Terrebonne Parish: Stories of the Good Earth

Thank you for your interest in this HPNbooks publication. 

For more information about other HPNbooks publications, or information about 

producing your own book with us, please visit www.hpnbooks.com.

TERREBONNE 

PARISH 

Stories of the Good Earth 

by Rachel Cherry 

A publication of the 

Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce 

HPNbooks 

A division of Lammert Incorporated 

San Antonio, Texas

LEGACY SPONSOR 

Through their generous support, Wolfe’s Pharmacy helped to make this project possible. 

5458 Highway 56, Chauvin, Louisiana 70344 

985-594-5821 • www.wolfespharmacy.com 

First Edition 

Copyright © 2016 HPNbooks 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing 

from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to HPNbooks, 11535 Galm Road, Suite 101, San Antonio, Texas, 78254. Phone (800) 749-9790, www.hpnbooks.com. 

ISBN: 978-1-944891-20-6 

Library of Congress Card Catalog Number: 2016958777 

Terrebonne Parish: Stories of the Good Earth 

author: Rachel Cherry 

editors: Suzanne Nolfo Carlos 

Christopher E. Cenac, Sr., M.D., F.A.C.S., C.E.C. 

Clifton P. Theriot, M.L.I.S., C.A. 

contributing writer for “Sharing the Heritage”: Garnette Bane 

cover photography: Jo Ann LeBoeuf Photography 

HPNbooks 

president: Ron Lammert 

project manager: Curtis Courtney 

administration: Donna M. Mata 

Melissa G. Quinn 

book sales: Dee Steidle 

production: Colin Hart 

Evelyn Hart 

Glenda Tarazon Krouse 

Tim Lippard 

Christopher D. Sturdevant 

2 ✦ T E R R E B O N N E P A R I S H : S t o r i e s o f t h e G o o d E a r t h

A map of Terrebonne Parish from 1833. 

COURTESY OF THE NICHOLLS ARCHIVES. 

CONTENTS 

4 INTRODUCTION 

5 CHAPTER 1 Traveling the Highways and Byways of Terrebonne 

21 CHAPTER 2 Celebrations 

27 CHAPTER 3 Parish Pioneers 

33 CHAPTER 4 Historic Sites and Attractions 

43 CHAPTER 5 Industries 

55 CHAPTER 6 Institutions 

65 CHAPTER 7 Terrebonne’s Environment: A Vanishing Coast 

72 LAGNIAPPE IMAGES 

82 SHARING THE HERITAGE 

177 SPONSORS 

C o n t e n t s ✦ 3

INTRODUCTION 

The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce is proud to present this new and unique model for 

publishing the illustrated history of Terrebonne Parish, Terrebonne Parish: Stories of the Good Earth. This 

coffee table book contains well over one hundred photographs, illustrations, maps and other images 

and was produced to offer a unique perspective on our community’s colorful and intriguing history. A 

distinctive part of Stories of the Good Earth is the “Sharing The Heritage” section that includes the 

histories of many of Terrebonne Parish’s leading corporations and organizations. This section is 

separate from the main historical manuscript and was written by a team of freelance writers. 

We are appreciative of our author, historian Rachel Cherry. The historical images that are included 

in this book were obtained from the author, the Archives of Nicholls State University, the State 

Library of Louisiana, and the Houma-Terrebonne Library System. Other sources are listed when their 

pictures are used. 

Special thanks goes to Jo Ann LeBoeuf Photography for her beautiful front cover photograph as 

well as the photograph of the Courthouse Square featured on the back cover. We are also grateful for 

the assistance of Patty Whitney with the Bayou Historical Society, Clifton Theriot with Nicholls 

Archives, and Dr. Christopher E. Cenac for their assistance in the final editing. Their input was 

invaluable. 

We would like to acknowledge HPNbooks for partnering with us on this enormous project. Their 

professional and talented staff were essential in making this publication a success. 

Our history is rich and diverse, and while not every story of Terrebonne Parish is included in this 

book we hope that you will enjoy perusing through the many photographs, old and new, and reading 

about some of our fascinating history and the influential people and businesses that have helped to 

make our parish what it is today. We trust that Terrebonne Parish: Stories of the Good Earth will be a 

centerpiece for conversation and enjoyment for years to come. 

Suzanne Nolfo Carlos 

President/CEO 

Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce 

 

A blue heron flies in over the calm 

waters of a local bayou. 

PHOTO BY MATTHEW NOEL 


CHAPTER 1 

T R A V E L I N G T H E H I G H W A Y S A N D B Y W A Y S O F T E R R E B O N N E 

The vast expanse that is Terrebonne Parish is made up of nearly equal parts water and land mass. 

Traveling the roads and waterways that were forged by the ancestral past is a journey into adventure 

and beauty. 

When you take a journey through Terrebonne Parish it is seen that the diversity of the people is 

mimicked by the landscape. Much of the majestic beauty that lies within the parish is in the marsh 

lands. Although the parish is rich in low level areas, the scenic route of Highways 20 and 311 still 

boasts a lush environment that could be mistaken for the prehistoric times of the continent. The 

communities of Gibson and Donner were from the outset and still are to this day rural beauties. 

However, as in other areas of the parish, Gibson was not without its wealthy landowners. Gibson, 

formerly known as “Tigerville”, was renamed after the plantation owner Tobias Gibson. It is believed 

the name “Tigerville” came from the abundance of “tigers” or most likely panthers in the marshes. 

His family is credited for encouraging the naming of the parish seat Houma after the Indians who 

were occupying the land in the early 1700s. 

Randall Gibson, son of Tobias, was a well-known United States Senator from 1883-1892. He was 

an attorney and a member of the House of Representatives. In addition, he served as aide to Governor 

Thomas O. Moore, but left that service to join the 1st Louisiana Artillery during the Civil War. By 

1864 he had been promoted to brigadier general and fought in many major campaigns. 

Known for the numerous Indian mounds, the lands of Gibson, an unincorporated area in the 

northwest portion of the parish, were also home to lumber companies and plantations. In 1890, 

Gibson had 240 residents. It also boasted the second oldest Methodist church in Louisiana. 

 

A fais-do-do at The Jolly Inn in 

downtown Houma. Built in 1935 the 

building was originally an oil field 

supply store. It has become a favorite 

for tourists and locals alike featuring 

live Cajun music to dance to and 

great Cajun food. 

PHOTO BY MATTHEW NOEL. 

C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 5

Above: Bocage’s official map of 

Terrebonne Parish from 1915. 

COURTESY OF THE CENAC COLLECTION, 

NICHOLLS ARCHIVES. 

Below: Swamp tours in Terrebonne 

Parish give visitors and locals alike a 

special view of the beauty and unique 

nature of our parish. 


The next unincorporated area is Donner. In 

its heyday you would find a thriving logging 

community. The gateway to and from the 

waterways to roads and transportation came 

through this little community. One of the major 

companies in Donner was the sawmill of Dibert, 

Stark & Brown Cypress Co. Ltd. In a 1917 

article in the Times Picayune, it stated, “On the 

main line of the Southern Pacific system and 

lying between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya 

Rivers is the important City of Donner, the 

metropolis of the northern part of Terrebonne 

parish and one of the most thriving 

communities of the state.” As it is stated in the 

1917 article, many of the homes along the road 

have garden spaces. It was stated, “A majority of 

the people take great pride in raising a large part 

of the necessities of life in the way of fruits and 

small vegetables.” 

The sawmill operated one of the most 

modern sawmills of the time and the entire 

village of Donner was located on a cleared 

swamp which had been drained and improved 

by the sawmill. It was said to have been one of 

the healthiest towns in the state, with 

improvements such as houses and cisterns that 

were screened. Dibert, Stark & Brown Cypress 

also provided a company store and a clubhouse 

where they provided entertainments such as 

moving pictures and dances. 

The town had more than 1,500 residents, 900 

of whom were on the payroll, and included a 

public school that taught approximately 240 

students and employed 6 teachers. To further 

elevate this community, the company provided 

an electric light plant, water treatment of sorts 

and fire protection facilities. 

It was an ideal life in the northwest corner of 

Terrebonne Parish until 1925 when the area no 

longer provided the needed cypress to fund the 

company and town. 

Today, Wildlife Gardens is a beautiful tribute 

to the fauna and flora typical of the bayou 

country. Operating as a bed and breakfast, 

Wildlife Gardens also boasts trails for hiking 

and ample opportunities for photos. 

Donner was the residence of Charles Barber 

Gilbert, an artist and designer who lived there 

with his family in his younger days. Gilbert was 

born in 1899 and died in 1970. His father was 

the superintendent of a sawmill operation there. 

Many of his works hang at Southdown Museum. 

He spent most of his adult life in New York City 

and Paris, France, where he studied art. It wasn’t 

until 1956, after a car accident killed his father 

and his mother’s health deteriorated, that he 

returned to Terrebonne Parish. 

Gibson and Donner were eventually the home 

to many of the freed slaves after the 

Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Sugar 

plantation owners eventually entered into tenant 

farming agreements with many of their former 


slaves and the lands of these communities were 

divided in such a manner to work these farms. 

Both Donner and Gibson lie on Highway 20, 

a two-lane road with exits to US Highway 90. 

Highway 90 runs from Lafayette to the west 

bank of New Orleans. It was the main 

thoroughfare from US Highway I-10 to New 

Orleans until 1995 when the Chacahoula 

Swamp Bridge was completed. 

A peaceful road, often sparsely populated by 

vehicles, Highway 20 winds its way toward the 

town of Houma when it meets Highway 182. 

Highway 20 runs along the banks of the 

tributary of Bayou Lafourche. One can “pass” a 

lovely ride down the road next to the bayou rich 

with water hyacinth and palmettos. If you are 

lucky you will see an alligator with his nose and 

eyes just above water stretched out in the bayou. 

It’s always entertaining to watch the turtles 

sunning on the downed trees only to jump in 

the water when they hear an approach. 

It is this stretch of road that still strongly 

resembles the landscape of the ancient past with 

the exception of the plantation houses and fields 

of sugarcane. The roar of the sawmill has now 

been taken by the swamps of south Louisiana. 

C H A C A H O U L A 

One alternate route from Gibson and Donner to 

Houma is Bull Run Road. This is the site of 

Chacahoula. Chacahoula (chaca hula) is the 

Choctaw word meaning large soft shell turtle. 

Some sources state that the Choctaw words chukka 

and hulla mean “beautiful” and “home.” This area 

must have been home to many recipes for turtle 

soup and turtle sauce picante! Home to sugar 

plantations owned by the Cockes and the Bergers, 

the road twists and turns through sugarcane fields 

even today from Highway 182 to Highway 311. 

The road ends at the corner of the land where 

Ardoyne Plantation, owned by the William Shaffer 

family, had their sugarcane plantation. 

Though Chacahoula seems less like an 

independent settlement today and more like a 

suburb of Houma, in 1848 it was established as 

a settlement for 40 inhabitants. St. Lawrence 

Church has a plaque stating “Father Z. Leveque, 

first Houma pastor” dated 1847-1848. Leveque 

was the first pastor at St. Francis de Sales 

Church, officially, at this time. 

Ten years later the settlement had grown 

enough to warrant the assignment of a priest 

and Fr. Joseph Pineau became the first official 

pastor. The current church at Chacahoula was 

built in 1911 and a bygone festival in the area, 

the Cypress Festival, celebrated the area, 

highlighting the logging industry that was 

prevalent in that section of the parish. 

An equally scenic drive along the north side 

of Bayou Black is the Southdown-Mandalay 

Road. Homes and churches dot the landscape, 

separated into plots of land that were the 

original holdings of the tenant farmers. 

A handful of camping facilities and a few gas 

stations are available, but with the exception of 

homes, grand oak trees and the bayou, the land 

is largely rural. 

 

Above: Logging of 1,000-year-old 

Cyprus trees in the early 1900s. 



Below: A store and saloon 

in Chacahoula. 

COURTESY OF THE STATE LIBRARY OF LOUISIANA. 

C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 7

Bayou Dularge served as the main 

route to Houma for many years. It 

was a massive undertaking to build 

roads that eventually enabled the 

residents of the southern villages and 

towns easy access to points north, 

east and west. 

COURTESY OF THE UNITED HOUMA NATION. 

Between Highway 182 and Southdown 

Mandalay Road is a series of bridges that span 

Bayou Black. The bridges are often named for 

the people or the plantations that line the 

twenty-eight miles of the road. These bridges 

are as follows in alphabetical order: Blanchard 

Street Bridge, Carrol Street Bridge, Gibson East 

Bridge, Greenwood Bridge, Jarvis Bridge, 

Mandalay Bridge, St. Anthony Bridge and 

Waterproof Bridge. 

A big tourist attraction in Terrebonne Parish 

is the swamp tours on the bayous. The 

legendary Alligator Annie created a culture of 

tourism in the parish with her swamp tours. 

Several other tours have started since the 

original Annie tour. With the popularity of the 

Swamp People television show, the wild waters 

of the parish have been shared with the world. 

Tourists visit the area in hopes of seeing 

alligators, snakes, and other wildlife. Annie 

Miller’s swamp tours are now run by her son. A 

Cajun Man swamp tour, started by Black 

Guidry has been a popular tour as well. The 

Greenwood Gator Farm boasts baby alligators 

and family fun. Near the end of Southdown 

Mandalay Road lies the Bayou Black 

Community Center where children can 

participate in supervised recreation. 

Finally, Highway 182 continues through 

the Mulberry neighborhood and ends at 

Jim Bowie Park. The park is the furthest 

extent of the land owned by brothers Jim and 

Rezin Bowie. They purchased the property from 

two Cubans who had grown indigo on the 

property. The Bowies utilized the property for 

the growth of indigo as well. In 1828 they 

sold the property to James Dinsmore and 

Stephen Minor of Natchez, Mississippi. It 

would be Minor’s son and subsequent 

generations that would take that initial purchase 

and expand it into 22,000 acres of sugar 

production through 1934. 

Southdown Mandalay Road gives way to the 

Summerfield subdivisions which were some of 

the first to be built from properties sold off by 

Southdown Plantation starting in the 1950s. 

Just short of Bowie Park, a bridge traverses 

the Intracoastal Canal. It is one of several built 

over the years to traverse the largest body of 

water moving through the area. 

B A Y O U D U L A R G E ( B U F F A L O ) 

A N D T H E R I O T 

At the base of the Bayou Dularge Bridge 

crossing the Intracoastal Canal is the exit to 

Theriot. Known as the Bayou Dularge Road or 

Highway 315, it is the road that links Houma to 

the older settlements of Dularge and Theriot. 

Not unlike the terrain on the north side of 

the parish, the road and bayou leading to the 

communities of Dularge and Theriot is lush 

and bountiful. Bayou Dularge was the waterway 

that ran somewhat parallel to the Intracoastal 

Canal and originally allowed navigation to the 

Gulf of Mexico. 

Peppered throughout the parish and the 

freshwater bayous are freshwater lakes/bodies of 

water. They are: Bay Borbeux, Bay Coon Road, 

Bay Couteau, Bay le Peur, Bay Long, Bay Lucien, 

Bay Negresse, Bay Wallace, King Bayou, Lake 


Barre, Lake Cocodrie, Lake Hackberry, Lake 

Jean Pierre, Lake la Graisse, Lake Pelto, Lake 

Quitman, Lake Sr. Jean Baptiste, Lake Tambour, 

Lake Washa, Plumb Lake, Round Bayou, 

Sweetwater Pond and Wine Bayou. 

As transportation and engineering matured, 

routes that were previously only waterways 

led to better travel in the remote areas of 

the parish. Alongside Falgout Canal became 

Falgout Canal Road linking Theriot to the 

south end of Dulac. It eventually led to the 

beautiful and awe-inspiring Four Points. At 

Four Points four separate canals converge. The 

waters flow in all directions as the canals 

pour into each other. The marshlands in 

this area are rich with wildlife and beauty. The 

area is covered with stilt houses that look 

out upon the waters’ beauty for each sunrise 

and sunset. 

Since Four Points is the end of the earth for 

that area of the parish, a trip back over the lone 

road leads with a quick turn to the south to 

Bayou Sale Road. Bayou Sale Road snakes its 

way as Highway 57 to Highway 56 between 

Cocodrie and Chauvin. Long thought by locals 

and ghost hunters to be haunted, Bayou Sale 

Road is said to be inhabited by the spirits of the 

Houmas Indians. 

The approximately nine-mile stretch of road 

is littered with dead cypress from salt water 

intrusion during the many hurricanes. They 

stand off the road like tomb markers of the 

sometimes desolated but always healing 

landscape. The beauty of the prairie that 

encircles Lake Quitman with its tall grasses and 

pops of green make the travel of the road a 

treasure for miles to see. 

Upon emerging from Bayou Sale Road, 

Highway 56 south leads to Cocodrie. The word 

Cocodrie is Cajun French for crocodile. The 

waters of the southernmost tip of Terrebonne 

are fresh water, salt water, and brackish, which 

is a combination of the two. The waters of these 

parts are home to a variety of wildlife such as 

pelicans, water snakes, alligators, turtles, 

aquatic birds and a variety of fish. 

At Cocodrie the landscape is dominated by 

“camps” or fishing houses on stilts. In days 

past the small fishing village was home to 

various ethnic groups who depended upon the 

Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding landscape 

for their livelihood. Due to the rich habitat, 

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium 

(LUMCON) W. J. DeFelice Marine Center is 

located at Cocodrie. 

C H A U V I N 

As with many areas in Terrebonne Parish, there 

is one road in and the same road out. Highway 56 

heading north back toward Houma is it. The next 

place on this journey is Chauvin. Chauvin is one 

of the oldest settlements in the parish. 

Bayou Petit Caillou is the main navigational 

waterway of this area. With a high 

concentration of shrimpers who launch from 

this bayou, the water road is filled with shrimp 

boats. The wings that extend from the sides of 

the boats remind one of angel wings. Unlike 

some of the smaller communities in the area, 

Chauvin has a two-road system that extends a 

portion of the town. 

Where the road splits in Chauvin is an 

interesting and unique attraction that brings 

people from all over the world. Perhaps it was the 

wings of those vessels that inspired The Chauvin 

Sculpture Garden located on Bayouside Drive. 

The story is as interesting as the rest of the parish. 

In 1988 a bricklayer named Kenny Hill, a recluse, 

settled on some property on the bayou. Hill lived 

on the property in a tent, which he eventually 

upgraded to a cabin made from local salvage and 

over time using leftover materials from jobs and 

eventually with donations of brick, mortar and 

other building elements created a sculpture 

garden given to his visions of life. 

 

Fishermen in Terrebonne Parish 

in 1939. 


C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 9

Above: The blessing of the shrimp fleet 

in Chauvin in the 1970s. 


Opposite: The lighthouse sculpture at 

Chauvin Sculpture Garden in 

Chauvin is one of the many sculptures 

by reclusive bricklayer Kenny Hill. 


Described by locals as a mysterious figure 

with immense natural talent, Hill fashioned his 

garden of angels and spiritual figures from 

concrete and paint that was on hand. The 

figures within the garden were, as told by 

people who knew him, “Everything in his life. 

He wanted people to bring their own knowledge 

and experiences to the garden.” He was known 

to say that he didn’t think explaining the pieces 

would help people understand it any better. 

In 2000, faced with eviction from the parish 

due to the death of the landowner, Hill left. 

Today the sculpture gardens are under the 

protection of Nicholls State University of 

Thibodaux, Louisiana. It was an art professor, 

Dennis Sipiorski who secured the site. 

Chauvin has a rich history dating back to the 

French colonists who inhabited the area at Little 

Caillou. Dating back to the 1750s with the birth 

of Hypolite (Paul) Chauvin, who was a 

Revolutionary War veteran and served with 

Bernardo de Galvez at the Battle of Mobile 

against the British. He was a member of the 

Louisiana Militia that was aiding the American 

Rebels alongside the Spanish Navy. He, 

however, did not establish his household in 

Terrebonne, but rather in nearby Des 

Allemands, in St. Charles Parish. His children 

and many later generations would establish a 

business foothold in the area now known as 

Chauvin with the start of Albert Eloi Chauvin’s 

store and delivery business. In 1875, Albert was 

not only a store owner, but the postmaster as 

well. He also owned a boat that he would load 

with produce and furs and sail to New Orleans 

where he would sell his wares at the French 

Market. The Chauvin family became known for 

the processing and canning of fresh seafood 

from this small fishing community. 

M O N T E G U T 

Continuing on the journey to the east is the 

community of Montegut located on the banks of 

Bayou Terrebonne along Highway 55. It was a 

lively, activity-filled place in its heyday. Just as 

the community in France with the same name, 

Montegut was a thriving community. A major 

asset to the sugarcane community, Montegut 

celebrated rich land owners and great prosperity. 

From grand plantation homes to the Lower 

Terrebonne Sugar Refining and Manufacturing 

Company, Inc., Montegut’s multiple enterprises 

helped to fill the needs of the parish. 

Montegut was named for a man who didn’t 

live in Montegut, but had an interesting and 

exciting history himself. Born on July 20, 1839, 

in New Orleans, Gabriel Montegut’s family came 

from Santo Domingo to south Louisiana in the 

late 1700s where they established a large 

1 0 ✦ T E R R E B O N N E P A R I S H : S t o r i e s o f t h e G o o d E a r t h

C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 1 1

Above: Reminiscent of many sugar 

mills, Montegut was prosperous for 

many years as a sugar producing 

town. Eventually the seafood industry 

took hold in the area as the main 

source of revenue. 

COURTESY OF THE TERREBONNE HISTORICAL & 

CULTURAL SOCIETY. 

Below: The women of the plantation 

work to bring in the crop. 



plantation. After serving as a colonel in the Civil 

War for the Confederate States, he was 

appointed superintendent of the U.S. Mint at 

New Orleans. He eventually went into private 

banking and moved to Houma. A collection of 

hand-written notes and speeches have been 

uncovered in an attic in Houma. 

During his career, he started the People’s 

Bank in Houma. Originally coming to the area 

representing the Citizens Bank of New Orleans, 

Montegut relocated to Terrebonne Parish where 

he held positions as clerk, bookkeeper and 

insurance agent. He built his home on Main 

Street where the current Terrebonne High 

School now stands. 

An interesting resident of Montegut was 

known affectionately as the “Hermit of 

Terrebonne.” In an interview conducted by 

Glenn Pitre in conjunction with the Terrebonne 

Historical & Cultural Society at Southdown 

Plantation, Sherwin Guidry relayed the story of 

Jean-Baptiste Placide Dugas, the hermit. 

The story is told that Jean was a skilled 

carpenter. At the age of twenty-four years old he 

fell in love with a young lady (identity 

unknown). He courted her and eventually asked 


her to marry. She rejected him and chose to wed 

another, who was a friend of Jean. Shortly 

thereafter he moved into a wooded area that his 

family owned and built a palmetto hut where he 

would live out his days. 

It was said that he lived only on the animals 

and seafood that he could hunt or fish. Family 

and friends attempted to bring him food, but he 

often discarded it for he thought it was possibly 

poisoned. He lived in the area where the Dugas 

Cemetery is today. Never cutting his hair nor 

shaving it was also said that the only clothing he 

wore was a blanket that he wrapped around 

himself, secured with a thorn. It is said that he 

died of malnutrition as his body was found 

bloated in his woodland home. He is buried at 

the Dugas Cemetery under an unmarked grave. 

Montegut was built in the traditional form of 

delta communities on the high ridges along the 

waterways. A mill was built and then people 

bought property near the mill in a concentrated 

area like Gibson or Bourg. During the 1930s, 

1940s, and 1950s, Montegut had a movie theater, 

a baseball park and a pavilion or dance hall. 

It was mostly a sugar town with some people in 

the profession of fishing, but in the 1930s Texaco 

came in and built a boat way and a warehouse. 

From then on, Montegut was an oil town. 

In the 1870s the town had a small hotel over 

a saloon, a dance hall, a general store, a barrel 

shop, a blacksmith shop, a boat builder and 

several large homes. 

Still boasting old structures and tradition, 

the main gathering place in the town is the 

Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. 

A history of it is in the works. Churches being 

a center of life in these smaller villages, 

the history of every birth, death, and marriage 

can be found in the Diocese of Houma- 

Thibodaux archives. 

Today, the densely populated bayou marks 

homesteads and on the bayou-side some 

seafood processors. 

Gulf of Mexico. Along the way is the small linear 

community of Pointe-aux-Chenes and the 

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ 

Pointe-aux-Chênes Wildlife Management Area. 

At the most southern part of the road is the 

Tribal Center for the Pointe-au-Chien Indian 

Tribe, another of the state-recognized tribal 

groups in Terrebonne Parish. 

Near the southern end of the Pointe-aux- 

Chênes Road is the turnoff to the Island Road that 

leads to the small Native American community of 

Isle de Jean Charles, home to the state-recognized 

Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha- 

Choctaw. The “Island” has been the setting of 

many documentaries on the dramatic coastal land 

loss that plagues coastal Louisiana. It was also 

the site of the 2012 Academy Award-nominated 

film Beasts of the Southern Wild, featuring 

Quvenzhané Wallis, a native of Houma who at age 

9 became the youngest person ever nominated for 

an Academy Award. She was nominated in the 

“Best Actress” category for her role in the movie 

filmed on the Island. 

According to residents, the growth and 

development of the settlement started when a 

Frenchman named Jean Marie Naquin married 

a Native American woman named Pauline 

Verdin. When his family ostracized him for the 

mixed marriage, he moved his bride to the small 

island where his father, Jean Charles Naquin, 

had traveled often to supposedly meet up with 

the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte. With 

the exception of their oldest daughter, all of the 

children of Jean Marie Naquin and Pauline 

Verdin married Native Americans. 

 

The main way to traverse 

the many waterways of Terrebonne 

Parish was by boat or other 

floating vehicle. 


P O I N T E - A U X - C H Ê N E S 

A N D I S L E D E J E A N C H A R L E S 

Now the journey moves north from Montegut 

on Highway 55 to its intersection with Highway- 

665 (Pointe-aux-Chenes Road). The road travels 

southward until it reaches the marshes of the 

C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 1 3

Bayou Terrebonne, known earlier as 

Bayou De Arbonne, in which the 

settlement of Williamsburg (Bayou 

Cane) was settled as the first 

parish seat. 


