Displaying Parish History
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
The 11,000 square-feet of wall space available at the Clerk of Court Annex Building awaits donated portraits and pictures of notable individuals who have helped weave the historical fabric of St. Landry Parish.
Clerk of Court Charles Jagneaux told members of the parish genealogical society on Saturday about his new initiative to add more images and portraits of former parish persons, in order to create a viable second-story art gallery that tells the multi-cultural story of St. Landry.
A variety of photographs and paintings of numerous personages have been collected since the opening of the $1.2 million annex project last year, but Jagneaux wants to continue filling the walls with images of those whose personal stories need to be told to the current generation.
“We would like to tell the story of the parish with our art gallery. With all the space that we have available, there is no reason why ours can’t become larger than the one that is now in New Orleans,” Jagneaux said.
Jagneaux added that he would like to augment the work of the genealogical group in St. Landry, which meets every month.
“The genealogical society we have in this parish is an interesting and dedicated group and we want to combine their research with our photo and portrait gallery we are starting on the second floor,” said Jagneaux.
Jagneaux said there are always descendants who are uncertain about where to place portraits and photos of family members who may be deceased.
“They may not have a place to put those paintings or photographs and who don’t want to throw (the photographs) away. We would like to start a collection. We have a lot of climate-controlled space to do that,” Jagneaux said.
Nearly all of the portraits currently on the walls of the building were displayed during the grand opening of the annex in October.
The most recent additions are a 20th century painting of the Palace Cafe on the corner of Market and Landry, which hung in the restaurant for over 70 years.
Two others that were recently acquired depict early 19th-century parish residents Robert Rogers and his son, Col, Benjamin Rogers, who moved to the parish from Kentucky.
Both owned property in the Bellevue area south of Opelousas, said Jagneaux.
James Douget, president of the Preservationists of St. Landry Inc, retrieved the two Rogers paintings after he received a call from an individual in West Baton Rouge Parish, who wanted to know if he would be interested in obtaining the paintings for the Prudhomme Home that the preservationist group now owns.
What Jagneaux does not want to develop is a museum exhibit.
“We’re not searching for artifacts. Pictures and paintings are what we are looking for,” Jagneaux said.
