Photographs from CAROLA LILLIE HARTLEY private collection.
CAROLA LILLIE HARTLEY
Contributing Writer (with identification help from FREDDIE HERPIN)
Did you know Opelousas had names for the different areas of the city? Some of those names included the Trash Pile near Northeast Elementary, the Hill in the Academy St. area, the Brickyard around Southwest Elementary and park circle, the Oil Mill behind Ventura Foods (formerly Lou-Ana) and the Bottom on West Landry Street in downtown Opelousas.
It is obvious why some of the locations have those names – like the Bottom, the Hill, the Oil Mill, the Trash Pile. But why the Brickyard? Studying the history of Opelousas for many years, I suspect the Brickyard got its name from a brick factory that operated in Opelousas a century ago. What do you think? Let us know by emailing carola@StLandryNow.com
Today’s photos from the past shows the Bottom in the late 1960s to early 1970s. The top featured photo shows the buildings and businesses located there for many years. Not long after this first feature photograph was taken, most of the area buildings were demolished to become a parking lot, as shown in the following two photographs.