Eventually other families intermarried with 

the islanders, and by the 1880 Census of 

Terrebonne Parish there were four family groups 

living in the area, all related by marriage. They 

were the families of Jean Baptiste Narcisse 

Naquin, Antoine Livaudais Dardar, Marcelin 

Duchils Naquin and Walker Lovell. Peculiar 

regulations dealing with race in early census 

records have members of these families 

recorded as “Mulatto” or “Negro,” since there 

were no categories allowing for designation as 

“Native American” or “American Indian.” 

B O U R G 

Returning back to Highway 55 at its 

intersection with 665 and heading north, the 

journey next comes to the prosperous little 

community of Bourg. Sitting along the banks of 

Bayou Terrebonne, it lies about nine miles below 

the early settlement of Houma and was first named 

Canal Belanger and then Newport before acquiring 

its modern name of Bourg. The original streets 

were named Front, Main, Market and Cypress. 

The settlement is credited to beginning via the 

activities of Hubert Madison Belanger, who, along 

with his brother-in-law Richard Grinage, also is 

credited as one of the co-founders of Houma. It 

was Belanger’s dream to link Terrebonne Parish to 

New Orleans by way of a canal. His dream did 

eventually happen, but not in his lifetime and not 

with Canal Belanger. The canal still exists, but it 

is now considered non-navigable. 

P R E S Q U ’ I L E 

Bayou Terrebonne and Bayou Petit Caillou 

meet at this point of the map. The word 

“presqu’ile” is French for peninsula. A peninsula 

is a piece of land surrounded by water on three 

sides. There was once a large sugar-producing 

plantation and a sugar mill located here. 

From this location, across the bayou on land 

previously for Myrtle Grove and Roberta Grove, to 

Houma lies the Houma Terrebonne Airport. 

Construction on the airport, which would accommodate 

private planes, was completed in 1935. 

H O U M A 

Houma was established as the seat of the 

parish in 1834. It was the new frontier 

for wealthy planters from other areas of the 

country. The Spanish land grants established 

many areas of cultivation from the late 1790s 

until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. These 

grants required three things within a period 

of three years for the grantee to achieve full 

ownership of the property. The Spanish 

government at New Orleans encouraged 

Catholic owners who would populate the area. 

The French and Houma India farmers occupied 


the lands in the south of the area but, by 1828, 

the advantage of the land in southeast Louisiana 

was becoming evident by the wealthy 

landowners of other states. The census of 1860 

stated that the number of French landowners 

had been cut in half. 

The formation of Houma is accredited to the 

donation of properties by Richard H. Grinage 

and Hubert M. Belanger and was officially 

developed in 1834. It wasn’t, however, 

incorporated as a city until 1848. 

The first owner of the property that would 

become Houma was Joseph Hache who had 

acquired it from the Spanish government as a land 

grant. A portion of land was cleared, but a large 

portion of it was in its natural state. In 1823, the 

U.S. Senate confirmed the 1803 claim of Hache 

for proof of habitation and cultivation. It was 

shortly after, in 1828, that the land transferred to 

Mrs. Brigitte Belanger, the widow of Henry 

Schuyler Thibodaux, who then transferred some 

of her holding to Francois Belanger. The property 

was described as “a tract of land in standing 

timber”. The land transferred measured 8 arpents 

front on each bank of Bayou Terrebonne by 10 

arpents depth on each side. Finally, another 

transfer went to Richard Grinage, the nephew of 

the previous owner. This tract was described as 

about 3 arpents from and below the Bayou Black 

road on the right side of Bayou Terrebonne and 

containing 4 arpents front by 10 arpents. 

Prior to a road built from Bayou Terrebonne to 

Bayou Black, the seat of the community was at 

Williamsburg (Bayou Cane) and named for 

William S. Watkins. The property of Grinage and 

Belanger was determined to be the site of the first 

courthouse. The property around this new town 

center began to subdivide and develop quickly. 

The first map was completed in 1847 and Main, 

Goode, Church and Grinage Streets were called 

Front, South, Washington and Belanger Streets. 

School Street was known as Terrebonne Street, 

 

Above: Henry Schuyler Thibodaux 

was credited with the creation of 

Terrebonne Parish. He is buried at 

Halfway Cemetery. 



Below: A shrimp boat traveling down 

Bayou Terrebonne in Houma in 1947. 


C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 1 5

ut by the next official map in 1855, the names 

were as today. 

During the Civil War, Houma saw action, not 

in skirmishes and battles, but it did involve 

Federal troops. In May 1862, a confederate force 

was attempting to get supplies behind enemy 

lines by way of Grand Caillou, south of Houma. 

The Union army in the area was informed of the 

operation and seized the ship. Federal troops 

under McMillian came from the Opelousas 

Railroad to the Terrebonne station and proceeded 

to march into Houma in the early hours of May 8, 

1862. The people were alarmed and the march 

caught the attention of Colonels John R. Bisland 

and J. B. Robinson of the Confederate Army, who 

were natives of Houma. Together the men called a 

meeting of locals and tried to form a plan as to 

how they could either stop the federal troops from 

reaching the Confederate ship The Fox or how 

they could recapture the supplies. 

No sensible plan was approved as there was 

not a force of confederates in the area and the 

meeting was called to a close with no resolution. 

A group of local men, incited by the invasion of 

their town, took it upon themselves to do what 

they could to the Union troops while they were 

within reach. Later in the day a group of 15 to 20 

men banded together in pursuit of the troops. 

Upon realization that they were massively 

outnumbered, they fell back into town. On the 

evening of May 9, information was obtained by 

the self-proclaimed posse that two wagons driven 

by Negroes carrying two soldiers each were on 

their way back to the Terrebonne Station. 

Armed with the information, and 

undoubtedly adrenaline, the group formulated a 

plan and attacked the wagons. The soldiers who 

were returning to the railroad station had taken 

ill on the march to The Fox. As night fell the men 

took position as the wagons approached and fired 

upon them killing Sergeant Jesse Frakes and 

Private Charles Geisendorffer who were riding in 

separate wagons. Private Miller was in the wagon 

with Geisendorffer and managed to get away but 

the second wagon with Morris and Franks was 

overtaken. Morris was taken into custody. Miller, 

fearing for his life, jumped from the wagon and 

concealed himself along the banks of the bayou 

and in the surrounding vegetation well enough to 

track and hear the plans of the men from Houma 

to capture him. Armed with Private Franks’ and 

his own guns, he made it to Terrebonne Station 

under cover of night. Here he rested until two 

men approached. Under the suspicion of arrest, 

Miller resisted. The two men, however convinced 

him they meant no harm. He accompanied them 

back to Thibodaux where he was given medical 

treatment, but held as a prisoner. 

Meanwhile in Houma, Private Morris was held 

at Berger’s Hotel on Main Street under suspicion 

of attacking and murdering the other soldiers. He 

was convicted and held in the jail for one night. 

The next day he was released after he swore an 

oath that he would not take up arms against the 

Confederate States of America unless his property, 

he or those depending upon him should be 

threatened. He eventually made it to Terrebonne 

Station where he was reunited with Private Miller. 

As if the insult and “conviction” of Morris was 

not enough, during the time he was incarcerated, 

the bodies of Sergeant Frakes and Private 

Giesendorffer “were robbed of everything of value, 

even to their caps, boots and socks.” From Frakes 

was taken personal letters from his family and 

correspondence from General Benjamin Butler. 

The bodies of the two men were brutally abused, 

repeatedly kicked and beaten. The face of Frakes 

was “scarcely retaining the semblance of a human 

being.” Their bodies were then buried in a shallow 

grave in the courthouse square obvious to those 

who passed of the resolve of the locals. It was first 

discussed to throw their bodies in the bayou, but 

the idea was dismissed as too inhumane. 

It was not long before word of the atrocities at 

Houma reached General Butler. He immediately 

sent troops to apprehend Miller from his captors 

at Thibodaux and to piece together the 

happenings of the days from May 8-11. 

The men known to have participated in the 

capture and slaying of the federal troops were 

identified as prominent members of the town 

including Thomas Albert Wood, a lawyer and 

editor of the Houma Ceres; Morelle, formerly a 

lieutenant in the Confederate army; E. N. Dutrail, 

a deputy parish clerk; B. Cooper, a blacksmith; 

Gilbert Hatch, son of a planter; D. W. Crewell, a 

carpenter who worked on G. F. Connelly’s 

Mulberry Farm; Howard Bond, a druggist and his 

younger brother; F. Gatewood, living on a 

plantation eight miles from Houma; Dr. J L. 

Jennings of Houma and William H. Hornsby, the 

son of S. H. Hornsby, a grocer in Houma. 


After the Union troops arrived at Bond’s 

Crescent plantation they “found one of the 

muskets which was presumably used in the firing.” 

In retaliation, they burned his sugar house and 

Negro quarters and drove off all his stock. From 

there they went to Southdown and arrested 

William and Henry Minor. After being imprisoned 

at Houma for a week they were taken to New 

Orleans but were released in a few days. Soon 

thereafter Union troops seized 186 hogsheads of 

sugar and 650 barrels of molasses at Southdown 

and Hollywood, claiming later that the plantations 

had been abandoned, when in fact both overseers 

and Negroes were there at the time. 

It would be understandable that the Minors 

of Southdown Plantation, who identified as 

Unionists, would become disenchanted with the 

federal troops after such an ordeal and it was 

obvious that the parish took heed of the 

punishments of the men who actually did the 

atrocities in Houma. 

Lt. Colonel John A. Keith arrived in Terrebonne 

and was unable to discover the identities of the 

guilty parties. He first removed the bodies of 

Frakes and Geisendorffer from the square and 

forced citizens to provide coffins and prepare 

graves at the local church, St. Francis de Sales 

Catholic Church, for a proper Christian funeral 

and burial. He then proclaimed “In view of the 

disposition manifested by citizens of the town and 

parish to harbor and screen the offenders, 

therefore I…do hereby solemnly declare and 

proclaim that unless the names of these murderers 

are given up within forty-eight hours, with such 

information of their hiding places . . . not a vestige 

of the town of Houma shall be left to identify its 

former location, and the plantations of parish of 

Terrebonne shall suffer in a like degree.” Some 

men were apprehended, while others like Dr. 

Jennings fled to the swamp. Several of the men and 

their families refused allegiance to the government 

of the United States and their plantations, homes 

and businesses were burned and all items of worth 

taken from them. W. J. Minor’s plantation, though 

innocent of the incident, suffered only the loss of 

crops and livestock. 

By 1864 many in the area had suffered from 

the war and the lasting consequences of it. The 

minutes of the Police Jury of Terrebonne Parish 

on October 6, 1864 state, “On motion of M.F. 

Daigle, duly seconded and best resolved 

unanimously first that the Police Jury of 

Terrebonne willing to prove to Brigadier General 

R. A. Cameron, Commanding District of 

Lafourche their loyalty and the devotion to the 

Union cause tenders respectfully their sincere 

thanks to General Cameron who, by his wise 

influence has caused the happy appointment of 

Captain W. E. Thrall…. ” It is obvious that the 

loyalty pledge was to help the residents of 

Terrebonne and keep some semblance of peace. 

Houma boasted a thriving downtown area for 

many years. A one-story courthouse was 

commissioned in 1834. It was built of brick at the 

cost of $2,525. Another building was built next to 

it in 1836 to accommodate other parish offices. In 

1860 a new one-story courthouse was started, but 

due to complications of the Civil War, work on 

the building wasn’t completed until 1875. A 

second story was added in 1892. The oak trees 

that adorn the courtyard were planted in 1866-67 

by Bernard F. Bazet, and donated by J. P. Cenac. 

Many buildings have come and gone from the 

picturesque courthouse square. One of these was 

the market building. It was located on the 

northwest corner of Main and Goode Streets. 

Although its primary function was as a market, 

over the years the upper floors were used as a fire 

station and city hall. It was demolished in 1930, 

but a long-told history of the building revealed 

itself on that day. 

From Souvenir of Centennial Celebration 

written in 1934: 

A rumor was current that during 

construction of the building an iron box 

containing some coins and a bottle of vinous 

liquor had been placed there and sealed in the 

 

One of the earliest significant 

structures in Houma, besides the 

courthouse was Terrebonne High. 

From 1918-1940 THS was located on 

Church Street where the Courthouse 

Annex is now. When the high school 

students were moved to the present 

Terrebonne High on Main Street the 

building was then used as Houma 

Junior High and Houma Central. 



C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 1 7

Above: Students who lived in rural 

areas were brought to Terrebonne 

High by boats instead of busses. 



Right: Main Street in Houma in 

the 1930s. 



masonry. Curiously enough, this particular pier 

had many small holes drilled into it, evidently by 

idlers with their pocket knives at intervals 

extending over a long period of years. 

When sufficient bricks had been removed, the 

curious throng beheld the iron box, almost rusted 

away, and two silver coins, a half-dime and a dime 

dated 1854. An old newspaper was also found, but 

had deteriorated to such an extent that its date 

could not be ascertained. The bottle of liquor held 

a liquid not to the expectations of the discovery, 

due to the fact that the cork had disintegrated. 

In 1934 the city of Houma was celebrating a 

centennial and Mayor Elward Wright said, “One 

hundred years have passed since Belanger and 

Grinage founded the City of Houma. Since May 

10, 1834, one hundred years of history have 

been written on the pages of time. And though 

this history is but an infinitesimal part of the 

great picture time paints and is of interest only 

to a small group, the development of the City’s 

existence during this century has filled its place 

in the scheme of things. 

We pause at this centennial period to glance 

back and review, to recall the individuals who 

guided our destiny in those early days with vision 

and foresight; to recall the events which shaped 

and influenced our growth. To the many who 

played a part in our City’s rich history we render 

due homage. Let us garner from the rich 

experience of these first hundred years the 

courage to view the present with confidence and 

look forward to the future with boldness. 

The name of our city is of Indian origin. We 

are told that in the Indian language the word 

houma means “red,” a reference to the rising sun. 

Let us accept the rising sun as our emblem, and 

as we come to the close of the first century of our 

existence, bear in mind that another one 

has begun—within which to strive, to work, and 

to accomplish.” 

Almost 100 years since those words were 

uttered, Houma has grown by leaps and bounds 

in ways those early community leaders probably 

couldn’t have imagined. 

The inclusion of a new commercial section of 

the city came about with the completion of Martin 

Luther King Boulevard. The prosperity of the 

oilfield business strengthened the commerce in 

Houma so much that in 2014, unemployment in 

the area was below four percent. This was 

considered a very prosperous time, especially 

since the rest of the country was experiencing 

high unemployment due to the recession of 2008. 

G R A Y 

From the city of Houma on Highway 24 

heading north toward Thibodaux you will find 

the community of Gray. The Houma-Terrebonne 

Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is located 

here near Highway 90. Just past Highway 90 

heading north is Halfway Cemetery, named 

such for its placement halfway between Houma 

and Thibodaux. 

 

The Schriever Graded School was one 

of the best-known schools in the 

parish and educated the children of 

wealthy local families. 



C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 1 9

Built in the late 1800s, the Terrebonne 

Station was first used in 1855. In 

1872, travel and trade in the area 

was greatly increased when a branch 

railroad was established linking 

Schriever and Houma. 

COURTESY OF THE WILLIAM L. MARTIN 

COLLECTION, NICHOLLS ARCHIVES. 

S C H R I E V E R 

By far, the greatest memory of Schriever is 

the coming of the railroad. The first “iron horse” 

chugged its way into Terrebonne Parish on 

September 1, 1855. Originally known as 

Terrebonne Station, Schriever was a railway 

station stop that began with the New Orleans, 

Opelousas and Great Western railway 

system. The station proved very important 

during the Civil War because the line ran from 

Opelousas in the north and south to Algiers. It 

was this form of travel that allowed the 

Union Army to occupy much of Louisiana 

during the war. 

A story is told about the origin of the name 

Schriever. It was reported that Colonel John 

George Schriever fell off the train as it came into 

the depot. This has never been proven. 

In the early days of sugarcane plantations, 

Schriever boasted many plantations with great 

capacity. In the years of 1896-97 the sugar 

refinery at Waubun Plantation boasted 3,500 

acres with 1,200 planted in cane and 500 

planted with corn. It was also outfitted with a 

general store. The owner, Captain John Thomas 

Moore, could brag that his refinery employed 

over 250 men and could grind out more than 

500 tons of sugar a day. The John T. Moore 

Planting Company, Ltd. owned three sugar 

plantations. St. George Plantation covered 1,480 

acres with 300 in cane and 200 in corn. 

Two other plantations stood at Schriever. 

These were Upper Ducros and Lower Ducros. 

The first was owned by the Wood brothers and 

the second by McFarlane, Baldwin and 

Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. The latter was a 

holding company that operated by lease to 

several tenants. These tenants were, Marculus 

Guillot, Pierre Prejean, Sylvere Guillot, Emile 

Lassage, Gustave Berthelot, Frank Hidalgo, 

Leoni Prejean, and Maturin Adam. 

Schriever also had a post office, a school and 

a hotel. The Schriever Hotel was a two-story 

building with 14 large rooms for rent. Waubun 

stands as a private residence today at the 

gateway to Thibodaux. 

Just about full circle from where the journey 

began, the road from Houma at Highway 311 

runs near the sugarcane fields. Plantation homes 

still dot the landscape with Magnolia, Ardoyne, 

Ellendale, and Crescent Farm. 


CHAPTER 2 

C E L E B R A T I O N S 

M A R D I 

G R A S 

Houma is the second largest celebration for Mardi Gras or Carnival in the state of Louisiana. It is 

second only to New Orleans. With a heritage rich in the celebration, the 13 Krewes and more than 16 

parades make the parish a favorite of visitors and residents alike. The Mardi Gras Krewes are as 

follows: Krewe of Hercules, Krewe of Bayou Petite Caillou (Chauvin), Krewe of Aquarius, Krewe of 

Hyacinthians, Krewe of Titans, Krewe of Aphrodite, Krewe of Mardi Gras, Krewe of Terreanians, Krewe 

of Montegut, Krewe of Cleopatra, Krewe of Houmas, Krewe of Kajuns and the Krewe of Bonne Terre. 

The history of this celebration comes from the traditional observance of Fat Tuesday of the 

Catholic religion. Fat Tuesday is the last day of extravagance before Ash Wednesday, the official 

beginning of Lent. Specific to Terrebonne Parish, the history begins in 1914 with Filican “Tican” 

Duplantis. He is known as the father of Carnival. Starting out with humble beginnings, Tican never 

wore a crown of jewels or wielded a jeweled scepter. He didn’t even sit upon a regal throne. He was, 

however, the first Carnival King, a self-appointed title, and staged the first parades in the lands of the 

Good Earth. His world of Bayou Cane became the Mardi Gras capital of the parish when he staged 

his first Carnival pageant. 

Few people know that their first king was a butcher in the old city market. His son, Armand said 

of his father and the celebrations, “They epitomized the spirit of the bayous. All the glitter of the 

modern pageantry on Shrove Tuesday can never take their place in my heart. He decorated his 

plantation wagons with graceful festoons of Spanish moss, waving stalks of sugarcane, wildflowers 

from the bayou banks and palmettos from swamplands. He used mules to draw the floats.” 

 

The celebration of Mardi Gras in 

Houma is second largest in the state. 

The ornate dresses, decorations 

and parades create a celebration for 

all to enjoy. 


C h a p t e r 2 ✦ 2 1

Archives state that the original meeting place 

of the Krewe of the Houmas took place in Saadi’s 

Haberdashery on Main Street in downtown 

Houma. Floats and costumes were rented from 

New Orleans in those early days and “floated” to 

Houma on barges sent down the Intracoastal 

Canal. The parade route went from East 

Houma to West Houma over the Main Street 

Bridge where parade goers could view the 

activities from either side or from the water that 

flowed between. 

Written in the Houma Courier was a 1946 

account of the view of the first Mardi Gras 

parade and krewe. 

 

Dr. Christopher E. Cenac, Sr.’s mother 

Dorothy Stodghill Cenac 

at Mardi Gras in 1957 with her 

children and niece. From left: 

Philip Jr., Christopher, Paul, 

Madeleine, and Nancy Cenac, 

and Georgia Clark 



Tican was a showman. He led the parade on 

horseback. The queen rode on the first float 

followed by the “gras boeuf” a live steer or cow 

from the plantation. It rode on a two-wheeled 

cart. The next float held a large barrel of 

popcorn. The masked riders threw it to the 

children along the parade route. Popcorn could 

be called the first carnival “throw”. Following 

the popcorn float was the musicians’ float. 

As great a distinction of the first king, Tican, 

was the first queen. She was Tican’s 

granddaughter, 16-year-old Lily LeBoeuf, who 

would become Mrs. Henry Lirette. She said of 

her grandfather after his death in 1955, “His 

wish has been fulfilled. Tican’s days as a butcher 

may be forgotten by most, but his fame as the 

father of Terrebonne’s Carnival will never dim. 

No bejeweled monarch will ever take his place 

in the hearts of those who knew him. Tican will 

always be the spirit of Carnival to those who 

dwell in the Terrebonne bayou land.” 

The oldest Mardi Gras krewe in Terrebonne 

is the Krewe of Houmas. It was originally called 

The Houma-Terrebonne Carnival Club and was 

started in 1946, shortly after World War II. The 

krewe named itself, not after the mythological 

gods like New Orleans, but after the first people 

who lived in the area, the Houmas Indians. The 

Krewe of Houmas was born from an idea of local 

businessmen and the members of the local 

American Legion. 

Post Commander, Sidney A. Pelligrin, Mayor 

Leon Gary, local businessmen, Vic Maurin, Al 

Badeaux, “Prof” Erny, Otis Bourg, George 

Fakier, Claude and Stanwood Duval and many 

others staged a Mardi Gras fair to celebrate 

Shrove Tuesday. Makeshift floats, local 

dignitaries and the Terrebonne High School 

Band paraded down Main Street from Bayou 

Cane to the Barrow Street Bridge and on to 

Legion Avenue. The people followed the parade, 

led by Vic Maurin, to find booths of food, 

fortune tellers, games of chance and even a 

“Freak” of nature. A popularity contest to 

determine the “Royal Court” was held by 

ballots through the Houma Courier. Dance was 

held in the old American Legion Hall. Mr. 

John Foolkes was designated “King Houmas I” 

and Miss Gloria Babin, daughter of Mr. and 

Mrs. Nouga Babin, was his lovely queen. The 

weather was cold, but the people came. The 

word was out that Mardi Gras had come to 

Terrebonne Parish. 

The second group to organize as a krewe in 

the parish was the Krewe of Terreanians. For 

three years the Krewe of Houmas was the only 

organized krewe in Terrebonne. The new krewe 

was made up of Houma businessmen that 

wanted to see the splendor and elegance of a 

nighttime Mardi Gras parade in Houma. 

Meetings were first held at the Mayfair Club 

on Main Street in Houma and soon officers were 

elected. The first officers were President, Frank 

King, Vice-President, Merkle B. Komgay, Vice- 

President, Ernest Bille, Secretary and Treasurer. 

Dr. Arthur Ainsman served as the first Captain 


of the Krewe of Terreanians and he provided 

meeting space for the earliest organizational 

meetings. Not only was the krewe formed at the 

time, but the organization incorporated as The 

Greater Houma Carnival Club, Inc. 

On Monday, February 5, 1951, the Krewe of 

Terreanians held its first parade at 7:30 p.m., 

the night before Fat Tuesday. 

The Krewe of Hycinthians is the third 

carnival club to be established in the area. 

According to their archives, ladies, who 

watched the Krewe of Houmas parade together 

on Mardi Gras day in 1951, decided to see if 

they could organize a carnival club for 

ladies. They brought in relatives, friends 

and friends of friends and a meeting was 

held on February 12, 1951, at the Mayfair 

Club on Main Street in Houma with 

approximately 65 ladies attending. Several 

members of the Greater Houma Carnival Club 

(one of the two local organizations for men) 

attended this meeting. 

The purpose of the Club was to have fun, 

promote the Carnival spirit and afford the 

opportunity for any member, married or single, 

to be queen. An election was held for officers 

and board of directors. Dues were set at $30.00 

per year. The name “Hyacinth” was chosen, the 

queen to be “Queen Hyacinth” and the Krewe to 

be “Krewe of Hyacinthians”. 

The first parade was held on Thursday, 

February 21, 1952, at 7:00 p.m. with seven 

floats rented from the Greater Houma Carnival 

Club, Inc., and seven torch-bearers hired from 

the Zulu Carnival Club of New Orleans. The 

Tableau and Ball held at the American Legion 

Hall followed the parade. The identity of the 

Queen and King, Gardeline Sharp and Conrad 

Lirette, was revealed at parade time. 

On February 3, 1953, Mrs. Hallette Grenes 

Cole donated a piece of property in Barrow 

Subdivision so the club could build a den. The 

den was eventually built and a dedication was 

held on November 10, 1960, and named the 

“Loretta Guidry Den”, in memory of club 

member Loretta Guidry. 

According to the archives of the Krewe of 

Hyacinthians in 1954, with eleven floats rented 

from the Greater Houma Carnival Club, Inc., the 

parade was changed to a day parade and rolled on 

Sunday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. 

 

Top: The Krewe of Terreanians Mardi 

Gras Parade in 1968. 


Middle: A Mardi Gras float in 1945. 



Bottom: A Mardi Gras truck float in 

1946-47. 



C h a p t e r 2 ✦ 2 3

F E S T I V A L S 

Mardi Gras is by far the largest celebration in 

Terrebonne Parish, but there are many other 

opportunities to “Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler” 

or let the good times roll. 

In the cooler months, when the weather is still 

accommodating, several festivals are hosted 

around the parish. The local term for a dance is 

the fais do-do, which depending upon who you 

ask is a term related to the backrooms of rural 

dance halls where elderly relatives would “do-do” 

the babies to sleep while the parents were 

dancing. Another source states that fais do-do is a 

Cajun French version of a dos si dos, a type of 

dance. Whatever the meaning, when people speak 

of the fais do-do, they know it will be a party. 

with a donation to the parish from BP to stimulate 

the tourist industry. It is a two-day festival 

featuring some of the best acts in live music. The 

festival is one big party with two stages, food, 

drinks, activities, and more. 

V O I C E O F T H E W E T L A N D S 

Another way Terrebonne Parish celebrates the 

culture is through music. Every October since 

2004 the Voice of the Wetlands Festival draws 

visitors from all over. The festival is organized by 

a local group of people who are committed to 

informing the public about the vanishing 

wetlands. The driving personality behind the 

music festival is Grammy nominated Tab Benoit, 

a local musician and activist for wetlands 

preservation. The festival is an awareness 

campaign that has generated nationwide support. 

