo from the Past – Washington State Bank
The Washington State Bank is one of the oldest banks in St. Landry Parish. organized on April 11, 1893.
Happy Mother’s Day – Remembering Momma
Happy Mother’s Day! Today I want to share memories of my momma. She was a special person in so many ways. She was hard-working, she was loving, sometimes she was serious and sad, but more often, she was cheerful and fun to be with.
The 1886 St. Landry Parish Courthouse Fire Part 2 – The Fight to Rebuild the Courthouse
Immediately following the Courthouse fire, on Wednesday, March 24, 1886, the St. Landry Parish Police Jury called a special session to make decisions regarding the courthouse.
Photo of the Past – Waldorf Hotel, Court Street Entrance
The Court Street entrance to the Waldorf Hotel is shown in this c.1940s photograph. T
The Courthouse Fire of 1886 – An Unsolved Mystery
It was about 1:30 on Monday morning, March 22, 1886, when the stillness of darkness was broken by the alarm of fire in downtown Opelousas. The courthouse bell tolled and tolled, waking the town. Firemen and citizens rushed out of bed to the scene of danger.
Photo from the Past – Historic Washington, Main Street Looking South
A St. Landry Parish treasure and one of Louisiana’s historic places, the town of Washington, was first settled as part of the Poste des Opelousas in the 18th century.
Photo from the Past – 1880s St. Landry Parish Courthouse
This photograph, taken in the early 1880s, shows the St. Landry Parish Courthouse, constructed in c.1847, that was destroyed in a horrible 1886 fire
Joan DeJean
Opelousas native Joan DeJean who has authored 12 books covering aspects of French social and cultural history during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, is receiving positive published reviews for her recently released examination of incarcerated women sent from France to New Orleans and Gulf Coast areas.
Dr. V. K. Irion Served Opelousas in Many Ways
The dental office of Dr. V. K. Irion on the corner of Market and Vine streets in Opelousas during the late 1890s. Dr. Irion practiced in Opelousas for several years, but he also served the community in many other ways.
The Bell Tolled for Ole Opelousas
The old courthouse bell, manufactured in 1896, remains on the top floor of the St Landry Parish Courthouse in downtown Opelousas today. But not for much longer.
Photo from the Past – Opelousas 60 Years Ago
This photo from the past give us a glimpse of Landry Street in downtown Opelousas about 60 years ago.
Photos from the Past – The New Lacombe Hotel
After five years of planning and raising the necessary funds, the new Lacombe Hotel, shown in the first photograph, was constructed on the northeast corner of Court and Bellevue streets in Opelousas in 1909.
1922 Opelousas High School Football Team
Sports became an activity for schools in the area after baseball, football and basketball came to Opelousas at the turn of the 20th century. One of the earliest sports teams was the 1922 Opelousas High School football team.
Louisiana Press Comes to Opelousas – 1888
The Opelousas Courier and the St. Landry Democrat, two rival Opelousas newspapers, came together in 1888 and worked with the town to produce one of the best conventions the LPA ever held. It was a grand time not just for the newspaper groups, but for all of Opelousas, neighboring Washington and the entire surrounding area.
Researching Local and Family History – Part Three
This third and final part of the series looks at other ways to help in researching family and community.
Photo from the Past – 1946 Yams for the Governor
Yams from St. Landry Parish being loaded on an airplane to be delivered to Jimmy Davis, Louisiana’s Governor who was a special guest for the first Yambilee Festival held on October 9-10, 1946.
Remembering Mr. Tony – The “Ole Master”
Anthony “Tony” Chachere (1905-1995), pharmacist, award-winning insurance salesman, business owner, and popular chef during his lifetime, opened Tony Chachere’s Creole Foods in 1972 on North Lombard Street in Opelousas, as a retirement hobby. Most of us know this, but what we don’t know is the rest of his life story.
Photo from the Past – King-Sandoz-Dietlein Home
As early as 1847 on the southwest corner of Landry and Main streets (known as King’s Corner), Felix A. King (1819-1897) operated a wholesale and retail dry goods store. The King family lived in a beautiful house behind that business on the block that ran all the way to Vine Street.
Photo from the Past – Steamboat Warehouse, Washington, LA
In 1978, the historic Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant in Washington was selected as the first-place winner in the “Business for Beauty” program.
Photo from the Past – Easter 1941
The photograph shows Robert Bienvenu and Lessley Prescott at the Old Garland House on Easter Sunday in about 1941. The two cousins are pocking eggs, a very old South Louisiana tradition. – Courtesy of Ann and Keith Bienvenu
The Ancient Cedar Trees of Old Opelousas
The featured photograph shows the Frisco Depot located near the railroad tracks on North Union street in about 1910. At one time large ancient cedar trees graced that property where this depot once stood.
Saizan Corner on Main and Landry Streets in Opelousas
The northeast corner of Landry and Main streets in downtown Opelousas was named for Dr. Joseph P. Saizan.
Photo from the Past – Opelousas Gets A New Post Office – 1968
On July 25, 1950, the Associated Press announced the US Congress had appropriated $930,000 for a new federal building and post office in Opelousas, LA.
Photo from the Past – Traveler’s Motel, Port Barre, LA
Owned by John and Beulah Badeaux, the Traveler’s Motel and Café was located on U. S. 190 near Port Barre.
Photo from the Past – Opelousas Methodist Church – 1909
After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, in1805, people from other areas of the United States came to Opelousas. Elisha Bowman was one of the men who arrived in Opelousas in 1806.
Photo from the Past – Delbuono Place Coffee House
This photo from the past provides us with a glimpse of the corner of Main and North streets in downtown Opelousas in about 1915-1920.
Opelousas Trivia – The First Boy Scouts in Town
Did you know Boy Scouting in Opelousas goes back over a century?
Photo from the Past – Blackshear’s Store Interior
Opelousas Women in Business: From 1902 to about 1915, the family of Patton Taylor Blackshear, known as P. T., operated a mercantile store in the building that once housed the business of Christopher Dietlein.
Photo From The Past: Plonsky Opera House – Washington, LA
The Plonsky’s Opera House, pictured here in the early 1900s, is from Ophelia Pitre Lafleur’s photo album, owned by Tommy Lafleur.
The Art of Printing is Deep Rooted in Opelousas History
When reading the story of Opelousas, one can’t help but notice how the art of printing played a role in its history. The printing industry started in Opelousas when the first newspaper was founded.
Photo from the Past – Old Ventre Store
On September 29, 1883, the St. Landry Democrat newspaper announced Jacques Alphonse Ventre was building a roomy and substantial store building on the corner of North Court and Grolee streets in Opelousas. He opened his business shortly after.
Photo from the Past – Brick Sidewalks in Old Opelousas
Have you noticed the old brick sidewalks that remain on some of the streets in the older part of Opelousas?
Photo from the Past – Stonewood in Bellevue
Stonewood, located in Bellevue near Opelousas was built in 1900 for Dr. Lawrence H. Daly and his wife Nourma Juliette Hockaday.
Photo from the Past – Vee’s
Vee’s 5 and 10 cents store opened in downtown Opelousas at the corner of Bellevue and Main Street on Thursday, June 6, 1968.
