BOBBY ARDOIN Editor/Consulting Writer
A small group of Opelousas adolescents received an educational journey back in time Monday afternoon as arborist Greg Bandl provided the Michel Prudhomme Home visitors with historical anecdotes for the many native Louisiana plant varieties and original structures that surround the 230-old home.
After-school-students attached to the Hope For Opelousas program were treated to the animated and insightful Earth Day presentation from Brandl, who is also in charge of maintaining the Prudhomme Home property.
Brandl pulled out from a Piegoniere located on the grounds, many artifacts associated with the early 19th century time period when the home was constructed and explained the importance and historical context for each item.
Students also examined many of the indigenous Louisiana plants now located on the property owned by St. Landry Preservationists, Inc. which was formed in 1975 in order to preserve the Prudhomme Home located on Prudhomme Circle.
Brandel demonstrated to the students how plants and crops such as corn and different varieties of cotton were grown on similar St. Landry Parish properties as sustaining crops that provided food and clothing.
Many of the students, said Preservationists president James Douget, were also surprised to learn that some of the plants thriving on the Prudhomme Home property are also edible.
“I was pleased to see how many of the students were engaged in the learning process as Greg toured the property and showed them many of the things that are here now and are pertinent to the way people were living when Opelousas was beginning to develop as a small community,” said Douget.
“Greg did a fantastic jobs with his presentations and he certainly displayed a way of keeping the attention of the students who seemed thrilled to learn about the history of the Prudhomme Home and how it is relevant to the history of the parish and Opelousas,” Douget added.
Douget said the presentation was designed to further introduce the importance of the Prudhomme Home and explain how the Preservationists Inc. group is working to help preserve the home.