C H U R C H 

F E S T I V A L S 

 

The Best of the Bayou Festival in 

downtown Houma has become a 

favorite in the community. 


S O U T H D O W N 

M A R K E T P L A C E 

Shortly after Mardi Gras each year, 

Southdown Plantation House and Museum hosts 

an arts and crafts festival called Southdown 

Marketplace Arts and Crafts Festival on the 

grounds of the plantation. The bi-annual festival 

has more than 300 vendor booths and brings in 

around 8,000 people for each show. As most 

festivals in the area, food, family and music bring 

people together. 

B E S T O F T H E B A Y O U F E S T I V A L 

In the tradition of downtown festivals, the 

annual Best of the Bayou Festival began in 2012 

Residents will remember from days gone by 

that the festivals originated from the churches. 

Each church in the parish had a community 

event. By far the most remembered and perhaps 

most heavily attended festival in the parish was 

Lagniappe on the Bayou Festival. Held at St. 

Joseph’s Catholic Church in Chauvin, the first 

festival started as a fund-raiser. 

The festival was so popular with the offerings 

from Cajun life and culture it drew visitors from all 

over the country and even from other parts of the 

world. The food featured was the treasured 

favorites of South Louisiana such as crawfish 

ettouffe, shrimp boulettes, alligator sauce piquante, 

jambalaya, gumbo as well as boiled, broiled, baked 

and fried shrimp, fish, oysters. crab and crawfish. 

Entertainment of music and games made 

this annual festival popular for more than 25 

years. Lagniappe on the Bayou Festival ended 

in 1994 under the direction of the Catholic 

bishop who requested the discontinuation of all 

church festivals. 

B L E S S I N G O F T H E F L E E T 

The Blessing of the Fleet has a long history of 

generations holding ceremonies each spring to 

bless the boats that brought prosperity to the 

bayou communities. 


At the beginning of the shrimp season each 

year, there are blessing ceremonies held in 

Chauvin, Dulac, Dularge, Pointe-aux-Chenes 

and Montegut. The gathering of fishing families 

and friends is a symbolic and practical event. 

The fishermen ask God to bless them and their 

families with a bountiful season and a local 

priest blesses the vessels to ensure a safe and 

bountiful season. 

As with any other festival in South Louisiana, 

there is a bounty of seafood dishes served and 

shared as the people watch the beautifully 

decorated vessels travel past. 

Today, this event brings back the old traditions 

of fishermen, families, and faith in the area. 

Blessing traditions like this are celebrated all over 

the world. This tradition started in the late 1920s 

to early 1930s when most of the boats were not 

large like the sea going vessels used today. The 

ritual is the same today as in the early days. In 

Chauvin, a priest from the church boards the lead 

boat of the boat parade. The procession starts 

down Little Calliou and eventually ends at 

Boudreaux Canal, at the mouth of Lake 

Boudreaux. Participants of the boat parade 

decorate their boats for the procession. There are 

not a required number of boats, but to 

participate, one must be from St. Joseph’s 

Catholic Church parish. 

C R A W F I S H 

B O I L S 

In April and May organizations, families, and 

businesses hold Crawfish Boils. The weather is 

still cool enough to enjoy eating outdoors and 

the crawfish are consumed, literally, by the tons. 

Legend associated with the Acadians who 

arrived from Nova Scotia, tells of why the 

crawfish are a favorite in Cajun cuisine. The 

story tells of the French people in Canada who 

were displeased with the rule of the British and 

refused to pledge allegiance to the crown. Due 

to their refusal, the British exiled them. Many of 

the Acadians traveled down the eastern 

seaboard to the Gulf of Mexico and eventually to 

south Louisiana. While in the lands of the 

north, the Acadians formed a bond with the 

lobsters that grew in the ice waters. The 

Acadians left and the lobster decided to follow. 

It was the warmer waters as the lobsters traveled 

south that caused them to shrink. Eventually 

when they reached the waterways of south 

Louisiana they were the crawfish seen today. Of 

course this nonsense tale was just another way 

for early people to tell stories of their heritage, 

but a crawfish does look like a mini-lobster! The 

name came from the old French word ecrevisse. 

The popularity of the little crustacean cannot 

be denied. Crawfish boils occur in backyards 

and festivals. Once the optimal conditions, size, 

price and taste, for the crawfish are established 

usually twice a year in Terrebonne, the boils 

begin. The local Houmas Indians are credited 

with harvesting and consuming crawfish before 

the Cajuns arrived. They would bait reeds with 

meat, leave them in the water and then pick up 

the reeds with the crawfish attached to the bait. 

By using this method, the Indians would catch 

bushels of crawfish for their consumption. By 

the 1930s, nets were substituted, and by the 

1950s, the crawfish trap was used. The industry 

continued to grow and in Louisiana more than 

1,600 farmers produce and more than 800 

commercial fishermen harvest up to 150 million 

pounds a year. 

F I S H I N G 

R O D E O S 

Another popular activity is the fishing rodeo. 

From the shores of the Gulf of Mexico 

throughout the bayous of Terrebonne, the 

history of living on and off of the waterways of 

Terrebonne has evolved from survival to 

 

A family crawfish boil from 

the 1970s. 



C h a p t e r 2 ✦ 2 5

annual parade was held in Houma where the 

citizens would appear in their finest. Today, the 

community comes together to honor the 

veterans of the area. Hosted by Terrebonne 

Patriot, Inc., a non-profit organization, each year 

they hold concerts, activities and tributes. Their 

mission statement is “to provide a day filled with 

family fun while focusing on honoring those 

who have served our great nation through the 

military and first responders.” Their motto is 

“We’ll Never Forget”. 

C H R I S T M A S 

 

Enjoying boiled crawfish. 



recreation. With the tagline of Sportsman’s 

Paradise, the parishes along the coast of the Gulf 

of Mexico reap great rewards for commercial and 

recreational fishing. These fishing rodeos are 

held in various locations throughout the year. 

Early in the 20th century, Tarpon Rodeos 

were a favorite of locals and tourists. A tarpon is 

a large tropical marine fish that resembles a 

herring, but can grow to 8 feet long. Terrebonne 

features rodeos or tournaments of all sizes open 

to people of all ages. The events feature prizes 

for best catch in the different categories. 

J U L Y I N D E P E N D E N C E 

C E L E B R A T I O N 

As every other American city, Houma 

celebrates Independence Day. In years past an 

Just before Christmas, another boat tradition 

is celebrated called Ala Bayou Terrebonne 

Christmas Boat Parade. The parade begins at 

dusk in Bayou Terrebonne near Bourg. People 

line the bayou to see the boats pass all decorated 

with lights for Christmas. Just as other 

communities celebrate the season with bonfires 

on the levees, Terrebonne families gather and 

light fires along the bayou. 

Although not a celebration unto itself in 

many parts of the country, food is an important 

element of celebrations in Terrebonne. Starting 

with the earliest settlers, the bounty of animals 

from both the land and the sea not only 

sustained them, but in many cases became that 

which sustained them financially. 

Crawfish as detailed earlier is of course a 

popular meal, but the other bounties of the sea 

are also highlighted in the area cuisine. The list 

of recipes goes on and on for the local water 

harvest of shrimp, crabs, oysters, fresh water 

fish and saltwater fish. 

Like the holidays dictate the celebrations 

in Terrebonne Parish, they also dictate the 

foods chosen for the celebrations. Who doesn’t 

think of gumbo when the air turns a little 

colder? It is the first thought that comes 

to mind! A gathering of family and friends 

would not be the same without a pot of 

jambalaya on the table. It is almost impossible 

to find a restaurant in Terrebonne Parish 

that does not serve seafood. The local catch 

brings in visitors who want to sample the 

local fare. 

We can also thank the American Indian for 

many of the foods and seasonings used in the 

regional cuisine, like filé for gumbo. 


CHAPTER 3 

P A R I S H 

P I O N E E R S 

There are many men and women, who have contributed to the growth and prosperity of 

Terrebonne Parish. These individuals contributed unselfishly to their community and therefore have 

earned our respect, our gratitude, and a place in local history. 

 

Native Americans from Dulac, 1935. 


I N D I G E N O U S T R I B A L G R O U P S 

When Iberville landed on the east bank of the Mississippi River on March 17, 1699, he met the 

indigenous people of the region. One account, published in a 1941 copy of Louisiana: A Guide to the 

State gives a report from Iberville. 

“At 4 o’clock in the evening they gave a formal ball for us in the middle of the square, where the 

entire village was assembled. They brought into the midst of the assembly drums (and) chychycouchy, 

which are gourds, in which are dry seeds, and with sticks for holding them; they make a little noise 

and serve to mark the time . . . A short time afterward there came 20 young people of from 20 to 30 

years old, and 15 of the prettiest young girls magnificently adorned after their manner.” 

The tribe resided near the area that would become Baton Rouge and was identified at that time as 

the “red maypole,” which separated the hunting grounds of the Houmas and the Bayougoula tribes. 

One account of this stick was that it was a tall, red pole topped with a bear head and several fish heads. 

This boundary became known to the French as le Baton Rouge, using the French words for red 

and stick 

The Houmas tribe had been living among the Tunica, but in 1706 there was an uprising and the 

Tunica turned on the Houmas, killing many. The remaining Houmas migrated south towards New 

Orleans, where they reportedly stayed at a settlement at Bayou St. John. Later they went back upriver 

and settled in villages known as the Little Houma in St. James Parish and the Great Houma in 

Ascension Parish, in the area of what is today known as Burnside. 

When Acadians (who had first settled along the Mississippi in the region of St. James-Ascension- 

Iberville Parishes) and Canary Islanders (who had first settled in the St. Bernard and Assumption 

C h a p t e r 3 ✦ 2 7

A home with palmetto roof from the 

early 1900s. 

COURTESY OF THE R.R. BARROW COLLECTION, 


Parish areas), began to migrate farther west, they 

eventually found their way to Terrebonne Parish, 

where they met up with indigenous peoples 

already ensconced along the vibrant waterways 

of the region. 

Today there are five tribal groups in 

Terrebonne Parish which have achieved state 

recognition. These groups are: The United Houma 

Nation; The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe; and 

also the Isle de Jean Charles and the Grand 

Caillou-Dulac Bands of the Biloxi-Chitimacha- 

Choctaw Confederation of Muskogees. 

Any historical narratives of Terrebonne Parish 

must rightly acknowledge the significant role 

Native Americans have played in the settlement 

and growth of the entire region. Their 

contributions to the way of life along the bayous are 

enormous, and these distinct communities play an 

important role in preserving the heritage and bonds 

of the indigenous first settlers of Terrebonne. 

T H E 

A C A D I A N S 

Le Grand Derangement, forced the Acadians of 

Nova Scotia out of Canada. The plight of the 

Acadians is the story of many who still reside in 

Terrebonne Parish. The following are the surnames 

of the families who came to Louisiana starting in 

1755 from Nova Scotia: Arsenault (Arceneaux), 

Aucoin, Babin, Babineaux, Barrilleaux, Bastarache, 

Beliveau, Benoit, Bergeron, Bernard, Bertrand, 

Blanchard, Boucher, Boudreaux, Bourg, Bourgeois, 

Breaux, Broussard, Caissy (Roger), Chaisson, 

Comeau, Cormier, Cyr, Daigle, Davide, Doiron, 

Doucet, Dubois, Dugas, Duhon, Dupuis, 

D’Entremont, Foret, Fruge, Gallant (Achee), 

Gaudet, Gauthier, Gautreaux, Giror (Girouard), 

Granger, Gravois, Guidry, Guilbeau, Guillot, 

Hebert, Henry, Jeansonne (Johnson), Lambert, 

Landry, Lanoux, Latour, Lavachee, Lavernge, 

Leblanc, Leger, Lejeune, Louviere, Maillet, Martin, 

Mazerolle, Melancon, Mercier, Michaud, Michel, 

Mirande, Morin, Mouton, Naquin, Olivier, 

Ouellette, Pellerin, Petitpas, Pinet, Pitre, Poirier, 

Pothier, Prejean, Richard, Rivette, Robichaud, 

Rodrigue, Roy, Saulnier, Savoie, Semer, 

Simoneaux, Surette, Theriot, Thibault, 

Thibodeaux, Trahan, and Vincent. 

Many local families can find these names on 

their family trees. In addition, other families 

considered Cajun, but who didn’t arrive with the 

earliest families are: Autement, Belanger, 

Bonvillain, Bordelon, Champagne, Chauff 

(Cambre), Chauvin, Eschete, Fontenot, 

Fournier, Frederick, Fuselier, Huval, LeBoeuf, 

Lecompte, Marcel, Matherne, Millet, Ory, Oubre, 

Picou, Rommel, Schexnayder, Tassin, and Tregre. 

The deportation of the first families listed 

started when there was discord with the British 

in Nova Scotia. The French families that lived 


there had produced a fruitful life, but did not 

want to pledge their allegiance to the British 

crown. Systematically over a period of years, 

they were deported to parts of North America 

that were controlled by the French. These areas 

were Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, 

South Carolina, Virginia, France, Saint- 

Domingue, Quebec and Louisiana. 

Many people in the Terrebonne area became 

farmers or “petit habitants.” They owned tracts of 

land that they farmed, hunted and sometimes 

fished for survival of their families. It wasn’t until 

the 1850s when the Anglo landowners started 

buying up large pieces of land, that the culture 

started to change. Wealthy planters brought in 

slaves by the hundreds, thus separating the types 

of farming achieved in the area. The years 

leading up to the Civil War brought the largest 

gap in these farms. 

Although largely disinterested in the idea of 

seccession, the Acadians did support the south in 

the Civil War. Under Governor Alexandre 

Mouton, an Acadian from Lafayette, the Louisiana 

secessionist convention was held on January 26, 

1861, in Baton Rouge. The vote of 113 to 17 

brought the entire state into the conflict. 

Eventually, Theriot established a successful 

sugarcane plantation called St. Eloi. Later that 

property was donated to the Catholic Church 

and was named St. Eloi Catholic Church and the 

town where it was located was named Theriot. 

H E N R Y S C H Y L E R T H I B O D A U X 

Henry Schyler Thibodaux, known as the 

Father of Terrebonne, was not born in Louisiana. 

In fact, he spent most of his boyhood in 

Scotland. In 1794 he moved to Louisiana and in 

1801 settled on Bayou Lafourche, where 

eventually the small settlement was named after 

him, Thibodauxville. Thibodaux married twice. 

His first wife was Felicite Bonvillain, with whom 

he had three children. His second wife, Bridgette 

Belanger, gave him five more children. 

At Bayou Lafourche, he was elected as Justice 

of the Peace. In 1812 he was a part of the 

delegation that framed the first constitution of 

Louisiana. He was elected as State Senator in 

1816 and for two more terms in this capacity. It 

was during this time that he was able to form the 

Parish of Terrebonne, named for Terrebonne 

Parish in Canada where his father was born. He 

was elected the fourth governor of Louisiana. He 

died on October 24, 1827, and is buried at 

Halfway Cemetery near Gray, Louisiana. 

R O B E R T R U F F I N B A R R O W 

 

Marie Seraphine Thibodeaux Theriot 

and Michel Eloi Theriot. 



M I C H E L E L O I T H E R I O T 

The first white man to settle on Bayou 

Dularge was Michel Eloi Theriot. Born on July 7, 

1795, his father was a part the group from the 

exodus from Nova Scotia. He and his wife, 

Seraphine Thibodeaux settled there in 1809. 

Within 22 years, the couple produced 14 

children and all of their sons were Civil War 

veterans. Michel himself was a veteran of the 

War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans and 

also fought in the Mexican-American War. 

There were several wealthy planters that 

purchased property in the late 1820s that 

eventually led to vast plantations in the area. 

Among these men who came to Louisiana from 

other areas of the country was Robert Ruffin 

Barrow. Barrow came to Terrebonne in 1828, 

reportedly astride his black horse named Tom 

Bennet with only $1800 to his name and with 

two servants named George and Washington. 

His first land purchase was called Point Farm. 

It was located between Terrebonne and Pointaux-Chenes 

bayous. He prospered with his 

sugarcane plantations and eventually became the 

owner of Company Canal at Westwego. 

By the Civil War, Barrow had become one of 

the largest and most prominent planters 

according to the 1860 census records which 

show he owned 21,256 acres valued at 

$1,062,000. R.R. Barrow had four plantations 

C h a p t e r 3 ✦ 2 9

“Alligator Annie” Miller was a legend 

in the area. She caught live alligators, 

managed a snake farm, and caught 

and tamed otters in the marsh lands 

of Terrebonne. 

COURTESY OF THE MILLER FAMILY. 

and held several more in partnership in 1859. 

Other family members owned Afton Villa in West 

Feliciana. Barrow was part owner of Oak Alley 

Plantation in Vacherie for a time. 

On February 7, 1850, Barrow married 

Volumnia Washington Hunley of Smith County, 

Tennessee, whose father held business interests 

in New Orleans. The couple was married in New 

Orleans in an elaborate wedding and reception. 

At the time of the wedding Robert was 52 and 

Volumnia, 25. The maid of honor at the wedding 

was Hallette Hatch. Two children were born to 

the Barrows, Volumnia Roberta and Robert 

Ruffin Barrow, Jr. Volumnia was called Roberta 

and Robert Jr.’s godfather was the Episcopal 

Bishop Leonidas Polk. Roberta married William 

Slatter and lived in Winchester, Tennessee. 

By the time Robert Jr. was born, Barrow owned 

or held in partnership several plantations 

including Residence, Caillou Grove, Honduras, 

Myrtle Grove, Crescent Farm and Point Farm. In 

LaFourche Parish he owned Oak Grove. In 

Assumption Parish he owned Locust Grove and in 

Ascension Parish, D’ville. He was the largest slave 

holder with 399, but some sources list him with 

700, whereas the average farmer in Terrebonne 

Parish did not own slaves. 

Barrow was well recognized for becoming 

involved in numerous court cases as documented 

in LaFourche and Terrebonne court records. Many 

of his business dealings were so complex and 

convoluted that they could only be resolved in 

legal terms. The ravages of the Civil War took its 

toll on the landowner. R.R. Sr. was virtually broke 

and living in a house at 219 Magazine Street in 

1875 when he died from complications of cholera. 

A N N I E “ A L L I G A T O R 

A N N I E ” M I L L E R 

Born Annie Billiot in 1914, she began her 

education in hunting alligators at the age of 9. 

Annie and her husband Eddie Miller started a 

swamp tour business in 1979. She was a 

fascinating woman. Several articles, both local 

and national were written about her. Two songs 

were written about her. The legacy she left 

behind was that she caught live alligators, raised 

a family, crash-landed in the Everglades, 

managed a snake farm, caught and tamed otters, 

ran her own business, tamed boa constrictors, 

piloted small planes and her own 26-foot tour 

boat, was featured on national and international 

television, and made her living off the bayou. 

She died in 2004 at the age of 89. 

The best story about Annie was told by Helen 

Wurzlow. “Annie has never been bitten by a 

poisonous snake during all the years she’s been 

catching reptiles. Nevertheless, she never fails to 

take her snake bite kit along. Her closest shave 

was the time a big cottonmouth rode in the car 

with her and her husband Ed without their 

knowledge. They were in the area around Pecan 

Island, Louisiana, which has been crawling with 

poisonous snakes ever since it was inundated by 

Hurricane Audrey. The Millers had tied their 

pirogue atop their car, and put their snake box 

inside the car. The boy driving took the box of 

snakes out and put it in the pirogue atop the car.” 

A little while later, Annie heard a rustling 

sound. They stopped the car where they 

discovered that the snake box was empty! One 

of the snakes, a cottonmouth was coiled up in 

the backseat of the car. 

G A B R I E L 

M O N T E G U T 

Born in New Orleans on July 30, 1839, Gabriel 

Montegut came to be one of the most popular and 

influenctial figures in Terrebonne Parish. He was 

educated at the Sewickleyville Academy, in 

Alleghany, Pennsylvania, returning to New 


Orleans and becoming a clerk at the 

age of sixteen. When the Civil War erupted, 

Montegut was a supporter of the Confederacy and 

organized the Orleans Guard battery in 1861. He 

bore the colors of the battery throughout the war, 

with the exception of a twelve-month period in 

which he served with Guy Dreaux’s Company of 

the Louisiana Cavalry. Most of his military career 

was spent under the command of Generals G. T. 

Beauregard, Braxton Bragg, and Joseph E. 

Johnston. He saw combat at Chickamauga, 

Murfeesboro, and Charleston. At the Battle of 

Averasboro in North Carolina, Montegut 

volunteered to assist a field artillery unit with a 

“12-pounder Napoleon” howitzer. Such an 

artillery piece required at least three people to 

operate it. Of the crew Montegut assisted, only 

Montegut and his sergeant survived. Following 

the war, he returned to New Orleans before 

settling in Terrebonne Parish in 1868. In 

Terrebonne, he once again worked as a clerk, and 

also as a bookkeeper and insurance agent. 

Montegut was attracted to the Democratic 

Party establishment in the community. He showed 

a natural talent for politics and became one of the 

political leaders in the parish. In 1885, Montegut 

was appointed superintendent of the New 

Orleans Mint by President Grover Cleveland. 

Described as, “Strong and wary in politics, 

kind and generous in private life, he is a clearheaded, 

well-balanced, honorable man.” 

Montegut built a house where the current 

Terrebonne High School stands. 

T O B I A S 

G I B S O N 

Gibson, in north Terrebonne Parish is named 

for Tobias Gibson who came to the parish in 

1838. He purchased property, however, as early 

as 1817 from Jim Bowie. He increased his 

holdings over the years to include the plantations 

of Greenwood, Live Oak and Magnolia. 

He married Louisiana Hart, the daughter of 

Colonel Nathaniel Hart and had one son, Randall 

Lee Gibson who, among other things, aided in the 

founding of Tulane University in New Orleans. 

S E N A T O R A L L E N J . E L L E N D E R 

Allen J. Ellender began his political career in 

the Louisiana House of Representatives, during 

the regime of Governor Huey P. Long, at one 

point acting as Speaker of the Louisiana House. 

He became one of Long’s top leaders in the 

legislature, acting as Long’s campaign manager, 

along with Harvey Peltier of Thibodaux, for the 

1930 campaign for United States Senate. Long, 

as recorded in T. Harry Williams’s book, Huey 

Long, considered the young Allen Ellender along 

with four others, John B. Fournet, James A Noe, 

Wade O. Martin and Richard A. Leche, for the 

position of governor in the 1936 elections. Long 

reportedly ruled out Ellender on the grounds 

that Ellender was too short. Each of the four 

potential candidates was led to believe that Huey 

would endorse him for the Long ticket. Upon the 

assassination of Long in 1935, Leche would be 

named as candidate for governor on the Long 

ticket and Mrs. Long was named to complete 

Long’s term in Congress. Ellender was elected to 

serve the full six-year term upon the completion 

of Mrs. Long’s term. 

In the United States Senate, Ellender rose to the 

chairmanship of the Senate Agricultural 

Committee, where he championed the cause of the 

domestic sugar industry. He later became chairman 

of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he 

was call by some “the watchdog of the Treasury”. 

He also served as president pro-tempore of the 

Senate. Senator Ellender was easily one of the most 

powerful individuals in Congress. 

 

Senator Allen J. Ellender, known as 

Terrebonne’s most famous son, served 

in the United States Senate for 37 

years. He was known in Louisiana as 

a champion for the cause of the 

domestic sugar industry. He also 

served as president pro tempore of the 

Senate during his service. 



C h a p t e r 3 ✦ 3 1

The Senator was also recognized for being 

one of the best traveled members of Congress. 

During his tenure, he traveled to and returned 

with memorabilia from all but two countries in 

the world, Albania and Bulgaria, as noted on the 

map with his travels from 1946 to 1962. 

Autographed photographs in the Ellender 

Room at the Southdown Museum represent 

approximately 200 of 1,000 items in his collection. 

The remainder of the photographs are housed at 

Nichols State University in Thibodaux, in the 

Ellender library. Also named in honor of Senator 

Ellender is Ellender Memorial High School and the 

Ellender Federal Building in downtown Houma. 

Senator Ellender was also renowned for his 

cooking skills and specialized in presenting 

south Louisiana dishes like jambalaya and 

gumbo to members of Congress, presidents and 

many other dignitaries. 

At Senator Ellender’s funeral in 1972, 

President Richard Nixon and Vice-President 

Spiro Agnew, along with many other nationally 

recognized political figures traveled to Houma 

for the funeral at St. Francis de Sales Roman 

Catholic Church. The services were reported on 

nationwide television, as the community and 

nation mourned the loss of Senator Ellender. 

D R . T H A D D E U S I . 

S T . M A R T I N 

Dr. St. Martin was a medical doctor in the 

parish. He served in World War I as a medic 

and returned to Terrebonne and opened a 

medical practice. He served the people of the 

parish for more than 40 years in that capacity, 

but he was also known for his 1936 publication 

of Madame Toussant’s Wedding Day. The book 

draws on the rich lore and tradition of the 

Cajuns of the parish. 

He was born on Bayou Dularge and grew up 

in the French-speaking home of his grandfather 

in Houma, after the early death of his father. 

When he enlisted in the U.S. Army during World 

War I, his skills in French made him an 

invaluable military translator. 

Dr. St. Martin chose a medical career and was 

trained at Louisiana State University and Tulane 

University. He interned at Charity Hospital in 

New Orleans. He was known as an early pioneer 

for use of the X-ray and became an important 

radiologist and radio therapist. He opened his 

office in Houma in 1911, retiring in 1952. 

As was his habit, St. Martin wrote every 

evening. His wife, Gladys Davidson, served as 

his faithful editorial assistant. After the national 

acclaim of his novel, he became the friend of 

prominent American authors including John 

Dos Passos, Roarke Bradford and Lyle Saxon. 

John Steinbeck included him in Travels with 

Charley where he wrote of T.I. St. Martin’s 

excellent martinis. Several manuscripts that 

were not published are now property of the 

Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society. St. 

Martin declined publishing some of his works 

due to the fact that he felt regional personalities 

would not be pleased or flattered by his sharply 

drawn portrayals. 

 

Some of the first farmers to introduce 

“truck farms” were Senator Allen 

Ellender and his family. As seen in 

this photograph, they grew corn, 

potatoes, and flowers. 




CHAPTER 4 

H I S T O R I C S I T E S A N D A T T R A C T I O N S 

The diversity of the population led way to a variety of architecture. There is a delicate balance of 

old and new, aesthetic and functional in the parish. When the oil and gas industries discovered the 

riches of minerals within the parish, the landscape of the area changed. One-hundred year-old 

plantations and the grounds were destroyed to harvest the newest “golds.” Where agriculture, 

particularly sugarcane ruled, it was the harvest beneath the ground that took hold in the area. 

According to Rene Chauvin, the list of plantations, towns and settlements in Terrebonne is as 

follows: Angela, Armitage, Ardoyne, Ashland, Acres of Diamonds, Aragon, Bayou Dularge, Belle Grove, 

Bull Run, Bradyville, Bayou Blue, Boudreaux Canal, Bourg, Bayou Cane, Bayou Black, Bobtown, Canal 

Belanger, Concord, Chacahoula, Central, Cocodrie, Chauvin, Coteau, Crozier, Crescent Farm, Dulac, 

Deadwood, Donner, Ducros, Ellendale, Ellsworth, Ellerslie, Evergreen, Fala Village, Gibson, 

Greenwood, Grand Caillou, Gray, Hard Scrabble, Hope Farm, Houma, Humphreys, Hollywood, Ile á 

Jean Charles, Johnson Ridge, Isle of Cuba, Klondyke, L’Esquine, Live Oak, LaCache, Lapeyrouse, 

Mechanisville, Mulberry, Mandalay, Magnolia, Myrtle Grove, Monticello, Magenta, Newport, Newtown, 

Orange Grove, Ouiski Point, Pointe-aux-Chênes, Point Farm, Presqu’ile, Rebecca, Ridgeland, Ranch, 

Rural Retreat, Roberta Grove, Savoie, Sarah, Southdown, Sunrise, St. Bridget, Schriever, Smith Ridge, 

St. Eloi, St. Michel, Theriot, Tigerville, Woodlawn, Waterproof, Windermere, and Williamsburg. 

 

Southdown Plantation, is the most 

visited plantation house and museum 

in Terrebonne Parish. The 10,000- 

square-foot manor boasts furnishings 

from the original owners, the Minor 

Family and countless artifacts from 

the history of Terrebonne Parish. 

PHOTO BY RACHEL CHERRY. 

P L A N T A T I O N S A N D P L A N T A T I O N L I F E I N T E R R E B O N N E 

Today two plantations are also tourist attractions in the parish. Southdown Plantation and 

Ardoyne Plantation. With more than 88 sugar plantations in the parish at the highest point of the 

sugarcane industry, the products and procedures were mostly universal for production. Of course 

each plantation had their own culture and rules that were formed by the owners and family. The 

larger landholders were able to cultivate their crops with slave labor, while many of the smaller 

C h a p t e r 4 ✦ 3 3

The original slave quarters at 

Southdown Plantation serve as the 

admissions and gift shop for the 

attraction. Built in 1848, the 

quarters are modeled after the slave 

quarters at Concord Plantation in 

Natchez, Mississippi. 


operations were family run. The history of all of 

these plantations are held in memory of the 

ancestors who left their legacies. 

S O U T H D O W N P L A N T A T I O N 

H O U S E / T H E T E R R E B O N N E 

M U S E U M 

Southdown Plantation House/The Terrebonne 

Museum is a non-profit organization under the 

Terrebonne Historical and Cultural Society, Inc. 

Started in 1974, the following were the first Board 

of Directors: Mr. Gerald J. Bridges, Sr., Mrs. Jules S. 

Dupont, Mr. William L. Manning, Mrs. Andrew 

McCollam, Sr., Mrs. M.L. Shaffer, Sr., Mr. M.L. 

Shaffer, Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Wurzlow, Jr. 

Southdown Plantation is located in Houma, 

Louisiana. It is one of the last grand plantation 

houses in Terrebonne Parish that is open to the 

public and is the only one that also showcases as 

a local history museum. The manor house has 

graced the southern bank of Little Bayou Black 

since 1858. Built earlier still were the sugar 

factory and slave quarters. Within the two-story 

slave quarters, the kitchen, laundry and dairy 

were located. This building stands today at the 

rear of the manor and within are the admissions 

desk, a gift shop and administrative offices. 

For nearly a century and a half, sugar was king 

in South Louisiana, enticing pioneers to the region 

and rewarding them with prosperity and progress. 

Southdown is located in the city of Houma in 

Terrebonne Parish, where 86 sugar mills operated 

during the industry's boom years. The last 

operational mill in the parish was the Southdown 

Mill, located adjacent to Southdown Plantation 

House. It closed in 1977 and was dismantled and 

shipped to Guatemala where it was reassembled 

for continued operation. 

Southdown Plantation House is a lasting 

tribute to the sugar industry which helped to 

nurture Terrebonne Parish from its infancy to its 

present population of over 100,000 residents. 

Four generations of the Minor Family, along 

with hundreds of mill workers, fieldworkers, 

and their families, lived and labored at 

Southdown Plantation. The Minor family 

occupied Southdown House until 1934. Over 

the years, the plantation owners, managers, and 

workers helped launch the local sugar industry, 

sustained it through difficult years, witnessed 

the cultural enrichment and progress of its 

boom times, and revitalized the industry from a 

near-fatal crop disease. 

Plantation life and the sugar industry are just 

two of the many topics explored by the exhibits 

of Southdown Plantation House/The 

Terrebonne Museum. In addition to the 

museum displays, the house itself, through its 

architecture and design, reveals information 

about life in South Louisiana. The house is 85 

feet wide by 65 feet deep by 50 feet high, with 

12- and 14-foot ceilings and porches on all sides 

which helped to cope with the hot weather. The 

walls are 12 to 20 inches thick, made of bricks 

kiln-fired on the property. The floors are a 

mixture of locally available red cypress and 

pine. The Favrile stained glass panels, added in 

1893, depict the plantation surroundings with 

motifs of palmetto leaves, magnolia branches, 

and sugarcane stalks. The current pink and 

green color scheme was selected by Terrebonne 

Historical and Cultural Society to reproduce the 

paint colors of 1893, as discovered by expert 

paint analysis during the restoration. It has since 

been discovered from a 1903 magazine article in 

New Orleans that the house was in fact at that 

time white with green trim. 

W I L L I A M J O H N M I N O R 

F A M I L Y 

Born and raised in Natchez, Mississippi, 

William John was the primary owner and first 

to build the manor house of Southdown 


Plantation. Most of the Minor holdings carried 

names reminiscent of their English roots. 

Southdown was an English breed of sheep 

brought to the plantation. After the initial 

purchase of the 200 acres on Little Bayou 

Black, he acquired Hollywood Plantation (1,400 

acres) and additional acres for Southdown 

Plantation (6,000 acres) in Terrebonne Parish 

and Waterloo Plantation (1,900 acres) in 

Ascension Parish. 

W. J. married Rebecca Gustine of Carlisle, 

Pennsylvania, on July 7, 1829. They met while 

he was attending university at Philadelphia. 

The position of overseer in those early 

plantation days was difficult because of the 

amount of work and responsibility. The 

following are some examples of the rules and 

regulations at the plantation. 

• The overseer is to be personally responsible 

to see to the feeding and currying of the 

horses and mules every day while they are at 

work or he is to require certain hands to see 

to the feeding and currying of the mules and 

horses, who shall be detailed specifically for 

this purpose. 

• The overseer is to keep accurate account of 

all plantation implements, tools, etc. and 

inventory all the same on hand quarterly. 

• In order to see that each hand performs his 

appointed task or daily amount of labor, the 

overseer is to treat all slaves with kindness 

and humanity, not to whip cruelly or 

unnecessarily, not to beat, bruise or maim 

any slave, not to work hard, whip severely or 

otherwise ill-treat woman with child, not to 

permit one Negro to whip another, to allow 

no quarrelling, fighting or cursing among the 

slaves…to keep accurate account of the daily 

production and to carry out rules for the 

management of the slaves. 

The slaves attached to Southdown Plantation 

originated from several different plantations. It 

is believed that Minor transported several slaves 

from Concord Plantation in Natchez to 

Terrebonne in the 1820s. Records indicate that 

Minor had 40 slaves at Southdown in 

1830. When he purchased Waterloo Plantation 

in Ascension Parish he also acquired 183 

slaves which many were subsequently 

transferred to Southdown and Hollywood 

Plantations in the 1830s. In 1840 records 

indicate that there were 210 slaves in 

Terrebonne Parish listed under Minor. 

Hollywood Plantation was purchased in 1855 

and by July 1857 had 58 slaves with 128 slaves 

reported in the 1860 census. Minor recorded in 

January of 1859 that he had a total of 399 slaves 

at his Louisiana plantations; 176 at Southdown, 

165 at Waterloo and 58 at Hollywood. Minor’s 

records show he had 477 slaves, 203 at 

Southdown consisting of 85 men and boys, 64 

women and girls and 54 children. 

It was no secret that Rebecca Gustine Minor, 

native to the state of Pennsylvania, was an 

abolitionist. She expressed in many letters with 

family and friends that she did not agree with 

slavery, but could see no other way the business 

could be conducted successfully. Her influence 

is evident in the treatment of the slaves at 

Southdown Plantation by the rules and 

regulations in place and the lifestyles led by 

these slaves. 

W. J. documented the requirements, rights, 

and offerings to the hands on the plantation. 

Rations for each field hand at the plantation 

consisted of three and a half pounds of pork or 

bacon per week, as much bread and molasses as 

 

A member of the Eugene Bonvillain 

family milking cows. The Bonvillain 

family worked for the Southdown 

plantation for generations. 



C h a p t e r 4 ✦ 3 5

he could eat, and vegetables of the season—as 

many as he can eat. 

The slaves were also allowed to maintain 

their own vegetable gardens and to keep 

chickens or other fowls. In some cases the 

chickens and eggs were sold to the plantation 

either for cash, sweets or tobacco. Clothes made 

on the plantation were provided along with a 

pair of shoes per year. 

Minor had specific instructions for the 

running of the plantation. 

must not strike the negroes with anything but his 

whip, except in self-defense—He must not cut 

the skin when punishing, nor punish in a passion—He 

must not use abusive language to nor 

threaten the negroes, as it makes them unhappy 

and sometimes induces them to run away. 

Those who worked under the overseers were 

called drivers. Generally, these were Negro men 

who held a considerable importance in the 

production of crops. Their duties according to 

Minor’s journals were as follows: 

When the weather is fine, push the work. 

When the weather is bad, cold and wet, keep the 

hands out of it as much as possible and let them 

get in earlier at night…. 

People must be well taken care of when sick 

and must be punished ALWAYS if they lay up 

when not sick. Discipline, strict discipline must 

be maintained at all times—no fighting or quarreling 

must be allowed—nor must bad language 

be used by anyone at any time…. 

Holy days—Give from Christmas Eve to the 

Monday morning following—They can dance in 

the shop…. Give a barrel of flour, ¼ of a barrel 

of sugar to make cakes—one hog for supper. 

Strict decorum must be preserved at the Ball— 

no one must wear a hat in the room. 

While the life of a slave was by no means a 

life to be envied, W. J. documented in his 

accountings slaves who were paid for their 

work. These slaves could buy things at the 

company store or save up to buy their own or 

someone else’s freedom. 

No doubt Rebecca’s views were partially 

responsible for instructions given to the 

overseers on the plantations. 

He must obey all the orders of the Overseer. 

He must see that all the hands under him in the 

field, do their duty, and punish them in a proper 

manner unless they do. He must not allow any 

loud talking or quarreling in the field or in the 

Quarter, or on the place…. 

He must take care that the people do not 

leave the Quarters without permission that they 

are all in or at their houses, at the proper time 

after the ringing of the bell…. 

He must not allow the Negroes to use or keep 

or drink spirituous liquors of any kind, and 

above all must not do it himself. 

He must never in punishment cut the skin or 

bruise in any way, the person punished…. He must 

never strike with anything but the lash of his whip. 

He must treat all the Negroes alike, showing 

neither love nor hatred to anyone, but be just in 

all things to all. 

He must so conduct himself as that there 

shall be no complaints of his being too intimate 

with the wives and daughters of the other men. 

He must by no means attempt to (be) come the 

Ondidonk over the people, for if he dies burnt 

brandy should not save him from the most 

severe punishment. 

He will give the whole of his time and 

talents to the interests of his employer. He 

must treat all the negroes with kindness and 

humanity both in sickness and in health - When 

sick he must see that they have every necessary 

attention and convenience and that the 

Doctors directions are strictly attended to in 

every particular. 

He must see that the hands are at work as soon 

as they can (see) to work and that one and all do 

good days work according to their strength…. He 

William John and Rebecca had nine children, 

eight boys and one girl. Their first child was 

John Duncan who was born in 1831. The 

second son, Stephen Minor, was born in 1833 

and died soon after. Then came William Minor 

born in 1834, followed by Stephen Minor in 

1836, James Gustine Minor in 1839, 

Henry Chotard Minor in 1841, Duncan Minor 

in 1844, Francis Octave Minor in 1849, and the 

only girl, Katherine Lintot Minor was also born 

in 1849. 


T H E S H A F F E R F A M I L Y 

P L A N T A T I O N S 

Like the Minor family of Southdown, the 

Shaffer family has a rich history in Terrebonne 

Parish. Sugar planters William Alexander Shaffer 

(1818-1921) and his sons Thomas J. Shaffer 

(1843-1915), John Dalton Shaffer (1875-1919), 

and John J. Shaffer (1876-1906) owned 

plantations in Terrebonne Parish that included 

Crescent Farm, Magnolia, and Ardoyne. 

C R E S E C E N T 

F A R M 

Founded in 1827 by William A. Shaffer, 

Crescent Farm was the center of operations 

for the Shaffer family land holdings. Built in 

1849 on Little Bayou Black Drive (Hwy 311), 

the plantation home was the center piece of 

the sugar cane farm that included its own 

sugar mill. 

The beautiful raised Creole Acadian style 

plantation house utilized numerous special 

design features, such as the broad spreading 

roofline with a symmetrical façade, the evenlyspaced 

windows, a front second floor porch 

accessed by a central exterior stairway, multiple 

fireplaces and chimneys, operable window 

shutters, and generous galleries. 

Crescent Farm continued to be a major 

producer of sugar into the 1920s. In the 1930s it 

was acquired by corporate processors. In 1969 

the house and current acreage were purchased 

by a private owner who undertook extensive 

restorations and renovations of the home and 

grounds. Purchase in 1986 by a local attorney, 

Crescent Farms is now used as law offices. 

A R D O Y N E 

P L A N T A T I O N 

Ardoyne Plantation is located on Highway 

311. The land was purchased by Louisiana State 

Senator John Dalton Shaffer, in 1888 and the 

home was completed in 1894. 

The home was built by architects, W. C. 

Williams and Bros. of New Orleans of cypress 

 

Built in 1858, Magnolia Plantation in 

Schriever on Highway 311 was part 

of the Shaffer family properties and 

one of many sugar cane plantations in 


COURTESY OF THE LOUISIANA STATE LIBRARY. 

Below: Ardoyne Plantation, built in 

1894 by the Shaffer family, still stands 

today in all its glory. 


C h a p t e r 4 ✦ 3 7

Washington, over 2,000 books, local plantation 

tokens, Native American baskets, Newcomb 

pottery and various antique quilts and furniture. 

In the time when sugar cane was at its peak, 

prior to the civil war there were more than 88 

sugar plantations in Terrebonne. 

O R A N G E G R O V E P L A N T A T I O N 

 

Along the banks of Bayou Black 

and onto the fields of sugar cane 

beyond where Greenwood Plantation 

stood. It was not far from St. Anthony 

Catholic Church. 



and pine taken from the property and milled in 

St. Louis. The plantation name of Ardoyne is for 

a Scottish castle that it resembles. 

Ardoyne has twenty-one rooms that includes 

seven bedrooms, four bathrooms and twelve 

fireplaces. The first floor boasts sixteen-foot 

cove-molded pine ceilings with octagonal 

patterns of beaded beams. Two rooms hold 

massive mirrors, one originating from a riverboat 

and another from a famous New Orleans hotel. 

In the entrance hall is the unique handstamped 

wallpaper and novel hand-painted 

staircase. Throughout the home are the original 

chandeliers and Victorian gothic gasoliers. The 

dining room fireplace hosts a pair of unusual 

hand-carved wooden griffins. 

Migrant workers of German, Italian and 

African decent were the main workforce of the 

land and received plantation tokens as pay. This 

plantation is one of the first post-Civil War 

operations and is an example of how the South 

transitioned from slavery to the Industrial 

Revolution. Members of the Shaffer family are 

still involved with the sugarcane industry today. 

Currently the interior of the home serves as 

museum and living space for members of the 

Shaffer family. They provide tours of the home 

and grounds and hold special events as well. The 

house is situated upon 8 acres with many stately 

live oak trees. 

Due to the unique architecture style, several 

movies have featured the house. Interesting items 

inside include an original portrait of George 

Orange Grove Plantation is located on Bayou 

Black Drive in Gibson. Built around 1850, the 

Acadian-style plantation house is nestled on a 

4.5-acre tract of land and is surrounded by 200- 

year-old moss-draped oak trees and a formal 

garden with 19th century pigeonaires. The 

house has a central hall double parlor plan with 

full front and rear galleries. It still stands today as 

a private residence. 

D U C R O S , B E L L E G R O V E A N D 

A R M I T A G E P L A N T A T I O N S 

At the north of the parish, in Schriever, 

several plantations were established. Like the 

plantations of Southdown and Ardoyne, many 

of these plantations were linked by ancestral 

ties. Belle Grove Plantation (which is no longer 

standing) is one of these that have a rich history 

and also a love story attached. The following is 

from Bettie Wurzlow of Armitage Plantation. 

A Victorian Romance or The Story of a Ring 

Many, many years ago, there were three young 

friends, Philip Armitage, James McBride and 

Sallie Winder. School mates they were also, as 

they attended the Guion Academy in Thibodaux. 

James, or Jimmie as he was called, lived in 

Thibodaux; Philip at the home of his father, 

Charles Armitage, about two miles south of 

Thibodaux, and Sallie at “Ducros”, the plantation 

of her family a mile farther south in Terrebonne. 

The three remained close friends. Later, after 

the Civil War, Philip asked Sallie to become 

his wife and upon her acceptance presented 

her with a very handsome diamond engagement 

ring. Before they were wed, however, Sallie 

became uncertain of her future as Mrs. Armitage 

and returned the ring to Philip, thus breaking 

her engagement. She remained single throughout 

her life. 


Philip never married, but Jimmie did and 

took as his bride, Emily Daunis in 1877. Her 

father, Marcellus Daunis, had acquired Belle 

Grove plantation on Little Bayou Black in 

Terrebonne Parish, building there his large 

Greek Revival plantation home. Upon the death 

of Mr. Daunis, Jimmie McBride purchased the 

interest of Emily’s brothers and sisters in 

Belle Grove and thus became the sole owner of 

the plantation. 

In the meantime, his dear friend, Philip 

Armitage, was in increasingly poor health. It was 

thought that a more salubrious climate might 

restore him and he took up residence 

somewhere in the West. But, alas, it was too late. 

Philip, realizing that the end was inevitable, 

summoned his old friend, Jimmie McBride to his 

side. He gave him Sallie’s engagement ring and 

received Jimmie’s promise to return it to Sallie. 

Philip died while Jimmie was there and his 

body was returned to Thibodaux and interred in 

St. John’s Cemetery in 1881. Then, Jimmie rode 

to Ducros with the ring for Sallie. But, in true 

Victorian tradition, she steadfastly maintained 

that she had no right to accept it and insisted 

that her old schoolmate keep the ring. 

Thereupon, Jimmie then gave Philip Armitage’s 

ring to his wife, Emily. 

Sometime later, a lovely portrait of Emily 

McBride was painted by John Genin, a wellknown 

artist of New Orleans. Philip’s ring is 

clearly visible on Emily’s left index finger, as was 

the style of the day. 

The McBrides had one little son, M. Daunis 

McBride, named for his grandfather, 

Marcellus. Another, Jamie, died at birth as did 

his mother, Emily. They are both buried at 

St. John’s Cemetery. 

Some years later, in 1889, James McBride 

married Mary Elizabeth Allen of Centerville in 

St. Mary Parish. She was the grandmother of 

Bettie Wurzlow. Daunis McBride was her 

mother’s half brother. Daunis inherited the 

Armitage ring from his mother, Emily. He then 

gave it to his bride, Nell Watson of Virginia and 

the ring was handed down through successive 

generations until it was last known in the 

possession of Emily Daunis’ greatgranddaughter, 

Sara Nell McBride. 

The family plantations, Ducros and Belle 

Grove are long out of Winder and McBride 

possession, but the Armitage Place was 

purchased by Frank Jr. and Bettie Wurzlow 

after World War II. The portrait of Emily 

McBride hung at Armitage until it was donated 

by the Wurzlows to Southdown Plantation 

House and Museum. 

One final note to this tale of friendship and 

romance is that each year, after Philip’s death in 

1881, on All Saints’ Day, flowers were placed on 

his grave in St. John’s Cemetery. Sallie Winder 

kept this tradition until her death in 1929. After 

that her nieces, Sarah, Nina and Louise Winder 

took up the tradition until 1971. Frank and 

Bettie Wurzlow kept the tradition in the family 

for 111 years of remembering. Frank and Bettie 

had one son, Frank who died at a young age, so 

the tradition of Philip Armitage has ended. 

B A Y O U T E R R E B O N N E 

W A T E R L I F E M U S E U M 

Renovated from an old shrimp cannery 

building in historic downtown Houma, the 

Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum at 7910 

West Parke Avenue opened in 1998. Visitors to 

the museum will see displays about the 

industries, traditions, wildlife and stories of 

Terrebonne. On select days, Cajun music is 

featured in the evenings. 

T E R R E B O N N E F O L K L I F E 

C U L T U R E C E N T E R 

This extension of the parish government is 

dedicated to preserving Cajun culture. The 

Terrebonne Folklife Culture Center at 317 

Goode Street offers classes on cajun dancing, 

cooking and duck decoy carving. Individuals 

and groups are accommodated. 

R E G I O N A L M I L I T A R Y M U S E U M 

The Houma Regional Military Museum is 

dedicated to the military history of Terrebonne 

Parish and those who have served the country to 

defend our freedom. Located at 1154 Barrow 

Street, the mission is to bring life to the memories 

and artifacts of the brave miltary men and women 

who so valiantly served the country. The museum 

is fluid, not static. The items that are shown 

within are working machinery. C. J. Christ, who 

C h a p t e r 4 ✦ 3 9

present for this committee: Stanwood Duval, 

Chairman; Seymour Dalsheimer, Clyde LeBlanc, 

C.J. Christ, Frank Wurzlow, Louise Dupont, 

Margaret Odom, Ernestine Ellender, Mr. Oddie 

Hebert, Fred & Sandy Nomey, Sydney Pellegrin, 

Mrs. Roy Stagni, Paul Fournier, Representative 

Hunt Downer, Jr., Byron Bennett, Paul H. Duet, 

John LaBruzzo, Fred Lemoine, Martin Bruno, 

M.C. Perry, and Temus Bonnette, Jr. 

L E P E T I T T H E A T R E D E 

T E R R E B O N N E 

 

The Regional Military Museum on 

Barrow Street in Houma opened 

in 2008. 

PHOTO BY DANIELLE EVANS. 

leads the team of dedicated people that impart 

their wisdom upon all visitors stated, “Our 

vehicles really run, our weapons really fire and 

our library acts as a place of research for both 

family military history as well as educational 

instruction. Our veteran volunteers offer firsthand 

accounts of what it was really like to lay 

one’s life on the line to protect our loved ones and 

our way of life. We are constantly updating and 

expanding our collections.” 

H O U M A - T E R R E B O N N E 

C O N V E N T I O N A N D 

V I S I T O R ’ S B U R E A U 

Located in the community of Gray at 114 

Tourist Drive, the Houma-Terrebonne 

Convention and Visitor’s Center houses 

information for travelers and is the home to the 

Houma-Terrebonne Convention and Visitor’s 

Commission. The Houma-Terrebonne Convention 

and Visitor’s Bureau was created from a committee 

within the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of 

Commerce in 1977. It was originally called the 

Tourist Agency Committee. In a resolution 

presented by Frank Wurzlow, Jr., to the 

Terrebonne Parish Police Jury and the Houma 

City Council, on January 16, 1978, it was stated, 

“To enact an ordinance creating the Houma- 

Terrebonne Parish Convention and Tourist 

Commission”. This resolution also stated that a 

2% hotel-motel tax would be included. According 

to the minutes of December 14, 1977, at the 

chamber office the following members were 

Formed in the 1938, Le Petit Theatre de 

Terrebonne or Le Petite Theatre is an important 

institution in the parish. The first play 

performed was the Night of January by Ayn Rand. 

During World War II, the group diminished, 

but reformed in 1961 with a production of 

Monique. This play was held in the new petit 

theatre building. 

The first president of the theater was Mrs. 

Andrew McCollam. Claude B. Duval served as 

vice president with Harold Dupont as secretary 

and Ashby Pettigrew as treasurer. The board of 

directors included Mrs. Floyd Bourg, Mrs. M. 

Funderburk, Miss Tracy Duplantis, Robert B. 

Butler, Jr., Robert Lottinger, D.W. Pipes, Julius 

Dupont, G.T. Millet, Nina M. Winder, Oscar 

Daspit and Mrs. J.W. Thatcher. 

“The theater is a place devoted to dramatic and 

musical performances,” stated Sherwin Guidry. “It 

rises from a central circle surrounded by stone 

slabs for the audience, rising tier after tier.” 

L O C A L 

F A V O R I T E S 

The draw of local cuisine cannot be 

underestimated in Terrebonne Parish. From the 

backyard barbeque to the fais do-do, two things 

unite the culture; food and family. A visitor to 

the area can find an assortment of local cuisine 

such as fresh catch seafood, jambalaya, gumbo, 

boudin, poboys and other Terrebonne 

specialties. According to Pere Terrebonne, a 

fictional character created by Clyde LeBlanc for 

the Good Earth Cookbook, “We stick to the old 

recipes, the kind that they used for 200 years. 

We like it so much we ought to be ashamed if 

we don’t pass it on to you! Food, food, food. 

Pick a special good food from any part of the 


world and we can match it, because we can 

grow almost anything in our climate and land. 

Our sea is so rich, our water so good, our people 

so hungry and what more do you need than 

good cooking.” 

The group consisted of nine girls and three 

boys—Gene Ellen, Rose Marie, Veronica, Cindy, 

Margaret, Monica, Amelie, Annette, Marie, Louis, 

Tim and John. They sang locally and regionally 

with others such as Waylon Thibodeaux, Ronnie 

Filce, and Cookie Domange. They travelled across 

the country and internationally, delighting many 

with their harmony of Cajun songs and lullabies. 

The business they started was a restaurant in 

Chauvin, La Trouvaille. It was open from 1980 

until 2003 and served Cajun specialties that 

could be found in the area. 

H O U M A O P E R A H O U S E 

L O S T B U T N O T F O R G O T T E N : 

B E S T - O - B U R G E R A N D Z E S T O 

Terrebonne Parish has had its share of unique 

establishments and attractions. One such place 

can brag that it was the first of its kind in 

Houma. In 1955, Pierre Leonce Richard and his 

brother, Laywood, opened the first hamburger 

operation in Terrebonne Parish. Best-o-Burger 

was located in downtown Houma on Main 

Street. Laywood already owned the Zesto ice 

cream store. The two brothers ran the business 

until 1962 when Laywood died. Leonce bought 

out his sister-in-law’s shares of both the Best-o- 

Burger and Zesto at this time. He opened two 

more Best-o-Burger locations that he managed 

until 1982. 

The Houma Opera House was built in 1896 

and it boasted a distinctive spire and once housed 

the clerk of courts office. The two-storied, 

wooden structure had balconies and a six-sided 

tower. Below the tower was the belfry. High steps 

led from the banquette to the building. The 

Houma Opera House bragged a bell that was 

sounded in the event of a fire. It was located on 

the batture side of Bayou Terrebonne, across the 

street from the courthouse. The opera house was 

demolished in 1928. 

 

Above: The culture of American teens 

was introduced to Houma in 1955 

with the establishment of Best-o- 

Burger. Long-time residents of 

Terrebonne Parish, Pierre Leonce 

Richard and his brother Laywood 

opened the first hamburger operation 

in the parish on Main Street. 

COURTESY OF HENRY RICHARD. 

Below: Zesto was the complimentary 

business to the Best-o-Burger in 

Houma. The popular ice cream eatery 

was open in Houma until 1982. 

COURTESY OF HENRY RICHARD. 

L A T R O U V A I L L E A N D T H E 

D U S E N B E R R Y F A M I L Y 

An institution in it’s own right, the 

Dusenberry Family Singers graced the hearts 

and ears of many a Terrebonne resident. 

Although they only made one album, the family 

sang together for over 40 years. Wylma and 

Gene married in 1948. They had 12 children, 

three sets of twins in the mix. Wylma played 

the organ at church and Gene played with 

the “Southern Playboys” in the late 1940s and 

early ’50s. The Dusenberry Family Singers 

didn’t start until 1964. The music was Cajun 

music from the areas where they were born 

and raised. 

H O U M A N A V A L A I R S T A T I O N 

At the onset of World War II (WWII) it 

became imperative to have military installations 

on native soil. Little is known around the world 

C h a p t e r 4 ✦ 4 1

Left: One of the k-class blimps at 

the U.S. Naval Air Station in Houma 

during the mid-1940s. 

U.S. NAVAL STATION PHOTO. 

Right: An interior view of the blimp 

hangar at the U.S. Naval Air Station 

in Houma. The massive size of the 

structure can be seen in comparison to 

the people and the cars. 

U.S. NAVAL STATION PHOTO. 

about the role of the Gulf of Mexico during the 

war. In the spring and summer of 1942, 

according to WWII in the Gulf of Mexico by C. J. 

Christ, “it was the deadliest place on earth for 

allied war shipping.” 

During May 1942, 41 ships were sunk in the 

area near Terrebonne. Christ continues with, 

“Those who lived during those terrible months in 

South Louisiana still remember the southern sky 

aglow for weeks. There were tankers burning just 

offshore in shallow water near the Louisiana coast, 

south of Last Island, Grand Isle and Timbalier Bay.” 

Apparently it was the directive of the authorities to 

make every effort to keep the information out of the 

media. Due in part to the German submarines off 

the coast in the Gulf of Mexico, the military leaders 

decided it was imperative to have to build a blimp 

base in Houma. 

In May 1942, the Naval Air Station (NAS) at 

Houma was commissioned to house the LTAs 

(lighter than air) airships or blimps. The NAS was 

located three miles from Houma near the airport. 

The first construction was a large hangar that 

would house up to three fully-inflated blimps. It 

was over 200 feet high, 1,000 feet long, and 300 

feet wide. While it existed, it was the largest 

wooden structure in the world. 

In May 1943, the United States Navy began 

conducting anti-submarine patrols of the Gulf 

Coast. This station also served as a POW camp for 

German prisoners who were approved by the 

United States government to harvest 

approximately twenty-one thousand acres of 

sugar cane in the parish. 

Later, a railroad was built to connect the hangar 

and the industrial section of the NAS. In addition, 

they built storehouses, officer’s quarters, a fire 

station and a pigeon loft. (Yes this was used for the 

homing pigeons). Eventually the NAS would get 

roads and walks, a barracks and a mess hall. By 

July 15, 1943, the station was fully equipped and 

functional, however the LTAs would cease use of 

the Houma base on September 21, 1944, due to 

loss of the airships in two tragedies. 

H O U M A A I R F O R C E S T A T I O N 

If you live in Terrebonne Parish you’re 

probably familiar with the jet parked at the 

entrance of the airbase on what is now 

Terrebonne ARC property at the corner of 

Grand Caillou Road and Moffet Road. This T33 

jet was flown to Houma, demilitarized, and 

placed there on display in the mid to late 1950s. 

In April 1955, the Houma Air Force Station 

was established. It was a Cold War U.S. Air Force 

General Surveillance Radar Station located on 

the present day site of Ellender Memorial High 

School and the Terrebonne Careers and 

Technical High School. It became operational on 

December 7, 1955 and was manned by the 

657th Air Control & Warning Squadron. 

The station had both a ground-control intercept 

(GCI) and early warning mission. The early 

warning mission involved tracking and identifying 

all aircraft entering our airspace while the GCI 

mission involved guiding Air Force interceptors to 

any identified enemy aircraft. Controllers at the 

station vectored fighter aircraft at the correct 

course and speed to intercept enemy aircraft using 

voice commands through ground-to-air radio. 

Initial equipment included the TPS-1D 

combination search and height finder radar, one 

MPS-14 height finder radar and one TPS-10D 

height finder radar. The station was abandoned in 

1970 and, in 1972, was dedicated to the 

Terrebonne Association for Retarded Citizens, Inc. 

now known as Terrebonne ARC. 


CHAPTER 5 

I N D U S T R I E S 

Prior to the great influx of settlers in the area, there were the French, Spanish, Acadians, and the 

Houmas Indians who had made this area viable. It was with the influence of these settlers that the land 

became valuable. The new interest in the land came in the 1820s when landowners in the north 

sought new lands to cultivate. 

S U G A R C A N E 

 

Sugarcane became the primary crop 

of wealthy Anglo-Saxons with 

holdings close to the Mississippi River. 



In Terrebonne Parish as well as other parts of the south like Natchez, Mississippi, the primary crops 

of indigo fell to a loss and it resulted in a depression in the area in the 1830s. It was this crop that led 

way to a new crop, sugarcane. Developed initially in New Orleans and brought to the continent by the 

Jesuit priests in 1751. The current ground of Audubon Park is the site of the first sugarcane plantation 

in Louisiana. 

Planters first put short pieces of cane, containing one or more eyes, which are growth points, in the 

ground in a shallow furrow and covered them lightly with soil. In a short time, new stalks grew from 

the joints of the old cane. After the growing season, which may average from seven to twenty-two 

months, workers cut the cane. The stubble left in the field will produce two or more additional crops 

in successive years. 

Technological changes have impacted the production of sugar from cane, not only the growth cycle, 

but more importantly, from the production cycle. The bulk of the cane is cut mechanically and loaded 

onto trucks for the trip to the nearest mill. Here in Terrebonne Parish the mills are gone, but in 

neighboring Lafourche there are two such mills; one at Thibodaux and one at Raceland. 

Some cane is still hand-cut with a cane knife, which has a sharpened steel blade about 5 inches wide 

and up to 18 inches long, with a hook on the opposite side of the sharpened edge, at the top of the blade. 

A cane knife has a wooden handle. Cutting cane by hand was a labor intensive process which required 

many field hands and overseers to complete the process. After the cane is cut, whether by hand or machine, 

C h a p t e r 5 ✦ 4 3

Above: It was beneficial to all sugar 

mills to be located on a bayou where 

water transportation was utilized. 

Several sugar plantations were located 

on Little Bayou Black. 

COURTESY OF THE R. R. BARROW COLLECTION, 

NICHOLLS ARCHIVE. 

Below: The emergence of sugar mills 

in Southern Louisiana stimulated the 

economy and brought economic 

diversity to the area. 



the stalks, as they lie in the furrows of the field, are 

burnt over in a fueled, slow, smoky controlled 

burn. This removes the exterior leaves and speeds 

the processing once it arrives at the mill. 

During the heyday of cane farming in 

Louisiana, most cane was moved by mule drawn 

wagon to narrow gauge rail lines which ran from 

central locations in the fields to the mill. In 

Terrebonne Parish, however, the bayous and 

waterways that nearly equal the land were a 

main source of transportation. Still, most mills 

had their own railroads, or as it was called a 

“dummy-line”. The name dummy referred 

generally to the engine portion of the line which 

had a muted or other noisemaker, so as not to 

confuse them with commercial lines. In later 

years, mules were replaced by tractors and still 

later by 18-wheeler trucks. Presently, the cane is 

loaded on specially designed trucks and trucked 

on local highways to the nearest mills. 

Eventually cultivated throughout the south, 

sugarcane took hold as the primary crop. The 

crops came in in abundance from 1831 until the 

mosaic disease set in in 1915. It was discovered 

that the canes were subject to a disease, root rot. It 

was the cause of severe crop losses. The prospects 

of complete loss of the sugarcane crop loomed on 

the horizon and were echoed in the professional 

journals of the time. The bright side was that 

several plantations in Argentina had experimented 

with varieties that were promising. The varieties 

they cultivated were resistant to the disease. It was 

unfortunate, however that few plantations in the 

United States knew of this new cane. If it hadn’t 

been for the fortitude of Southdown Plantation, 

specifically Elliot Jones under David Pipes and 

Charles Krumbhaar, the strain that was resistant to 

the mosaic disease would not have been 

introduced to Louisiana and eventually all the 

southern sugarcane producing states. 

The sugarcane industry began a decline 

shortly after WWI. It was not until 1924 that the 

gravity of the situation was fully recognized by 

Louisiana farmers. 

Under the administration of Pipes and 

Krumbhaar, Elliot Jones brought from South 

America the variety of sugarcane to USDA’s 

Washington greenhouse to be propagated. In 

1922, Jones hand-carried 21 internodes, (the 

eyes that grow off the stalk) of the new resistant 

cane for cultivation at Southdown. They planted 

four acres of the cane and in 1924 supplied 

nearly all of the sugarcane to the rest of the south 

for cultivation. The future of sugarcane was 

secure. Although the Southdown Sugar 

Corporation closed in 1978, it was a testament 

to sugarcane production for 150 years in 



B O U N T I E S F R O M T H E W A T E R 

Before the large plantations emerged in the 

parish, it was the tradition and the livelihood of 

those living in the ‘good earth’ to reap from 

what mother-nature sowed. Shrimp, oyster, 

crabs and fish were an important part of life in 

Terrebonne. There was less interest in creating a 

business for these delicacies, but to partake in 

their bounty for survival. Eventually, however, it 

became the industries of those in proximity and 

with the skill to take these to the masses. 

S H R I M P 

In the 1950s the importance of the shrimp 

industry was foremost in economic life. 

Terrebonne was still the major shrimp 

producing parish in the state. Situated along the 

bayous were eleven canneries, one breading 

plant, one “headlessing” and packing plant and 

one plant dedicated to freezing and shipping. 

Called “les chevrette,” the shrimp were dried for 

shipping to other countries such as China, 

which was used to be the biggest importer of 

Louisiana shrimp. In fact, the process of drying 

shrimp was taught to fishermen of Louisiana by 

Lee Yim, a native of China. In Terrebonne, 

Phillip Chauvin, Jr., credits Leopold Blum and 

Shelly Bergeron for the expansion of dried 

shrimp production. 

According to Leryes Usie, author of Terrebonne 

Parish, Louisiana: Our Bayou Parish, “As the 

history goes, Leopold Blum was a traveling 

salesman. He sold groceries and hardware 

supplies for his cousin in New Orleans, who 

owned Aglae Levy Grocery Company. Leopold 

traveled around Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana 

selling these supplies to various stores. Shelly 

Bergeron owned a restaurant called the Pelican 

Restaurant on the bayou side of Bayou 

Terrebonne in Houma near the corner of Main 

and Lafayette Streets. This is where the two met 

Leopold, who enjoyed the restaurant and the 

little poker game in the back room, and Shelly 

Bergeron, the restaurant owner.” 

Leopold did business with the large general 

merchandise stores down each bayou. One day 

while making his rounds, he was approached by 

a Mr. Authement asking Leopold to try to sell 

some of his dried shrimp. Mr. Authement had 

an abundance of dried shrimp in his shed with 

no sales for them. Leopold began selling a few in 

the New Orleans China Town area not profiting 

much from this. He then, through Dr. Leon 

Jastremski, made connections with Henry Luce 

in California who began selling dried shrimp in 

San Francisco’s China Town. He eventually 

made connections in China and sales began to 

soar. Blum and Bergeron was born. 

With the demand for the product on the rise, 

more people began dried shrimp businesses and 

built as many as 100 shrimp drying platforms in 

the parish. Some of the people involved in this 

industry were Thaddeaus Pellegrin, who had his 

platform at the end of Bayou Terrebonne called 

Sea Breeze. Other families were the Authements, 

Chauvins, Samanies, and St. Martins. 

In Louisiana there are two seasons for inshore 

waters. The brown and white shrimp caught 

during these seasons are similar in taste, but 

have different migrating and spawning seasons. 

With the introduction of the trawl in 1917, it 

became possible for shrimp fishermen to take in 

larger catches. 

O Y S T E R S 

Houma became famous for its oysters back in 

1910. Several families were major contributors 

to the rise of this industry which started in the 

early 1890s. They included Robert J. Younger, 

the Jastremski family, the Cenacs, Theriots, 

Labats, Engerans, and Voisins. The first large 

successful business venture was the Houma Fish 

and Oyster Co., LTD which began in 1891 

followed by C. Cenac and Company founded in 

1896. Even in the early days, sanitary 

conditions were monitored by the state and 

federal governments. A shucker was required to 

obtain a health certificate before he was 

admitted into a packing house. In the pamphlet, 

A Souvenir of Centennial Celebration, it was 

written, “As a food the oyster is one of the 

greatest delicacies from the sea. When fat, 

luscious and tender, it is easily digested and is 

nutritious, wholesome and rich in elements of 

importance in our diet. Its composition is of 

such a character as to make it more nearly than 

most food self-sufficient as a diet. Recent 

investigations reveal that oysters contain an 

abundance of vitamin C, an essential element in 

C h a p t e r 5 ✦ 4 5

Oysters are harvested from the many 

reefs, bays and inlets on the coast of 

Terrebonne. 


our food for the prevention of scurvy. It is 

known that oysters contain about two hundred 

times as much iodine as milk, eggs, or beef.” 

It is obvious the writer is ringing the praises 

of the oyster. A serving, one cup, of oysters 

contains 169 calories, 6 grams of fat, 131 mg of 

cholesterol, 523 mg of sodium, 10 grams of 

carbohydrates, 17 grams of protein and 160 

grams of iodine. 

The discovery of oysters in the area was one 

of great import, however the mass production of 

them in Houma is credited to a method of 

transport for these mollusks. After harvesting, 

the oysters would be loaded on boats to be 

shipped to Houma for packaging. If there was no 

wind, the boats relied upon cordelles. A cordelle 

is a heavy rope. One end of the rope passed 

through a ring in the mast of the boat. The other 

end of the rope was attached to a trace. The 

trace fit on the end of the saddle for the 

mules that pulled the boats down the waterways 

to the processors. 

Around the oyster factories large piles of 

oyster shells accumulated after each season. At 

the turn of the century barrels of these shells 

were purchased by the towns and used as 

improvements for the streets. 

L O G G I N G A N D T I M B E R , 

1 8 8 0 – 1 9 2 5 

Prior to the oil and gas exploration was the 

agriculture and timber industries. Each impacted 

the area. Starting with the Spanish land grants in 

the 1790s, land was given to settlers. Known as 

a difficult and arduous landscape, giving away 

land in the coastal area was not easy. The 

challenges to the area were disease, predatory 

animals and isolation. It took the hearty to even 

contemplate a life on this frontier. 

The logging and timber industry was an 

economic boom in Terrebonne Parish. The areas 

of Donner and Gibson flourished during these 

years. The Houma Courier reported, “The local 

lumber industry has exercised a very 

exhilarating influence on the business interests. 

An immense sum has been invested in the 

lumber business here and the good results 

that have followed in the wake of these 

investments are too apparent to be denied.” 

The sawmills of Terrebonne Parish and their 

swamp land holdings brought in several 

millions of dollars and there were several 

thousand people employed working at higher 

wages than ever. 


Parts of Terrebonne’s logging industry 

in 1906. 



According to Luke Watkins of the Houma 

Courier in 1906, “The peculiar, and some say 

sad, status of the cypress lumber industry 

renders it utterly improbable that there will ever 

be any decline of a permanent nature in the 

prevailing prices for lumber. Each year witnesses 

C h a p t e r 5 ✦ 4 7

A gas well in 1908 in Lirette Field. 

COURTESY OF THE R. A. BAZET COLLECTION, 


an increase in the demand and it also witnesses 

a decrease in supply. Every stately cypress tree 

that totters and falls from the blows of the 

woodman’s axe, and yields its huge body to the 

mill’s humming saw, leaves a gap in the forest 

that will never be filled.” Imagine what others 

were saying as the cypress finally disappeared in 

1825. These 1,000 year old trees will never be 

available again. 

It wasn’t as if during the logging boom that it 

was the first time anyone ever cut down trees, 

but the scale of the operations along with 

technology increased the speed in which this 

occurred. With the end of the Civil War, 

southern states were forced to look at their lack 

of industrialization as one of the causes for the 

loss. Northern states were better equipped to 

perform goods and services because of their 

technology. Innovations were sought and a 

rebuilding of the economy in the south needed 

a new avenue. Author William H. Harrison 

wrote a book entitled How to get Rich in the 

South, and made the claim that the timber 

supply was inexhaustible. By the 1880s logging 

companies from the north were buying up land 

in Mississippi and Louisiana, forming timber 

companies on tracts of land of 10,000 acres or 

more. The government passed the Timber Act 

and by 1888 had sold off 5.7 million acres of 

timberland in the south. 

In 1889, a businessman from New Orleans, 

William Baptist, improved on the northern 

method of moving logs by pullboat. This process 

consisted of a steam engine mounted on a barge 

with cables that anchored it and cables that were 

used to extract the trees. 

O I L A N D G A S 

In September 1906, E.C. Wurzlow wrote in 

the Houma Courier, “There are many who 

believe and predict that Terrebonne will be an 

important oil field someday. Some borings have 

been made showing slight traces of oil, but as 

yet the find has not been important. These 

borings have not been pushed to sufficient 

depth nor such test made as to discover whether 

oil exists here or not in paying quantities.” 

With the success and spread of oil companies 

and exploration in the parish, his words seem 

funny today. 

The Lirette oil field, also known as the Old 

Houma Gas field was located about 18 miles 

southeast of Houma. It was discovered by 

surface indications and gas seepages. Until 

1927, when the gas was exhausted, it was the 

source of supply for the Southern Gas Company 

which served the city of Houma. When J. H. 

Thatcher brought in two large wells at Lirette 

Field, and gained the title of “Mr. Natural Gas,” 

he began an industrial boom. 

Houma was supplied with natural gas from 

the Terrebonne gas fields. Factories and homes 

were powered by the gas, found in abundance 

under the ground. Several families with the 

means drilled small wells in their yards 

and were provided with natural gas for 

many years. With the discovery of natural gas 

in the parish, the major industrial giants 

were able to add improvements to their 

industries. Six major sugar factories took 

advantage of this opportunity, and it was these 


innovations that secured previously nonsecurable 

markets from the 1930s to the 1970s 

for Terrebonne industries. 

The age of industrialization was upon the 

country and with it, the quest for more efficient 

energy. The oil and gas industry took hold in 

Terrebonne in the early 1900s. Both oil and 

natural gas wells were in the area. Though oil 

was first discovered in south Louisiana in 1902, 

it would not go into full production for the next 

20 to 25 years in the parish. As lumber did for 

the parish, so did oil and gas. It brought the 

investors to Terrebonne. 

The first oil production was brought in by 

the Texas Company in the Lake Barre and Lake 

Pelto Fields in 1929. In 1930, Caillou Island 

Field was discovered and was the largest 

producing field in the parish. By the 1950s, 

there were ten major oil companies and seven 

independent oil companies producing oil in the 

parish. In the 1980s the industry took a 

downturn, but rebounded again in the early 

twenty-first century. 

Texaco bought four freighters from the 

government and used them to store oil. They 

were placed offshore. These ships became known 

as Port Texaco. Prior to pipeline installation, oil 

barges shipped the oil to Texas for refining. 

Due to the unpredictability of oil well 

blowouts, this phenomenon gave opportunity 

for people to have themselves photographed 

with the great gusts of oil soaring into the sky. 

The occurrence of these blowouts brought 

spectators from far and near. The largest of the 

early well blowouts was at the Atlas Oil 

Company field in 1919. 

Prior to the opening of the oil fields, 

inhabitants of the isolated communities hunted 

and fished, planted and harvested oysters for 

the markets in New Orleans, trapped furbearing 

mammals and alligators in the swamps, 

tended gardens and livestock and grew 

sugarcane. Some of the skills and knowhow of 

these people were of immediate use to the oil 

companies, such as how to navigate the 

bewildering mazes of bayous and waterways in 

the marsh. 

Beginning in the late 1920s on vast parcels of 

land leased from the Louisiana Land & Exploration 

Company and the State of Louisiana, the oil giant 

floated and hauled rigs into the swamps, bayous, 

backlands and lakes and built production 

platforms, living quarters and tank batteries to store 

crude oil awaiting transport to refineries. 

A great deal of wealth was gained with the 

discovery of oil and gas, but it came at a high price 

to some who worked in the oil fields and on the 

wells themselves. The highly flammable 

substances were known to be very dangerous. It 

was possible, even common that sudden gushers 

of oil or gas had the potential to ignite, causing 

serious destruction and sometimes death. 

Still, the impact of the industries created not 

only millionaire landowners, but prosperity to 

the workers who flocked to the area. During the 

early days of oil and gas exploration, the area 

saw an influx of people. The introduction of the 

Texas Company, later known as Texaco was a 

significant contributor to people coming into the 

parish from Texas. 

 

A Southdown gas well in 1927. 



C h a p t e r 5 ✦ 4 9

In addition to jobs with the oil companies, 

many service companies emerged to deal with the 

needs of the oil industry beyond the rigs. One 

such company was owned by Edward Lyons. His 

business was to deliver groceries to the various 

“little” cities in the oilfields. Two of his boats were 

known as the Lillie Marie and the E.L. Lyons. 

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N A N D 

C O M M U N I C A T I O N 

Due to the amount of water navigation, 

floating vessels were required. The region 

allowed habitation only along the bayou banks 

and ridges. Beginning with the early pirogues (a 

flat bottomed boat usually moved with long 

poles), canoes, and sailed vessels, the 

inhabitants traversed the waters that made up a 

significant portion of Terrebonne Parish. 

Eventually there was the introduction of the 

steam-powered ship, and then the modern 

flotillas that move goods from here to there. 

The first steamboat, the New Orleans, was 

built in Pittsburg by Nicholas Roosevelt in 

1812. The ship would sail back and forth 

between Natchez, Mississippi, and New 

Orleans. It would make the round trip every 

three weeks bringing goods and people to the 

two port cities. The ship was 20 feet wide and 

116 feet long. It weighed 400 tons. Eventually 

the steamships made it to Bayou Lafourche and 

Bayou Terrebonne. 

It took many years, but eventually the roads 

went through in the remote areas. These 

roadways created the final web to connect the 

area with bridges and byways. 

One of the greatest accomplishments in 

the area was the Intracoastal Canal and the 

linking of the small waterways to it. Finally, the 

many byways could be joined into a 

comprehensive tributary. The waterway provides 

a channel with a depth of 12 feet that can 

accommodate barges. 

Due to the natural low, swampy features of 

the terrain of Terrebonne Parish, transportation 

and communication constituted a major 

problem during the early days of settlement. In 

addition to Bayou Terrebonne, which is the 

largest bayou in the parish, numerous swamps 

and coastal marshes abound, interspersed at 

frequent intervals with lakes and several 

additional bayous, of which five—Terrebonne, 

Grand Caillou, Little Caillou, Dularge, and 

Bayou Black—radiate from Houma. 

 

It was imperative to the newly 

established oil and gas companies that 

they utilized local companies to 

replenish the goods needed at the 

many oil and gas sites. Many 

companies were formed or expanded 

to accommodate the boom. 

COURTESY OF TOMMY LYONS. 


All of these watercourses drain into the Gulf 

of Mexico. These directional waterways, north 

or south, were easier routes than that of crossing 

swamps and marshes. To ease communication 

and transportation woes, the police jury of 

Lafourche Parish authorized a canal from Bayou 

Lafourche to Bayou Terrebonne in 1840. The 

connection was made to the west from Bayou 

Terrebonne to Bayou Black by the Barataria and 

Lafourche Canal. This canal passed through 

Houma and served the parish with an east-west 

waterway. With the completion of the 

Intracoastal Canal, the Barataria Canal was no 

longer needed and was filled in and turned into 

Barataria Street. In 1950 there were 50 miles of 

navigable waterways within a radius of 10 miles 

from Houma. The need for shipping by water in 

the interior portions of Terrebonne was 

discontinued with modern roads and trucks. 

Today many of these waterways exist only 

to show the past routes that were used or exist 

for drainage. 

As in the early days of the parish these 

waterways were used as a principal means of 

communication and travel. Settlements and 

plantations came into being along the bayous. 

The first roads were the cordelle roads 

constructed for the mules along the bayous. 

The implementation of a system of roads was 

an extensive undertaking, especially considering 

the low lying areas that were to be connected. In 

the early history of these roads, the parish 

maintained them under the supervision of a 

road inspector who was elected by the police 

jury. Each landholder was required to maintain 

such public roads as might pass through or 

meet his premises. It was mandatory that 

highways be constructed and kept open along 

all navigable waterways. 

The earliest days of modern communication 

devices were developed to help ease 

government and industries with wireless 

stations. Texaco was a major contributor of 

wireless bases in the area. These were two-way 

wireless devices. In a day where communication 

is instantaneous, it is hard to imagine the modes 

of communication of days gone by. In 1950, 

Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph 

Company had over 7,600 telephones operating 

in the parish. An excerpt from the state of 

Louisiana in 1954 stated, “There are 6865 

exchanges connected at Houma and 780 

working through the Montegut exchange. 

Extended scope service is furnished between 

Houma and Montegut whereby no toll charges 

are billed on calls between these two offices. 

Fifty circuits connected to the Houma exchange 

provide adequate long distance facilities.” 

Intertoll dialing was introduced at Houma in 

1953 which permitted the operator to dial a 

number to all points in the United States. It is 

just hard to believe we have come so far! 

T H E A M P H I B I O U S 

S U L P H U R M I N E 

A little known industry in the parish was 

sulphur mining. Although not considered a large 

sulphur mine, the operation at Bayou St. Elaine 

was located 38 miles south of Houma. The mine 

 

In 1855, travel and transportation by 

rail was introduced into Terrebonne 

Parish. During the Civil War train 

transportation was pivotal to the 

North for goods and troops. 



C h a p t e r 5 ✦ 5 1

attracted national attention in the mid-1950s. Its 

unique construction and operation made news 

in the day. The mine represented the first time in 

the history of sulphur mining that a hot water 

process was floated into place on a metal barge. 

In addition it employed a new salt water process 

instead of fresh water. 

The mine went into actual sulphur production 

in 1952 with the expected production of sulphur 

at 100,000 tons per year. The Bayou St. Elaine 

mine was hailed by experts as opening up new 

horizons in sulphur mining. 

Described by the company as “Freeport 

Sulphur Mining Barge No.1,” the amphibious 

plant was built upon a steel barge that was 200 

feet long by 40 feet wide. The barge housed 

furnaces, boilers and pipes necessary to treat 

and heat the salt water. 

The barge was shipped 70 miles from Port 

Sulphur, Louisiana, to Bayou St. Elaine and 

sunk for the operations. The interesting process 

of extracting the sulphur consisted of drawing 

the salt water from the marsh area and pumped 

to the top of the three towers 52 feet tall was 

heated by exhaust gases from the large boilers. 

After the sulphur had been melted underground 

and forced to the surface in molten form, it was 

pumped into a heavily insulated barge. Once 

the barge was full it was towed back to Port 

Sulphur where it was removed from the barge 

and allowed to harden again. 

H E A L T H C A R E A N D 

T E R R E B O N N E P A R I S H 

Beginning with the earliest settlers in the 

parish, the Houmas Indians, healthcare of many 

forms existed in Terrebonne. The early traiteurs 

(male) and traiteuse (female) of the French and 

Acadians, healed and kept the population 

healthy with natural remedies that came from 

land and sea. A traiteur combines Catholic 

prayer with herbal and natural remedies to cure 

common ailments. In some families, these 

healing traditions still exist, but with the 

progression of medicine through the last 200 

years, Terrebonne Parish has made a name for 

itself in the healthcare industry. 

Before hospitals, it was common for doctors 

to visit the residence of a patient in need of 

treatment. In fact, the initial hospital system in 

the United States started as almshouses or poor 

houses that treated ailing people. The Charity 

Hospital system started in New York and New 

Orleans in 1736. Therefore, the rural and 

affluent population in most of the country 

would never have gone to a hospital. During 

military conflicts, field hospitals were 

established to treat the sick and wounded, but 

were not often permanent structures known 

as hospitals. 

In Terrebonne one of the earliest hospitals 

was established by Steven Ernest Ellender, Sr., 

 

In 1935, Dr. S. Ernest Ellender and 

Dr. Willard Ellender co-founded 

Ellender Memorial Hospital a 

twenty-seven-bed facility at 221 East 

Park Avenue. 




M.D., and Willard Ellender, M.D., in 1935 at 

221 East Park Avenue. The structure, a 27-bed 

facility was the former residence of Senator 

Allen Ellender, cousin to the doctors. Operating 

as a private institution from 1935 to 1954, Drs. 

Ellender extended privileges to doctors in the 

area in need of hospital facilities. When the 

parish officials announced their plans to create a 

public hospital in Houma, the brothers Ellender 

sold the land to the police jury where 

Terrebonne General Medical Center is located. 

The new hospital tripled the amount of beds 

available for treatment in 1954 operating with a 

staff of eighty. Established over sixty years ago, 

Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC) is 

now recognized as an award-winning 321-bed 

facility with more than 1,400 employees and 

300 physicians. 

The many divisions of TGMC include services 

for cardio respiratory and cardiovascular care, 

critical care, diagnostic imaging, emergency care, 

laboratory and pathology, orthopedics, pediatric 

care, rehabilitation, surgery, a wellness center 

and a sports performance center. 

Bayou Oaks Hospital was established in 1985 

to serve the psychiatric and chemical dependence 

needs of the residents. The facility was a 98-bed 

hospital located in downtown Houma on Main 

Street in the original building that housed 

Terrebonne General Hospital. Bayou Oaks was 

sold to TGMC in 1999 and it was ultimately 

closed in 2004. 

The Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center 

began in 1978 as a teaching hospital providing 

clinical training to medical students and 

physicians. It has served the community caring 

for those who are uninsured or underinsured in 

the region. Norby Chabert stated of his father: 

Not only did my father bring the impossible 

dream of a charity hospital to the bayou region, 

but he fought every session, not only to have it 

funded, but he fought to keep its very doors 

open. He knew what it was like to grow up poor 

and have no health care…. It was his life’s 

mission to take care of the sick and the uninsured 

of the bayou region. Upon his death, his 

legacy of fighting for the medical center was 

rewarded by having “his hospital” renamed in 

his honor.... Chabert Medical faces the same 

deep cuts that used to keep my father awake at 

night wondering how he would overcome the 

funding shortfalls that threatened its closure. 

The 156-bed facility still serves as a 

training facility with inpatient and outpatient 

services for radiology, laboratory, emergency 

medicine, physical rehabilitation, pediatrics, 

oncology, pulmonary/critical care medicine, 

cardiology, urology, orthopedics, surgery and 

psychiatric care. 

In May 2013 a partnership between TGMC 

and Ochsner Health System was developed that 

continues to utilize Chabert Medical Center as a 

training facility. 

T H E H I S T O R Y O F B A S E B A L L 

I N H O U M A / T E R R E B O N N E 

The great American pastime, baseball, the 

sport long loved by the nation, took root in 

Terrebonne Parish with the Houma Indians 

baseball team in 1946. As members of the 

Evangeline League, the Houma Indians inaugural 

year of 1946 brought forth a championship title 

and scandal. 

New to the league, Houma didn’t have 

complete facilities to host the events, but by June 

of the first season benches and lights were added. 

The crowd grew as the season progressed. The 

excitement of the games increased as the Houma 

Indians won more and more games. It was 

predicted that nearly 100,000 people attended 

the baseball games in a year. This success and 

fame was partly due to the players who were 

breaking records and taking wins. 

After World War II the interest to once again 

start minor league baseball teams surged. It was 

a surprise to many that a team started in Houma. 

Gibson Autin organized a corporation and sold 

stock to the public, arranged for game locations 

and appointed a manager. 

Tom Smith led the team with what were some 

of the cast-offs or older players released by 

bigger teams and higher leagues. Houma 

acquired second baseman Mike Conroy and 

pitchers William C. Thomas, Edward Burkett, 

“Pat” Patterson, and Tom Perry. Houma would 

soon find out that this team was the right 

mixture to take them far in the league. 

Bill Thomas would go on to set records for the 

Houmas Indians, but he was known in the years 

C h a p t e r 5 ✦ 5 3

Above: The American Legion Park 

(1940-1952) was home to the Houma 

Indians minor league baseball team. 

COURTESY OF THE EVANGELINE BASEBALL 

LEAGUE COLLECTION, NICHOLLS ARCHIVES. 

Below: The Houma Indians minor 

league baseball team of 1946. 

COURTESY OF THE EVANGELINE BASEBALL 

LEAGUE COLLECTION, NICHOLLS ARCHIVES. 

following his reign as a man accused of cheating 

and gambling. The allegations against Thomas 

were never proven, but the damage was done. 

According to historian George W. Hilton: 

Houma opened the season on April 24, 1946 

with Thomas winning 11-3. Stands had not even 

been erected, but bleachers were shortly built. 

Lights were not installed until June 20. Most teams 

assembled in such haste do well to avoid last 

place, but this one proved little less than a world 

beater. It turned in a record of 92-38, .708, and 

won the pennant by 61/2 games over the Natchez 

Giants. Thomas pitched 353 innings in 47 games. 

His season record of 35-7 led not only the 

Evangeline League but all of organized baseball. 

The people in Houma and the surrounding 

communities were thrilled, but it did not last 

long, as on October 23, 1946, the Evangeline 

League held a formal meeting at Baton Rouge to 

discuss whether or not the league would 

add teams. It was at this meeting that Abbeville 

team owner, I.N. Goldberg presented an 

allegation that the Houma team was guilty 

of cheating. Several players were named in 

this accusation. 

On January 18, 1947, the findings and 

decision of Judge W. G. Bramham, president of 

the National Association of Professional Baseball 

Leagues named five players: Thomas, Pecou, 

Kaiser and Fugit of Houma and catcher Don 

Vettorel of Abbeville. There was no concrete 

evidence against the players and none were 

willing to confess to the accusations, therefore 

no official action was taken. Some of the 

players ceased playing or retired, but Bill 

Thomas went on to play four more years with 

lesser success. 

The Evangeline League ended in 1957 and 

it wasn’t until 2003 that Houma saw another 

baseball team based there. The Houma 

Hawks were expansion members of the 

Southeastern League of Professional Baseball 

who played home games in Houma at 

Southland Field. 

CEO was Gus Brown, Jr., with his son Gus 

Brown III serving as the general manager. The 

season started on May 24, 2003, but only lasted 

until January 2004. 


CHAPTER 6 

I N S T I T U T I O N S 

G O V E R N M E N T 

The first Terrebonne Parish police jury was assembled at Williamsburg (Bayou Cane). The initial 

meeting was held at Alexander Dupre’s house. He was compensated $10 a day for the use and the service 

of refreshments. A small courthouse and jail were erected on Dupre’s property. With the legislative 

incorporation of Houma, the government moved to the current courthouse square on Main Street in 

downtown Houma. The first mayor of Houma, who served from 1848 to 1856 was H. H. Rightor. 

Originally formed as a mayor who led a trustee system of government in Houma, the government 

underwent several variations including a mayor/councilman system, a police jury system independent 

of the Houma government, and eventually to the system of today. Currently the government is a cityparish 

unit governed by a parish president and a parish council. 

The first officers of the parish are listed as Benjamin F. Winchester, district judge; Francis M. Guyol, 

parish judge, notary public and recorder; Caleb B. Watkins, sheriff, H.M. Thibodaux, clerk of court; 

John M. Henry, coroner; A. Gross, road inspector and Leuffroy Barras, parish treasurer. The first post 

office was established at Houma on August 1, 1834. 

In the summer of 1981 a committee of city and parish officials, lawyers, businessmen and citizens 

drafted the parish Home Rule Charter. They then sent two proposals to voters. The first proposal 

consolidated the parish outside the city limits into one governing body with the city government still 

intact. The second consolidated that new parish government with the city’s. The first had to pass in 

order for the second to succeed and both proposals passed with a 14 percent voter turnout. 

In January 1984 the consolidation took effect. It created the position of parish president and the 

parish council and merged public services such as drainage, sewer, water and administrative offices 

making for better efficiency. 

 

Houma City Hall, c. the 1950s. 


C h a p t e r 6 ✦ 5 5

Above: The first Terrebonne High 

School in Houma was located on the 

corner of Goode and Point Streets and 

used as a high school from 1909- 

1918. It was then used as part of 

Houma Elementary as shown in this 

photograph, and torn down in 1976. 



Below: Visitor’s Day at Bayou 

Dularge grade school in the 1930s. 


The new Terrebonne Parish Consolidated 

Government now had more taxable property 

from which to draw its income. Taxes would go 

directly into one budget and no longer be 

divided between the city and parish budgets. 

Consolidation led to a more efficient 

government that eliminated duplication of work 

and increased the purchasing power. The timing 

of the consolidation also saved the governments 

from bankruptcy during the oil bust of the 

mid-1980s. 

Projects and work are now accomplished by a 

vote of the council with the parish president’s 

office carrying out those directives. The first 

parish president was Mr. Edward “Bubba” 

Lyons. The first parish council was made up of 

fifteen elected councilmen, Ulysse Guidry, 

Nolan J. Bergeron, Jr., Charles H. Davidson, 

Robert J. Bergeron, Julien D. Boudreaux, III, 

Barry P. Bonvillain, Louis P. Klingman, Jr., Robert 

J. Domangue, Willie J. Bonvillain, Jr., Percy E. 

Gabriel, Charles Duet, Calvin P. Bodden, Allen C. 

Bonvillain, Nathaniel Bolden, and Willis J. Henry. 

There are still remnants of the old policy jury 

system with other services divided in districts, 

such as recreation, fire and police protection, 

and road lighting. 

S C H O O L S 

Terrebonne’s education system is strong and 

thriving today. Starting with the earliest settlers, 


education was not high on the list of necessities. 

Survival was of highest importance. It was the 

very people who settled the area early who 

were persecuted within the education system 

that did eventually develop. A law was passed in 

1921 stating that children could not speak 

French in school. 

Starting with a five-member board of Henry S. 

Thibodaux, François Marie Guyol, William 

Sternin Watkins, Henry M. Thibodeaux, and 

Leufroy A. Barras, a school was built in 1849 

behind the courthouse in downtown Houma. 

Early in the territorial history of Louisiana, 

Governor Claiborne attempted to set up a system 

of education. In 1803 he had convinced the 

legislature to provide a superintendent for various 

areas to regulate schools. This legislation, 

however, had little effect on any area that didn’t 

want to or could not provide funding for the 

schools. Like churches in the rural parish, schools 

were developed based upon the need of the 

community and were supported financially by the 

community. By the time of his death in 1817 little 

progress had been made to tax property owners in 

a way that could benefit education. 

As happened all over the state, rural schools 

were established in some communities. There is 

proof that schools were established at St. Eloi in 

Bayou Dularge, a Dulac school, a Cocodrie 

school, Berthelot School at Ardoyne, a school at 

Gray, Forest Grove School at Bull Run Road, 

John T. Moore School at Schriever near Waubun, 

Daigle School at Chacahoula, Pellegrin School 

on Bayou Little Caillou, a school at Gibson, a 

Pointe-aux-Chênes school, Ellendale School at 

Bourg, Pharr School at Little Caillou, Chauvin 

school, Bayou Blue School, Cane Brake School 

on Bayou Grand Caillou, Ashland School, 

Falgout School and Porche School, also located 

on Bull Run Road. By the names of the 

forementioned schools, it is obvious that many 

of these schools were located on or near 

plantations in the parish. 

In 1858 a private school was established on 

property donated by Robert Ruffin Barrow. It was 

called the Houma Academy. In 1870 the 

building was sold to the Catholic Church and 

would become the St. Francis de Sales Academy. 

The first public high school, Terrebonne High 

School, was established in 1898. In 1908, bids 

were taken for a new building. It was completed 

in 1909 and was built for a capacity of 400 

students. This school was built on the corner of 

Goode and Point Streets in Houma. 

There are four other high schools in the 

parish. South Terrebonne High School was built 

in 1961 to accommodate the students of the 

southern portions of Terrebonne, Vandebilt 

Catholic High School in 1965, H. L. Bourgeious 

High School in 1973, and Ellender Memorial 

High School in 1988. 

L O R T O N 

S C H O O L 

One of the earliest schools in Houma was run 

by three ladies who were also sisters. Louise, 

Sarah and Nina Winder attended Peabody 

College which was a part of the University of 

Nashville, now Vanderbilt University. The 

education they received was excellent and set a 

background for the type of teaching they would 

impart upon the children of Terrebonne. 

At the cost of $5 per month a student was 

assured an education that was more than ready 

for any university. The hallmark of the Lorton 

School was the quality of curriculum coupled 

with discipline and the inclusion of individuality. 

“The Institution is fitted to the individual, not 

the individual to the institution,” was one of the 

quotes from the Lorton brochure. 

The school started in 1903 with 11 students. 

The population of Houma was around 3,300, 

but the town and the school quickly grew. The 

 

Many of the most affluent and 

influential people of Terrebonne 

Parish attended the Lorton School. 

Pictured is the diploma of John 

Shaffer of Ardoyne Planation. 



C h a p t e r 6 ✦ 5 7

Old St. Francis de Sales boys school in 

Houma from 1940. 



reputation of the school spread throughout the 

state. The Winder sisters housed and taught 

those who came from far away. The school 

continued until 1940 when the sisters decided it 

was time to retire. The property was sold by the 

Winder family in 1974 for the development of 

Terrebonne General Medical Center. 

T A R C 

Prior to 1953 there was no place for children 

with developmental disabilities to attend school. It 

was the foresight of Jeffrey and Nellie Guidry that 

made it possible. Their daughter, Diana, developed 

a very high fever at a young age which left her able 

to walk, communicate and other simple things, 

but she was never going to be able to attend a 

regular school. Mr. Guidry was working for an 

insurance company at this time and he frequently 

visited people in their homes where he discovered 

that there were many children with intellectual 

disabilities in the parish who were hidden away or 

even put into institutions. With great 

determination, the Guidrys located other families 

interested in a school for their special children. 

Together they contacted civic organizations 

and finally the school board. They were granted a 

classroom in Terrebonne Elementary School in 

1953 and the first teacher of 8 students was 

Mrs. Yvonne Pellegrin. The program continued, 

but in 1960 lack of money and interest left the 

class abandoned. 

As the environment of the country started to 

change, awareness of equal rights helped to 

revitalize the program and organized it as a nonprofit 

under the name of Terrebonne Association 

for Retarded Citizens (TARC). Soon after, in 1963, 

state laws were enacted requiring local boards to 

accommodate people with intellectual and other 

developmental disabilities into the public school 

system. A year later, TARC rented a house on 

Goode Street in Houma and started again. Within 

a few years Wonderland Day Care Center was 

created and had two classes. Eventually they 

moved to a building adjacent to the Municipal 

Auditorium where they expanded to four classes 

and purchased a bus to transport the students. 

It was soon seen in the other communities of 

the parish that there was a need for more 

schools of its kind and Bayou Day Care Center 

was established at Montegut and Grand Caillou. 

In 1976 the Parish Council was able to further 

fund TARC with a millage tax and the centers 

around the parish were combined into one at 

yet another location. 

Since the first days of its inception, TARC has 

grown as an organization and has added not only 

by numbers but in curriculum and with the 

inclusion of a variety of vocational programs. 

S O U T H D O W N H I G H S C H O O L 

Built in the 1952, Southdown High School was 

designated as a black-only campus. Segregationists 


in the government made it abundantly clear that 

education of the children was better if separate. 

According to Education in Louisiana, published in 

2012, “The state of education in Louisiana at the 

turn of the twentieth century was so dim and 

uneventful that there has been little written about 

it. The one significant event for education that did 

occur at the cusp of the twentieth century was the 

writing of a new state constitution in 1898. 

Legislatively, it enacted changes in education both 

for the better and the worse. The provision which 

had the most significant positive effect on 

education in later years was enabling local special 

tax elections for the support of public schools. On 

the negative side, the constitution included a 

mandate for schools segregated by race. This 

remained the status quo until 1965.” 

The school was built at the cost of $300,000 

and was to serve students from grades fifth to 

twelfth. Southdown High School now operates 

as an elementary school with a sign that reads 

Southdown School. 

H O U M A I N D I A N S C H O O L S 

According to information gathered from 

Southdown Plantation House and Museum, in 

1917 families and individuals of the Houma 

tribe weren’t allowed to attend public schools. 

The schools in Terrebonne were for “whites” 

only. There were specially designated schools for 

black and Indian students. As explained by 

Oradel Morris, their exclusion from white public 

schools ranks second only to the loss of their 

 

Southdown High School was founded 

in 1952 serving black students in 

grades 8 through 12. 

COURTESY OF THE TERREBONNE PARISH 

SCHOOL DISTRICT. 

Below: Children and a teacher in front 

of a Native American school in Dulac 

in the 1930s. 


C h a p t e r 6 ✦ 5 9

traditional lands in the emotions stirred within 

carriers of the Houma tradition. It was indeed a 

struggle that many of the Houmas Indians 

viewed as intentional. 

“They didn’t want the Indians to have a 

school. They would come around every four 

years to see how many children came to school. 

Survey results never went further than Houma, 

maybe to the courthouse but not to Baton 

Rouge,” stated Henry Billiot who went to court 

in 1917 to compel the Terrebonne Parish School 

Board to admit his three sons to the local white 

school which was along Bayou Dularge. 

The question was posed to the judge about 

why he didn’t want the Houmas Indians in the 

schools to which the judge replied, “You see, the 

Indians see too clearly. If they’re sent to the 

schools, they would see better, they would see 

what all was taken from them. So we have to 

keep them in the dark. Because those Indians, 

they’re smart.” 

Indians were able to attend a school on Pointau-Barré, 

a concentrated Indian community 

along Bayou Barre east of Bayou Terrebonne, 

from about 1904 to 1910. The reason is not clear 

why this school ceased, but both white and 

Indian children attended. Henry Billot’s 

challenge failed and no legal proceeding was 

attempted again until 1964. 

The Houmas Indians attempted appeals to 

the school board on several occasions. Houma 

tribe member Ida Maire Dion Fazzio vividly 

recalled the time her parents joined other 

relatives in 1922 in traveling to Thibodaux by 

boat seeking an Indian school for children of the 

lower Dulac area. The two-day effort brought no 

results, but Ida remembers a whites only school 

was built in neighboring Grand Caillou about 

five years later. 

Ida’s father, Jean Charles Dion, was also in 

contact with two men seeking to organize the 

tribe in the 1930s. They were Gabrielle LaBolle 

and Ernest Coycault. The men traveled and 

interviewed families discussing history and 

genealogy and concluded that the visible 

challenge to the success of the tribe was the lack 

of schools. In 1930, the school board did 

respond to a request for an Indian school in the 

area “below Dulac.” Superintendent H.L. 

Bourgeois was authorized to survey the school 

needs of the Indians living below Dulac, and, if 

conditions, warranted, they would provide a 

school for the children. No report was ever filed 

on record and no parish school was opened. At 

this time the number of school age Houma 

Indian children was assessed at 526. 

In August 1939 the school board under 

Bourgeois approved, beginning with the 1939- 

1940 school year, to operate a school on Isle de 

Jean Charles, one on Bayou Terrebonne below 

Montegut, one on Bayou Grand Caillou, and one 

on Bayou Dularge. Each of these schools were to 

be operated for a session of eight months and 

each would have one teacher who would be paid 

$50 per month. The lower Montegut School was 

established and functioned until 1943. 

A few parochial schools were open to Native 

Americans. The school board also approved of 

them attending the black schools, though they 

refused. Dr. Willard W. Beatty, Director of Indian 

Education, Office of Indian Affairs for the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, wrote in the 1942 

Louisiana Educational Survey: 

There are missions among the Houma 

operated by Catholic, Methodist and Baptist 

churches, enrolling possibly one hundred fifty 

other Indian children, for some form of 

schooling. Two of these missions are near Pointeaux-Chênes, 

the Methodist Mission being near 

Dulac. Despite the good will which has animated 

those operating these missions, their funds have 

been exceedingly limited and their efforts have 

not been wholly productive. 

In 1963 a lawsuit named Margie Willa 

Naquin vs. Terrebonne Board of Education, 55 

Houma children were listed as plaintiffs. It was 

their desire to attend South Terrebonne High 

School. The court ruled in their favor. Rita Duthu 

Dion registered at South Terrebonne High School 

for the 1955-56 school year where she graduated 

with honors as the first Indian to receive a 

diploma in an integrated Terrebonne school. 

F L E T C H E R T E C H N I C A L 

C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E 

In 1948, Governor Earl Long signed a bill 

which created a new college system in Terrebonne, 

Lafourche, Assumption, St. James and St. Charles 

parishes. This system was intended to teach and 


give vocational training such as drafting, carpentry, 

auto mechanics and other similar fields. 

The first location of Fletcher was donated by 

the Terrebonne School Board at St. Charles Street. 

In 2014 a new building was opened in Schriever. 

The campus is now a part of the Louisiana 

Community and Technical College system. 

L I B R A R I E S 

The Terrebonne Parish Library had many 

homes and names in the beginning. First called 

B.E.S.T.W.S, after the first letter of the last names 

of the six charter members, it started in 1927. 

The social club was started with the intention to 

be devoted to the discussion of books. Charter 

members, Jessie Lea Bethume, Harriet Elster, 

Ruth Smith, Eunice Thompson, Margauerite 

Watkins and Helen Smith gathered for two years 

when they decided to try to provide community 

service in the form of a library. A new name was 

given the club, the Terrebonne Library Club. 

In 1929 the club had grown to 13 members 

and operated a library consisting of 428 donated 

volumes in the People’s Bank Building that was 

located on the 300 block of Main Street. It was 

open to the public three days a week and 

eventually Sylvia Ray Johnson was hired as the 

first librarian. She was paid by member dues, 

overdue book fines, private donations and some 

assistance from the city and parish governments. 

The second home for the library, the Daspit 

Building, would house the growing library until 

June 8, 1934. There were concerns among 

members that their small numbers of volunteers 

could handle the growing institution. The members 

contacted the State Librarian, Essae Martha Culver 

and the Louisiana Library Commission who agreed 

after meeting with the club that they would manage 

the operations for a year with the agreement that 

the library would be locally run after that time. 

On November 5, 1939, the new library 

opened at a house on the corner of Roussell and 

Verret Streets. Just one year later a 1 mill property 

tax was overwhelmingly approved for continued 

library services and the Terrebonne Parish 

Library Board of Control was formed. Though the 

wood-framed house that boasted a reading room 

with a fireplace served for 13 years, a brand new 

building of 8,500 square feet was built in August 

of 1953 on the same location. 

Terrebonne Parish Library operated with little 

improvements for the next 40 or more years 

until the library board did an assessment in 1996 

of the system which revealed problems with 

collections, employee issues, and noncompliance 

with the Americans with Disabilities 

Act and lack of technology upgrades. 

 

Terrebonne Parish demonstration 

library in Houma from 1939 to 1953 

at the corner of Roussell and Verret 

Streets. A new library was built in 

1953 at the same location. 


C h a p t e r 6 ✦ 6 1

Dedication of St. Francis de Sales 

Catholic Church in 1930s. 


The library board again sought to evoke the 

community in the refurbishing of the library 

system. In 1997, the voters were asked to renew 

and increase the property tax millage. The tax 

was defeated by 62%. A year later the library 

board once again appealed to voters, this time 

asking for a quarter cent sales tax. The measure 

passed with 51% which would increase the 

funds from $1 million to $6 million. With these 

increased revenues, the old library, an 8,500- 

square-foot, 52-year-old building on Roussell 

Street would be replaced by a 70,000-squarefoot, 

state-of-the-art structure on the bayou side 

near the Southdown Cemetery. It was completed 

in 2003 and has been voted in recent years to be 

one of the finest library systems in the country. 

In addition to the main branch, there are 8 

other branches located respectively in Bourg, 

Chauvin, Dularge, East Houma, Gibson, Dulac, 

Montegut and Gray. 

N E W S P A P E R S 

united many communities the world over. 

Terrebonne Parish is no exception. Within the 

parish there are at least 80 churches. They range 

from Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, 

Presbyterian, and non-denominational. 

The first church cathedrals appeared in the 

parish in the late 1840s and the early 1850s. 

There is record of the United Methodist Church 

erecting a structure in 1845. It lacked in 

membership among the earliest inhabitants of 

the area due to the fact that they only sent 

English-speaking pastors to heavily Frenchspeaking, 

Catholic inhabitants. St. Francis de 

Sales Catholic Church was founded in 1847 with 

Rev. Z. Laveque as its first pastor. In the 1850s, 

St. Matthew Episcopal Church began in Houma 

as well. 

The earliest history of newspaper 

communication in the parish is the Houma Ceres, 

which was publishing the police jury news as 

early as 1855. Another publication known as the 

Civic Guard published sessions and minutes of 

the police jury in 1860. However, in 1865 the 

police jury went out of parish to the Thibodaux 

Louisianan as their publisher of choice until 

another in Terrebonne could be started. After 

this there was the Terrebonne Banner and the 

Terrebonne Republican. The Terrebonne Republican 

was under the direction of F. R. Wright and it 

published the police jury news until 1877. After 

that, the printing was taken over by the 

Terrebonne Progress, run by Edward L. Tinker. 

The Houma Courier was established as the official 

parish publication in 1879. It was established in 

1878 by B. F. Bazet. Another newspaper, the 

Terrebonne Patriot, was founded in 1878 with its 

goal to “oppose the evils of reconstruction”. The 

Houma Courier still exists today as a daily paper 

along with The Times, a weekly newspaper. 

C H U R C H E S 

At the center of many communities in 

Louisiana was the formation of the local church. 

A place for people to gather and worship has 

S T . F R A N C I S D E S A L E S 

C A T H O L I C C H U R C H 

When the French, Spanish and Acadians 

settled in the area, their main religion was 

Catholic. In fact at one point under Spanish 

rule, a person applying for a land grant had to 

be Catholic. The parish was founded in 1847 

with the first church built in 1848. In the 1920s 

a hurricane seriously damaged the building. The 

present church was built in 1936 with the 

support of Rev. August Vandebilt. 


In 1870, the first catholic school for the 

church was started by the Sisters of the 

Marianites of the Holy Cross. First named 

the Houma Academy, the sisters stayed at a 

building on site of the church. Houma Academy 

initially only instructed girls, but eventually 

another building housed the boys. In 1966 

Vandebilt Catholic High School was completed 

for both boys and girls to attend. 

S T . M A T T H E W ’ S 

E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H 

The second oldest church in Houma was 

built on property donated by Robert Ruffin 

Barrow (five lots) and Henry C. Minor (two lots) 

in the recently incorporated downtown Houma. 

The church was officially chartered on May 15, 

1855. The first rector was the Reverend Moses 

E. Wilson. The church was built on what is now 

Barrow Street in 1858. 

With the unease of the country’s political and 

financial situation prior to the civil war, the area 

which had been heavily settled by northern 

businessmen, was sometimes at odds with their 

southern counterparts. It was no different with 

the first two rectors at St. Matthew’s. Father 

Wilson, a native of New York, became a 

chaplain in the Union Army and Reverend 

Stickney, left the parish to serve the 

Confederacy. It was a difficult time in 

Terrebonne during the conflict and 

St. Matthew’s went without a rector from 1861 

to 1867. 

With a succession of rectors through 1888 to 

1890 the rectory burned and the church was 

deemed unsafe. A new church, built of cypress, 

was completed in 1892. It was on the arrival of 

Reverend Dr. Gardiner L. Tucker, that the 

church began its expansion with missions in 

Little Calliou, Dularge, Montegut, Donner, 

and Gibson. 

St. Matthew’s School began operation in 

1970 with classes from pre-kindergarten 

through the 7th grade. In November 2010 

the church caught fire and was virtually 

destroyed. The facility was rebuilt and 

opened in 2016 with improvements for wind 

and water due to hurricanes. The new building 

strongly resembles the church that was built 

in 1892. 

C E M E T E R I E S 

Cemeteries were often related to churches, 

but in the earliest days of inhabitation, 

individual families set aside pieces of their 

property specifically to create a family plot. 

Southdown Cemetery is located on Little Bayou 

Black at what was at the time of Southdown 

Planation ownership at the furthest east end of the 

property. It occupies 5.172 acres and is now 

owned by Terrebonne Parish. It was established 

prior to the Civil War and likely as early as 1846. 

As of 2013 there are 386 additional burial 

records for people listed as buried at 

Southdown Cemetery. This information was 

gathered from South Louisiana records, the 

Terrebonne Genealogy Society, Social Security 

Death Index, Federal Census, obituaries and the 

Diocese of New Orleans Catholic Church 

records. Scientists who did a study of the area 

designated for the cemetery in 2000 discovered 

the area considered the cemetery proper was not 

the only area bodies were laid. The parish 

planned to build a new library near the site and 

it was discovered there were at least 12 bodies 

outside the designated area. The construction 

area was deemed clear of any human remains. 

During the late 19th century, burials were 

typically performed within 24 hours due to the 

 

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in the 

early 1900s. The church was built in 

1892, burned down in 2010 and was 

rebuilt and opened again in 2016. 

COURTESY ST. MATTHEW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

PHOTO RECAPTURED BY JO ANN LEBOEUF 

PHOTOGRAPHY. 

C h a p t e r 6 ✦ 6 3

lack of embalming. Some planters would allow 

work leave for relatives and time for burial, but 

often these funerals were performed in the 

evening hours after work was complete. A 

former slave recalled her experience: 

Back in de ole days we had buryin’s, we didn’t 

have e’balmers. When a purson died, we had to 

hurry an’ put ‘im in de ground right ‘way. Den 

later on we had a big fun’el, we had big din’ers 

an a whol lot’er preachin. Dere was one thing I 

nuber did lack ‘bout dem big fen’els, we had’um 

sometime six months a’ter de purson wuz dead, 

de al’ays tuk up co’lecktion. 

Coffins were simple wooden boxes made on the 

plantations. The graves were typically positioned 

east to west and the bodies were interred with their 

heads to the west so that they were not in the 

crossways of the world so that they didn’t have to 

turn around when Gabriel blew his trumpets in 

the eastern sunrise, according to an oral interview. 

According to the scientific survey, there was a 

difference in burial for free men and slaves. Free 

men were buried to the east and slaves were 

positioned toward the south. 

Many of the descendants of Southdown 

Planation and the other Minor plantations hold to 

a spoken promise by Katherine “Aunt Kate” Minor 

that the Southdown cemetery was to be for the men 

and women who worked at Southdown. It was 

reported in the Houma Courier when a group of 

churches and citizens wanted to gain control of the 

cemetery, “It is a very sacred place. We are the heirs 

of people who already paid for it with the blood 

and sweat of their labor. We deserve that land, and 

this was a promise a while back. That’s the only 

land some of those people may ever own, that grave 

that was promised to them.” The article goes on to 

add, “If a sense of entitlement is evident in 

statements from descendants, it is rooted in a backbreaking 

history of dedication to Southdown by its 

workers, who say they remained in near-bondage 

for a century or more after emancipation. Former 

sugar workers say they lived on the plantation 

grounds much as did their enslaved ancestors. 

They said they were paid pitiful wages until federal 

laws changed. For a time, after the Civil War slaves 

were paid in tokens that could only be used at the 

plantation store. This was eventually outlawed. 

In addition to Southdown Cemetery, two other 

graveyards were located on the plantation. The first 

was a “white” cemetery located at the “back” of the 

plantation, which we must assume was along 

present day Highway 182 at Bayou Black. 

However, there are records that indicate that Minor 

house servants, William and Fannie Franklin and 

their daughter Margaret Franklin and others were 

likely buried there. The other burial location was 

referred to as the “Italian Grave” originally located 

where the current U.S.D.A. sugar research center is 

today just west of Southdown Cemetery. 

The Minor family practiced the Episcopalian 

religion and provided meeting places for the 

slaves to worship in the same manner. There was 

at least one slave chapel at Southdown. 

 

Point-au-Barré cemetery south 

of Montegut. 

COURTESY OF THE T. I. ST. MARTIN COLLECTION, 



CHAPTER 7 

T E R R E B O N N E ’ S E N V I R O N M E N T : A V A N I S H I N G C O A S T 

There is a crisis that affects the people, businesses and land in Terrebonne Parish. Louisiana contains 

approximately 40 percent of the nation’s wetlands and experiences 90 percent of the coastal-wetland loss 

in the Lower 48 states. Of Louisiana’s land loss, 60 percent occurs in the Barataria and Terrebonne Basins. 

The coast is losing 25 to 35 square miles per year, with the Barataria and Terrebonne Basins losing 10 to 

11 square miles per year. At current landloss rates, nearly 640,000 more acres, an area nearly the size of 

Rhode Island, will be underwater by 2050. 

All of this loss will affect many aspects of the life in Terrebonne. Eighteen percent of United States oil 

production and 24 percent of natural gas production are generated by Louisiana. These products 

originate, are transported through, or are processed in South Louisiana. One-fourth of the nation’s energy 

supply depends on the support facilities in south Louisiana. 

Like the lighthouse at Ship Shoal in Theriot that suffered neglect and vandalism and eventually 

disappeared, the coast of Louisiana is in the process of vanishing. For years coastal communities have 

continued to shrink before eventually being wiped off the map. Names that used to be dots on the map 

are gone. 

Southern Louisiana is the fastest disappearing landmass on earth. There have been many factors that 

have attributed to this crisis. Both man-made and natural causes have affected the environment in negative 

ways. In light of the knowledge of the day, efforts are being made to fix this problem. 

 

A series of natural disasters in the 

1920s greatly affected South 

Louisiana and the farmers in the 

area. In 1927 the Mighty 

Mississippi overflowed its banks and 

destroyed not only crops, but homes 

and businesses. 



M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E W I T H C O A S T A L I S S U E S 

The people of Terrebonne are actively working to preserve their parish, their way of life, and their 

heritage. Efforts for the restoration and preservation of the Gulf Coast and its inhabitants are continuous. 

From non-profits to government entities, helping to solve the issues that lay before is a common bond. 

One such effort is the goal of the Morganza Action Coalition (MAC). The group formed a non-profit 

in 2006 specifically focused on advocating for authorization and construction of the Morganza-to-the 

Gulf Hurricane Protection System. 

The protection system is seen as essential to protect all interests of not only Terrebonne Parish, but of 

the neighboring parishes as well. The current activities of the coalition are to communicate with federal 

officials and push for federal authorization and funding for the Morganza project, educate Americans 

C h a p t e r 7 ✦ 6 5

Right: The Ship Shoal Light in the 

Gulf of Mexico near Theriot. 

COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Below: The southern swamps and 

marshes of Terrebonne Parish were 

significantly compromised by 

saltwater intrusion created in part 

from the channels created during the 

logging period of the parish in the 

early 1900s. The lasting effects of 

the saltwater intrusion has created 

some positives in the types of fish 

that were introduced into the 

area with years of changes to the 

coast and the environment. 


about the value of the region and the need for 

federally funded hurricane protection, and to 

support the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation 

District. 

One of the most important changes, with the 

assistance of MAC, is the passing in 2012 of a onehalf-cent 

sales tax in Terrebonne Parish that goes 

to the completion of the protection system. 

On the ecological side of the equation, 

specifically with coastal erosion, Restore or Retreat 

(ROR) was formed as a 501(c)(3) in 2000. The 

mission of this group is to “identify, expedite and 

aggressively engage solutions to urgently achieve 

comprehensive coastal restoration.” 

Working within the guidelines of the state 

coastal plan, these organizations are dedicated to 

the protection and restoration of the way of life in 


L A S T 

I S L A N D 

The loss of land is not only a reality it is an 

ongoing trauma. The stories of hurricanes, floods 

and loss are a part of the Terrebonne Parish history. 

Bill Dixon wrote in his 2009 account of the 

storm in Last Days of Last Island, “In its most 

disastrous forms, nature is the ultimate leveler of 

humanity. Antebellum Louisiana was a rigid, highly 

stratified society. Everyone fit into a particular niche 

—planters, wives, children, slaves, Jews, Italians, 

and members of many other groups. South 

Louisiana was a structured, predictable social 

environment. But on August 10, 1856, when the 

great storm roared ashore, one’s “place” in society 

mattered precious little. With life and death in the 

balance, position, power, and privilege were 

instantly trivialized. Courage and heroism and fear 

and cowardice cut across class lines.” 

Isle Dernieres or Last Island was an island 

roughly 25 miles in length and about 1 mile in 

width off the coast of Terrebonne Parish in 

southeast Louisiana. In the middle 1800’s the 

island was known for its popular and fashionable 

resort, a village with cottages and a boat landing 

where passengers and cargo from steamboats and 

other vessels disembarked. 

That fateful day in 1856, a hurricane 

completely destroyed the village, never to be 

rebuilt. Many wealthy businessmen and politicians 

were vacationing at Last Island. Many lives were 

lost. Numbers vary by accounts, but Dixon’s 

accounting puts the number of lives lost at 331 

with the number of survivors at 203. 

By August 14 more than 200 survivors were 

accounted for and returning to their homes. One 

man, William Rochelle, who was originally 

reported dead, gave the following account: 

He was saved by his two slaves, Bob and 

Jennie, who caught a billiard table as it passed 

them…. When it turned over twice, both held 

onto him…high waters pushed the billiard table 

into the swamps. 

A. C. Read had been swept thirty miles into the 

Gulf of Mexico, only to be carried overnight by 


the waves back across the island and into the 

marsh near Bayou du Large. Such were many of 

the survivor stories of this tragic event. 

H U R R I C A N E S A N D D I S A S T E R S 

T H A T A F F E C T E D T E R R E B O N N E 

Just as the positives of living in south Louisiana 

like culture, moderate temperatures in the winter 

and the friendly residents keep people living here, 

the negatives of Mother Nature test even the 

toughest of individuals. 

It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that hurricanes 

and tropical systems were named in the United 

States. Hurricanes in the West Indies used to be 

named after the particular saint's day they 

occurred on. At the beginning of the 19th century, 

an Australian meteorologist started to give them 

female names and in 1953 the U.S National 

Weather Service started to give them female 

names as well. Beginning in 1979, they were given 

both male and female names, and one name for 

each letter in the alphabet was given, except for Q, 

U, and Z. Every year, a committee gets together 

and decides on the hurricanes’ names from six 

lists of names that are rotated every year. The only 

time a new name is added is when a hurricane is 

extremely severe, damaging, and costly, then the 

name is retired and a new one is chosen. 

The first locally recorded system to affect 

Terrebonne was in 1856. Three other hurricanes 

in 1888, 1897 and 1893 did significant damage to 

areas of the parish. 

On October 1-2, 1893, an unheralded storm 

of great violence moved from the Gulf across the 

southeastern U.S. It devastated about 500 miles 

of the coastline from Timbalier Bay to Pensacola. 

Settlements along Lake Borgne, the Lower 

Mississippi, and the islands along the coast from 

the Bayou Lafourche east to the Chandeliers saw 

the brunt of the hurricane. Landfall was 

between New Orleans and Port Eads on October 

1. Winds of 100 miles per hour were estimated 

at Grand Isle and at Pointe a la Hache. High 

winds were noted as far west as Abbeville. A 

schooner 4 miles north of Pascagoula reported a 

pressure of 28.65". At dusk on the 1st of 

October, hurricane force winds overspread the 

coast. By 10 p.m., as winds continued to 

increase, water began covering coastal islands. A 

gigantic wave then crashed upon the shore of 

the north end of Grand Isle, destroying 

everything in its path. Winds went calm as the 

eye passed overhead between 11 p.m. and 

midnight. Winds began again in earnest after 

midnight, then tapered off by dawn. The storm 

surge was as high as 15 feet in Louisiana bays, 

16 feet at Chandelier Island. The Barataria Bay 

lighthouse was almost demolished. The 

Chandelier Island lighthouse took on a several 

foot tilt; waves at times washed over the 

lantern, which was 50 feet above sea 

level! Severe damage was dealt to the Lake 

Borgne lighthouse; its metal roof sheared off by 

the wind. 

The hurricane in 1909 was described by Bill 

Boyne as, “When the tidal wave came up, like a 

big, black cloud, it looked as if the whole sky was 

falling down upon us.” The water rose 16 feet and 

destroyed many homes on Little Caillou. 

 

Flooding from the 1909 hurricane, A. 

St. Martin Company at Lil Caillou. 



C h a p t e r 7 ✦ 6 7

Damage to a local home after the 

1909 hurricane. 



We fled from Madison Canal in two boats 

loaded with ice,” Boyne stated. On the way they 

picked up stranded neighbors. “Anybody who 

wanted to flee from the fury of the elements, we 

took aboard. We must have brought at least a 

hundred people to Houma. We melted the ice 

and gave the water to people to drink. There was 

water, water everywhere, but it was salty. 

This hurricane was known as the worst storm 

in the history of Terrebonne at the time. To date 

it took more lives and created more destruction 

than in previous storms. The Rhodes family of 

Bayou Terrebonne felt the devastation of the 

storm with a loss of property and life. Leon and 

Victoria Rhodes lived with their 12 children in a 

big home that was destroyed by the hurricane in 

1909. The story as told by a grandchild detailed 

that fateful day. 

That stormy day in 1909 the water in the 

bayou kept rising. When it reached a level that 

forewarned of impending danger, they knew 

they had to get away fast if they were to escape 

to safety. 

Victoria insisted she was going to stay with 

her house and refused to leave. Two of their sons 

garnered the boats and tried to tie them close to 

the house where they attempted to board their 

family onto them. 

But the force of the wind had reached such a 

great height, it would tear loose the rope each 

time. Time ran out. They were forced to leave 

their loved ones in the house,” the story goes. 

Victoria and their house was lost to the storm. 

The impact of the hurricane was described in 

the Planter and Sugar Manufacturer, September 25, 

1909, stated: 

The hurricane of Monday, September 20, 

1909, reached Assumption early Monday evening 

and it continued to rage until 8:00 that night. 

Every Sugar Mill in Assumption was hit hard by 

the storm, and smoke stacks, cane sheds, and 

hundreds of buildings were blown down and terribly 

damaged. Some plantations were struck 

harder than others but from last reports the damage 

on Elm Hall, which place was one of the hardest 

hit by the wind, will not go over 30,000 dollars. 

The cane crop throughout the parish was leveled 

to the ground, and the D74 canes were broken 

below the tops like splinters. The D74 canes 

are placed at about a 50 percent loss. Grinding 

will be delayed on nearly all plantations though it 

is reported that several places will commence 

grinding in about 12 days in order that the cane 

be harvested before it becomes too green from a 

second growth. Elm Hall, Westfield, Cedar Grove, 

and Oakley were the hardest hit. Bellewood 

Plantation was badly damaged. Sheds, barns, and 

hundreds of trees were blown down. It will take 

several more days before the full damage can be 

determined. The storm was the most terrible to 

ever hit this parish, and everyone feared for their 

lives. Every church along Bayou Lafourche was 

damaged, and the Napoleonville and Labadieville 

Bridges were severely damaged. Henry and 

Honore Dugas, Chas Dugas, Louis and Camile 

Rodrique, Henry Shaff, and E.D. Granelloni 

passed the storm at Sea Breeze near the mouth of 

Bayou Terrebonne at the Gulf. They saved themselves 

by remaining in a two-story structure, the 

strongest building at Sea Breeze. They were on a 

fishing trip since the 15th. Also in the party were 

Senator Marks, and Judge Paul Leche, but they 

left before the storm hit. Those at Sea Breeze 

fought for their lives for over twelve hours. Every 

part of the lower story of their camp was swept 

away, and with a 15 foot storm surge and waves, 

the water entered the second story, with winds of 

80-85 miles per hour the surge made the building 

look like it was in the middle of the gulf. All surrounding 

camps were swept away about noon 


Monday, and the Dupont Camp where the Smith 

party of four were staying, also went to pieces. 

The four occupants were seen floating on the 

roof of the structure in high seas. One of the party, 

M.F. Smith of New Iberia, was drowned. Out of 16 

boats at Sea Breeze only one boat survived, and it 

took 20 men with three ropes, over twelve hours to 

hold her. Clodio Belanger organized the party and 

showed them how to save the vessel. The survivors 

left Sea Breeze Tuesday morning on that boat and 

made it to Montegut. They got on a bigger boat and 

went to Houma on Wednesday morning. 

In 1915 over 300 people drowned below 

Montegut. Four of the victims could be identified 

as white. Those who could not be identified were 

assumed to be Houmas Indians. 

On August 25-27, 1926, a hurricane struck 

near Houma. The steamship Cody, while lying 

220 miles east southeast of Galveston reported 75 

mph winds while the Argon saw northeast winds 

of 100 mph near 27N 90.5W. The pressure 

bottomed out at 28.31" in Houma with estimated 

winds of 100 miles per hour at Grand Isle. 

Morgan City had 60 miles per hour winds howled 

through town. Over five inches of rain fell. 

In Houma, the sugarhouse was wrecked at 

Southdown Plantation. The Episcopal Church 

was “smashed.” Ninety percent of the sugar cane 

was gone after the storm. Serious damage 

occurred between New Orleans and Baton 

Rouge. Lutcher, Caryville, Burnside, and Gismer 

saw streets full of wreckage which became 

almost impassable. Many trees were uprooted 

and barns were removed from their foundations. 

Thibodaux and Napoleonville experienced 

winds of 120 mph. Houses fell as telephone poles 

splintered in the wind. The town of Thibodaux 

lost three churches, a warehouse, and ten stores. 

At Glenwood and Madewood, more than thirteen 

inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours. The pecan 

orchard in Schriever was gone. The third Timbalier 

Bay lighthouse was slightly tipped to the 

northwest. A ten foot storm surge was reported at 

Timbalier Bay; tides as high as 15 feet over-washed 

the southern coast of Terrebonne Parish, north of 

Isle Derniere. Twenty five people died. 

H U R R I C A N E 

B E T S Y 

On September 9-10, 1965, Hurricane Betsy, 

moving unusually fast through the Gulf at forward 

speeds of 22 mph, came ashore Grand Isle as a 

major hurricane. Winds gusted to 125 mph and 

the pressure fell to 28.75" at New Orleans. The 

sea level pressure there dropped to 28.00" at 

Grand Isle and Houma. Port Eads gauged winds 

to 136 mph. 

A ten-foot storm surge was produced causing 

New Orleans its worst flooding in decades, but 

they were lucky compared to Grand Isle, which 

saw a 15.7-foot surge on its northern coast and 

wind gusts to 160 mph. Wind gusting to 100 mph 

covered Southeast Louisiana. Winds of hurricane 

force spread as far west as Lafayette and as far 

inland as St. Landry parish. Even Alexandria and 

Monroe saw winds in excess of 60 mph. 

Storm surges were seen as far east as Mobile. 

Hundreds of ships, tugs, and barges were sunk or 

driven aground from New Orleans to Baton 

Rouge. Following the storm, the levee was 

elevated to 12 feet by the Orleans Levee Board. 

Offshore and coastal oil installations, along with 

public utilities, reported unprecedented damage. 

Fall crops were in ruins and many livestock 

drowned. Damage throughout Southeast 

Louisiana totaled $1.4 billion and 81 lives were 

lost, 58 of which were in Louisiana. 


A N D R E W 

On August 26, 1992, Andrew, a major 

hurricane, slammed into South Florida on August 

24 before striking the Louisiana coastline on 

August 26. Seven people died and 94 were injured 

across Southern Louisiana during Andrew. Winds 

 

Storm refugees in the Court Square, 

c. the early 1900s. 



C h a p t e r 7 ✦ 6 9

eached hurricane force from Lafayette eastward to 

the Atchafalaya. The highest gusts reported were: 

39 mph. at Lake Charles Regional Airport, 66 

mph. at Moisant International Airport in New 

Orleans, 71 mph. at Lafayette Regional Airport, 83 

mph. at Salt Point in St. Mary Parish, 104 mph. at 

the Lafayette Parish Courthouse, 153 mph. at the 

New Iberia Emergency Operating Center, and 173 

mph. at the Drilling Barge on Bayou Teche in St. 

Mary Parish. Rainfall totals from Andrew exceeded 

5 inches over a four day period from August 24-28 

in many locations. The storm surge moved inland 

from Lake Borgne westward to the Vermilion 

Bay...the highest surge reported was at 6.48 feet at 

Bayou Dupre. An F3 tornado struck LaPlace and 

stayed on the ground until reaching Reserve in St. 

John the Baptist Parish which caused 2 of the 

deaths. Around 1 1/2 million people evacuated 

across Southern Louisiana with damages estimated 

near 1 billion dollars in Louisiana. 


R I T A 

On September 17-24, 2005, Hurricane Rita 

hit the coast of Louisiana in Vermilion Parish. 

The surge, however, greatly affected Terrebonne. 

Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense 

Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most 

intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the 

Gulf of Mexico. In southeast Louisiana's 

Terrebonne Parish, storm surge reached 7 feet 

(2.1 m) flooding an estimated 10,000 homes, 

schools, and businesses. Virtually every levee 

was breached. Some people were stranded in 

flooded communities and had to be rescued by 

boat. At least 100 people were reported rescued 

from rooftops. 


G U S T A V 

On August 31, 2008, Hurricane Gustav caused 

serious damage and casualties in Haiti, the 

Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman 

Islands, Cuba, and the United States. It caused 

over $20 billion in damages the fourth most 

destructive hurricane to ever hit the United States. 

It formed on the morning of August 25, 

2008, about 260 miles (420 km) southeast of 

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and rapidly strengthened 

into a tropical storm that afternoon and into 

a hurricane early on August 26. Later that day 

it made landfall near the Haitian town of 

Jacmel. It inundated Jamaica and ravaged 

Western Cuba and then steadily moved across 

the Gulf of Mexico. 

On August 31, the National Hurricane Center 

(NHC) predicted with 81 percent probability that 

Gustav would remain at Category 3 or above on 

September 1, but on September 1 at 9:30 a.m. 

CDT (1430 UTC) the center of Gustav made 

landfall in the United States along the Louisiana 

coast near Cocodrie as a strong Category 2 

hurricane, 1 mph below Category 3. It dropped to 

Category 1 four hours later, and to a tropical 

depression the following day. Gustav continued 

moving northwest through Louisiana, before 

slowing down significantly as it moved through 

Arkansas on September 3. Hurricane Gustav 

caused 94 deaths in the Caribbean and 46 deaths 

in Louisiana. 


I K E 

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made 

U.S. landfall at Galveston, Texas, on September 13 

at 2:10am CDT, as a Category 2 hurricane with 

winds of 110 mph. It had the same path as the 

1900 Galveston Storm. 

During the day of September 13, Ike began a 

slow turn to the north and then northeast. Due to 

its immense size it caused damage all along the 

coast of Louisiana to Corpus Christi, Texas. 

That same day, President Bush declared Federal 

Disaster Areas for the following 10 parishes: 

Acadia, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, 

Jefferson Davis, Sabine, St. Mary, Vermilion and 

Vernon. Levees overtopped in the parishes of 

St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Terrebonne, St. Mary 

and Jefferson. 

T H E H I S T O R Y O F T H E 

B R O W N P E L I C A N 

The state bird of Louisiana graces the state 

flag, but the story of the seabird has a harrowing 

and triumphant history. Once abundant on the 

islands and bayous of Terrebonne, the brown 

pelican saw a decline in numbers from 1961 to 

1971. In fact, the pelican was not nesting in the 

south Louisiana habitat at this time. 

The abundant nesting bird was used as a 

symbol for Louisiana on its flag as early as 1846. It 


was up until the 1930s that the birds were seen in 

plentiful numbers, estimated at 85,000 birds. The 

decline of these nesting birds was noticed in 1955. 

The culprit for their decimation was thought to be 

pesticides that affected the food chain. The run off 

of pesticides into the water was consumed by 

smaller fish. The smaller fish were then consumed 

by larger fish and the brown pelican then feasted 

upon the larger fish and the pesticides killed or at 

least rendered the pelican unable to procreate. It 

was a dark day when bird experts could find no 

evidence of the state bird in Louisiana. 

In a report by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries 

in 1984, it was stated that, “The eastern brown 

pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis caronlinenis) ceased 

nesting in Louisiana in 1961 and the species 

completely disappeared by 1963.” 

In 1968 the loss of the state’s pelican 

population spurned the Louisiana Department 

of Wildlife and Fisheries to secure a transfer of 

pelicans from Florida, the only breeding ground 

left for these birds. Slowly the pelican increased 

in number. From 1968 to 1976, nestling brown 

pelicans were captured from nesting colonies on 

Florida’s Atlantic coast and released at Grand 

Terre, Louisiana. All young pelicans (8-11 

weeks old), were hand captured, crated and 

trucked to the state. The birds were then 

transported by boat to the release site. Direct 

release with two daily feedings was the method 

that worked in the area. 

The birds were initially banded so as to better 

track the progress, but this practice was 

discontinued in 1980 due to the belief that the 

banding process was too traumatic for these 

animals. Aerial photographs provided a 

permanent record of nesting and fledging. 

This process was not a complete success as in 

the late winter of 1975, approximately 35 percent 

of the pelican population, about 400 to 450, were 

lost. It was believed that a number of factors 

affected the population such as a severe winter, 

high tides, high winds and cold temperatures may 

have caused the failures. 

Consistent improvement in the 1980s of 

natural recolonization of the pelican improved 

reproduction and restored the birds to their 

once historic numbers. In 1985 brown pelicans 

in the eastern United States, including 

Louisiana, had recovered to the point that the 

populations were removed from the 

Endangered Species List. As a result of the ban 

on the use of DDT in the United States, as well 

as complementary conservation efforts, the 

species has made a strong comeback and is 

thriving along the coast of Terrebonne Parish. 

 

Louisiana brown pelicans. 

PHOTO BY MATTHEW MOEL. 

C h a p t e r 7 ✦ 7 1

LAGNIAPPE IMAGES 

 

Right: Residence Plantation, owned by 

Robert Ruffin Barrow, 1887. 



Below: A parade on Main at Smoky 

Row, 1890. 



Opposite, top: The Bazet Hotel in 

downtown Houma, 1900. 



Opposite, bottom: A dairy barn, 

c. 1900. 

COURTESY OF THE MARTIN L. CORTEZ 

COLLECTION, NICHOLLS ARCHIVES. 


L a g n i a p p e I m a g e s ✦ 7 3

Above: The Quitman House in Dulac 

in the early 1900s. 



Right: The Fabregas family, 1902. 



Opposite, top: A carnival in 

Houma, 1902. 



Right: The C. Cenac Oyster 

Company, 1905. 





Above: Main Street crossing Barataria 

and Lafourche Canal, 1914. 



Right: The Main Street swing bridge 

across Barataria and Lafourche Canal 

in 1914 open for a passing boat. 



Opposite, top: Main Street in 

Houma, 1918. 



Opposite, bottom: An oyster boat and 

fisherman, c. the 1920s. 





Top: Shrimpers unloading their 

catch, 1921. 



Middle: Dancing the shrimp, 

c. the 1920s. 



Bottom: A house with storm braces, 

c. the 1920s. 



Opposite, top: Traveling by pirogue in 

the marsh, c. the 1920s. 



Opposite, bottom: Floating a coffin in 

a pirogue to the cemetery for burial, 

c. the 1920s. . 





Right: A little girl in a Mardi Gras 

costume, 1926. 



Below: Houma Opera House in 

downtown Houma. 




Top: The 1934 Houma Centennial 

parade. This World War I parade flag 

was sewn in 1917-1918 by the wives 

and relatives of the Elks of Houma. It 

was first used in the July 4, 1918, 

parade in downtown Houma. 



Middle: Ship’s company marching to 

the rec hall for a memorial service for 

Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on 

Sunday, April 30, 1944. 

U.S. NAVY AIR STATION PHOTO. 

Bottom: Dupont’s at the corner of 

Main and Barrow Streets, 1958. 





SHARING THE HERITAGE 

H i s t o r i c p r o f i l e s o f b u s i n e s s e s , 

o r g a n i z a t i o n s , a n d f a m i l i e s t h a t h a v e 

c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a n d 

e c o n o m i c b a s e o f T e r r e b o n n e P a r i s h 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ..............................................................8 4 

T H E M A R K E T P L A C E ..................................................................1 2 6 

 

PHOTO BY JO ANN LEBOEUF. 

B U I L D I N G A G R E AT E R T E R R E B O N N E PA R I S H .........................1 4 6 

 

S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E ✦ 8 3

The indigenous trees of South 

Louisiana, like the Live Oak, create 

continuous beauty in the region. 



QUALITY OF LIFE 

H e a l t h c a r e p r o v i d e r s , f o u n d a t i o n s , 

u n i v e r s i t i e s , a n d o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s t h a t 

c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e q u a l i t y o f l i f e i n T e r r e b o n n e P a r i s h 

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff ’s Office ......................................................8 6 

Terrebonne Parish Library System .....................................................9 0 

Terrebonne Council on Aging, Inc. .....................................................9 4 

Terrebonne Levee & Conservation District ..........................................9 8 

TLCD Board of Commissioners ........................................................1 0 1 

Terrebonne Parish Public Schools .....................................................1 0 2 

Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government .....................................1 0 4 

Occupational Medicine Services, LLC ...............................................1 0 6 

Terrebonne General Medical Center .................................................1 0 8 

Haydel Medical and Surgical Clinic .................................................1 1 0 

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center .................................................1 1 2 

Hospice of South Louisiana .............................................................1 1 4 

Flynn Clinic of Chiropractic ...........................................................1 1 6 

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center ..................................................1 1 8 

Cardiovascular Institute of the South ...............................................1 1 9 

Acadian Ambulance .......................................................................1 2 0 

Haydel Memorial Hospice ...............................................................1 2 1 

Terrebonne ARC ............................................................................1 2 2 

Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program ................................1 2 3 

Leadership Terrebonne ...................................................................1 2 4 

Southdown Plantation House 

The Terrebonne Museum............................................................1 2 5 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 8 5

TERREBONNE 

PARISH 

SHERIFF’S 

OFFICE 

With the endless miles of waterways, abundant 

wildlife and unique culture, Terrebonne Parish is 

the heart of the Cajun culture. Just like its rich 

community ties, Catholic heritage and family 

values, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office 

(TPSO) has a colorful past, present and future. 

As the second largest parish in the state, 

Terrebonne Parish officially became a parish 

in 1822. The first sheriff of Terrebonne Parish 

undoubtedly had many challenges ahead of 

him. Sheriff Caleb Watkins served as sheriff of 

Terrebonne Parish for eleven years, beginning 

a long line of traditions and experience that 

continues today. 

harvester of oysters in the country. The oyster 

industry spawned a multitude of jobs for 

settlers who made hard work a prideful 

lifestyle. Industries involving fishing, shrimping 

and crabbing became staples for citizens, 

especially those that lived along one of 

Terrebonne’s five major bayou areas. Sugarcane 

production also became a main staple for the 

workforce in Terrebonne Parish. For decades, 

Terrebonne Parish was one of the nation’s 

leading sugar cane producers with three 

large factories that supplied America with 

raw sugarcane. 

In 1951, Able Prejean became sheriff of 

Terrebonne Parish. During his seventeen year 

tenure as sheriff, he implemented many 

changes and pioneered a program still in 

existence today. Sheriff Prejean, a Houma 

native, was noted as being a no-nonsense 

sheriff with a desire to serve the people of 

Terrebonne Parish. Sheriff Prejean was the 

first law enforcement officer to arrest a suspect 

for cultivation of marijuana in Terrebonne 

Parish. That arrest led to an awareness of the 

growing but not so publicized, drug problem 

across the country; and he commissioned more 

deputies to investigate illegal narcotics activity. 

Sheriff Prejean’s motto was “to have a friend, 

be one” and this was never more important 

 

Above: Able Prejean, 1951-1968. 

Right: Charlton P. Rozands, 

1968-1980 and 1984-1987. 

Sheriff Watkins, with the support of the 

community, built the Terrebonne Parish’s first jail. 

It was a twelve foot square building in the center 

of town that was soon closed due to a bat 

infestation. The main mode of transportation for 

Sheriff Watkins and his handful of deputies was 

not by horse, as most would think, but by 

watercraft. Little did he know that even with all of 

the changes in technology and industry, policework 

by boat would continue to be an important 

and necessary facet in Terrebonne Parish. 

As Terrebonne Parish grew and families 

expanded throughout the land, the many 

opportunities available to settlers became clear. 

Terrebonne Parish became the second largest 


than during trying times faced by Terrebonne 

Parish residents during hurricane season. 

Sheriff Prejean devised the first hurricane 

preparedness center in Terrebonne Parish that 

was the center of relief and recovery in the 

parish after hurricane disasters. 

Industry and commerce grew through the 

decades and the world renowned Lagniappe 

Festival that celebrated the unique Cajun 

culture was a much anticipated event that drew 

thousands of visitors from around the country 

every year. By the 1970s, Terrebonne Parish had 

built a name and positive reputation for itself. 

During the 1970s-1980s, a strong-armed law 

enforcement officer named Charlton P. Rozands 

ruled TPSO and set forth changes that resonate 

today. A no-nonsense sheriff with a vision 

for progression, Sheriff Rozands devised the 

first volunteer Coastal Rescue program. This 

program mobilized volunteers who were 

responsible for hundreds of marine rescues. 

Sheriff Rozands also purchased the first 

narcotics detection dog in Terrebonne Parish. 

As the population grew, he saw a need for 

a better jail facility. In 1975, he facilitated 

the construction of a jail atop the present day 

courthouse that increased capacity from thirty 

to seventy-six beds and prisoners. This was 

a huge improvement over the thirty bed 

facility in the old courthouse that had been 

used since 1938. 

As the oilfield was booming and the 

population was rising, Jerry Larpenter, a 

veteran of the department, was named sheriff 

of TPSO after the untimely death of Sheriff 

Rozands. When Sheriff Larpenter took the oath 

and became sheriff on April 20, 1987, it would 

forever change the face of the parish and the 

way law and order were kept in the community. 

During his first twenty-one years as Sheriff 

of Terrebonne Parish, Sheriff Larpenter began 

to mold the office into his vision for making 

Terrebonne Parish a desirable place to live and 

raise a family. He turned the volunteer water 

patrol unit into a full time eight-man division 

responsible for rescuing up to 1,000 vessels and 

passengers each year, doubled the employee 

count to more than 300 full-time officers, and 

upgraded the jail facility from a ninety bed 

holding jail to a 700 bed state-of-the-art prison 

facility. Currently, TPSO boasts many highly 

trained divisions including K-9, SWAT, Traffic, 

Sex Crimes, Patrol, Narcotics, Detectives, Crime 

Scene, Corrections, DARE, School Resource 

Officers, Communications, and Training. The 

collaboration of efforts by the division 

commanders and dedicated officers has led to 

a consistent eighty percent solve rate of all 

major crimes. 

Larpenter also recognized that a clean and 

orderly community had a domino effect. Using 

inmate labor, he has saved taxpayers over 

$130 million dollars through litter removal, 

refurbishing schools, playgrounds, community 

sites, and delivering 1,000 meals a day to the 

elderly. This concentration of the people of the 

parish instilled pride in the community that is 

visible every summer when dozens of inmate 

work crews give local schools a face lift in 

preparation for the new school year. 

 

Above: Jerry J. Larpenter, 1987-2008 

and 2012-2020. 

Below: A water patrol boat of the 

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. 


The Terrebonne Parish Criminal 

Justice Complex. 

Terrebonne has also endured natural disasters 

that have tested the resolve not only of the 

department but also the citizens of the parish. 

When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 the 

entire department was mobilized and was not 

only responsible for countless rescues but 

TBSO spearheaded the recovery process, ensuring 

that thousands of people returned to their 

homes and began rebuilding. 

Sheriff Larpenter retired in 2008, but came 

out of retirement in 2012, and again won reelection 

in 2015. He ran for office unopposed 

and returned to his roots where he continues 

to serve the people of Terrebonne Parish today. 

Since returning, Sheriff Larpenter has built a 

state-of-the-art training facility that frequently 

hosts firearms training and competitions. The 

range was built by prison labor at no cost to the 

public, saving taxpayers more than $500,000. 

The department continues to expand with 

additional resources including a newly 

refurbished building for juvenile detectives 

and crime scene investigators, and separate 

locations for the department’s Motor Pool and 

Narcotics Divisions, which are assets to the 

department. The department is also in the 

process of converting the current juvenile 

detention center into a jail facility for housing 

up to 120 female inmates in early 2016. 

As the population of Terrebonne continues 

to grow, Terrebonne Parish has quickly become 

a hub for tourism, fishing, hunting and various 

industries. Terrebonne’s strong economy allows 

the parish to consistently boast the lowest 

unemployment rates throughout the state. 

Terrebonne has recently been dubbed the 

“Safest place in live in Louisiana” and the 

“Saltwater Fishing Capital of the World” and 

with countless festivals that celebrate the Cajun 

culture, tourism is booming. 


Apart from the world famous food and 

hospitality, Terrebonne Parish is also known 

worldwide for its Mardi Gras celebration. 

Houma hosts the second largest Mardi Gras 

season, second only to New Orleans. Over the 

past twenty-five years, Sheriff Larpenter was 

instrumental in changing the parade routes and 

increasing Krewe participation. Those efforts 

bring 1,000,000 people to Houma every Mardi 

Gras season where the culture is expanded and 

the economy is stimulated. 

As technology is ever-changing, Larpenter 

has equipped all deputies with body cameras 

and provided them with computer technology 

that aids in tracking and catching criminals. 

But, he constantly reminds his force that it 

takes common sense and “good old fashioned 

police work” to solve everything from property 

crimes to murders. The deputies that serve 

the people of Terrebonne Parish are known for 

being skilled law enforcement officers, and also 

ones that will help a stranded motorist change 

a flat tire, counsel troubled youth, and go above 

and beyond the call of duty to continue to make 

Terrebonne Parish a safe and desirable place 

to live. 

 

Above: Terrebonne Parrish courthouse 

annex sheriff's office. 

Below: Terrebonne Parrish motor pool. 


TERREBONNE 

PARISH LIBRARY 

SYSTEM 

 

Above: Children gather around a 

librarian at the Old Main Library in 


Below: The original Main Library as 

it was first built. 

In the early twentieth century, good reading 

material was hard to find in Terrebonne Parish. 

For those who were lucky enough to afford 

books, shared them with others. In fact, as early 

as August 4, 1927, six women who called 

Terrebonne Parish their home did just that! 

It was Jessie Lea Bethume, Harriet Elster, Ruth 

Smith, Eunice Thompson, Marguerite Watkins, 

and Helen Smith who formed “B.E.S.T.W.S.,” a 

social club devoted primarily to reading. The 

name was derived from the initials of the 

women’s last names. The club was similar to 

today’s reading clubs where members read and 

discussed the same books. 

Two years later on April 11, 1929, the ladies 

took their love of reading to a higher level. 

Wanting to provide a community service, the 

club’s members decided to form a public library. 

With a new goal in mind, they changed the name 

of the group to the Terrebonne Library Club. 

One month later, they were on their way to 

achieving a library of sorts, having grown from 

six to thirteen members. 

The club, housed in the People’s Bank 

building, opened the club to the public with 428 

donated volumes of every description. The 

library operated three days per week and was an 

immediate success! 

Sylvia Ray Johnson was hired as the first 

librarian with her salary provided through club 

dues and overdue fines. Financial assistance 

was provided by the Terrebonne Parish city 

government, police jury and school board. The 

private sector supplied the means to purchase 

additional library materials. 

By 1933 the economy had improved, so it was 

an ideal time for the six founding women (who 

were now joined by others in the community) to 

move forward. On February 7, 1933, the People’s 

Bank building was sold to the City of Houma and 

the library was moved to a room in the Houma 

Central School, which has since been demolished. 

When school started that fall, however, the library 

had to be moved again. The Daspit Building was 

the library’s home until June 8, 1934. 

Once again the site had become inadequate; 

but, the library patrons persevered. On February 

7, 1939, the Louisiana Library Commission agreed 

to operate the library for a year. It was stipulated 

that after the year of operation, the parish would 

have to support the library on its own. 

On November 5, 1939, the group acquired a 

renovated wooden house on the corner of Roussell 

and Verret Streets, and opened its doors to the 

public once again. A fireplace where people could 

sit by the fire and read was a welcomed attraction. 

While the idea of imposing millage (tenths of 

a penny) was begun in 1891, it was not prevalent 

everywhere. However, in November 1940, 

a one mill property tax was overwhelmingly 

passed by Terrebonne Parish voters to continue 

library services. At that time, the Terrebonne 

Parish Library Board of Control became the 

library’s governing body. After the millage had 

been collected for approximately thirteen years, 

a new 8,500 square foot, stone building was 

dedicated August 2, 1953 at the corner of 

Roussell and Verret Streets. 

With Terrebonne Parish being the largest 

geographical parish in the state, two book 

mobiles were purchased and served the needs of 

the community. 

As library branches were built to accommodate 

the growing population, the book mobile service 

was phased out. In 1951 a room was designated 


Left: After being destroyed by 

Hurricane Rita in 2005, the 

Grand Caillou Branch was rebuilt 

and reopened in 2009, ushering in a 

more modern, eco-friendly, and floodprotected 

library to serve the residents 

in one of the southern most parts of 


in the Dumas Auditorium as a library branch to 

serve the Black population. The Montegut and 

Pointe-aux-Chenes Branches were built in 1964, 

with the Chauvin and East Houma Branches in 

1968 along with the Bourg Branch in 1969. The 

North Terrebonne Branch was built in 1974 with 

the Gibson and Dulac Branches in 1985. The 

Dularge Branch completed the system in 1995. 

Since then the Carver and Pointe-aux-chenes 

Branches have closed. 

Below: The Bubble Wall at the 

Main Library: is the focal point of the 

downstairs of the Main Library, this 

bubble wall provides those young and 

old a fun welcome to the library. 


Above: The Oak Tree in the children’s 

department was a gift from the 

Friends of the Terrebonne Public 

Library to the newly renovated North 

Branch Library. The oak represents 

one of the strongest and most 

prevalent trees in South Louisiana. 

Right: It is said that Old Main could 

fit into the children’s department at 

the new Main Library. The three 

sailboats with benches for reading is a 

popular gathering place for children 

and their families when visiting the 

Main Library. 

In 1997 the library board of control asked 

voters to renew and increase the tax millage, but 

the unfavorable measure was defeated. With the 

property millage on the verge of expiration, the 

library board of control researched replacing 

the property millage. 

In 1998 a steering committee was challenged 

with looking for alternative ways to generate 

funds. It was decided that the library system 

would go back to the voters to seek a quarter 

cents sales tax to fund the system. The tax 

passed. The increased financial support is 

used for operation, maintenance, and capital 

improvements for the library system. In order 

to fulfill the state requirements for building 

standards and to address the inadequate size 

of the main library, library administration began 

researching and planning for a new main library. 

On April 24, 2003, the library system closed 

the doors on the 8,500 square foot, fiftytwo 

year old building, and dedicated a 75,000 

square foot main library. It was designed with 

state-of-the-art technological needs, complete 

with a computer laboratory, distance education 

classroom, and expansion space for public 

computers. A drive-through window, the first 

in the state, was designed to meet the demands 

of a mobile society. An amphitheater, arts and 

crafts room, children’s story time room, group 

study rooms, as well as a large meeting room 

allowing for more programs and activities was 

part of the overall design. 


In 2005, Hurricane Rita destroyed the 

Chauvin and Dulac Branches. The Dulac 

Branch has been rebuilt and the Chauvin 

Branch has been relocated. 

With these changes came much recognition. 

In 2004 the Terrebonne Parish Library System 

was awarded the Louisiana Public Library of the 

Year by the Louisiana Library Association. In 

2014 the American Library Association honored 

the library with the Upstart Innovation Award 

for programming. Never resting on its laurels, 

the library system was nominated for and was 

distinguished a top fifteen finalist for the 

National Medal in 2013 and 2015 by the 

Institute of Museums and Libraries. 

Today, Terrebonne Parish Library System 

provides public library services to all residents 

of Terrebonne Parish. The main library and 

administrative offices are conveniently located at 

151 Library Drive in Houma. The enhanced nine 

branch system offers current, authoritative, 

entertaining, and informative information through 

both digital and print media. The library has 

expanded beyond its walls to provide outreach 

services to public and private schools, nursing 

homes, assisted living centers, day cares, the 

homebound, and community organizations. 

The library’s campaign slogan, “A Library Says 

A Lot about a Community,” portrays the role 

that the library plays in being the community’s 

living room. A great community has a great 

library system. 

 

Above: An image of the recently 

renovated North Branch Library. 

Once renovations were completed, 

the library was nearly double its 

original size and modernized to serve 

those in the northern part of 


Left: In 2003, the doors of the new 

Main Library were open to the public. 

This state-of-the-art library serves the 

whole population of the parish, while 

it houses administrative offices, the 

library system’s information 

technology department, and 

cataloging and processing. Genealogy 

and reference are also located at the 

Main Library. 


TERREBONNE 

COUNCIL ON 

AGING, INC. 

 

Above: The TCOA Operations Center 

Building located at 995 West Tunnel 

Boulevard, Houma, Louisiana 70360. 

Below: Executive Director 

Diana N. Edmonson. 

It is a known fact: Everyone alive is aging! 

The increase in population can be attributed to 

longer life spans as a result of better healthcare 

and the rate baby boomers are aging. In fact, 

according to the Center for Disease Control, the 

numbers will double during the next twentyfive 

years to about 72 million. By 2030 those 

age sixty-five and older will account for about 

twenty percent of our population. That is why 

it is vital that we develop long-term strategies 

and programs to provide for the aged. 

In February 1959, a group of private 

citizens, businessmen and women, and state 

employees met to devise a plan to set up an 

organization that would address the issues 

and problems facing the elderly population. 

As a result, the Terrebonne Voluntary Council 

for the Aged was formed. 

Retired Social Security Administrator, Joseph 

Simpson, was a founding member and served 

as the first chairman of the board. He secured a 

funding source for the organization and served 

in a leadership capacity for more than thirtyfive 

years. Others serving with longevity in 

leadership roles was a board member and 

officer Willie Joseph Bonvillain, Jr., (25 years), 

Executive Director Carol Matherne (22 years), 

and current Executive Director Diana N. 

Edmonson, who joined the Terrebonne Council 

on Aging in October 1991 as special events 

coordinator and was named executive director 

in 1994, succeeding Matherne. 

In 1969, with an annual budget of ten 

thousand dollars, Alma Sonnier, also a founding 

member of the organization, was hired as the 

first executive director. Sonnier worked twenty 

hours per week for a period of only two years. 

Recreation was the first social service offered 

by the council. Service delivery was limited to 

the residents of the two nursing homes operating 

in the parish at the time. When the council 

moved its operations to the Daigeville School, 

other services included ceramic classes and 

homemaker services. Transportation service toand-from 

the Charity Hospital in New Orleans 

for dialysis patients followed. The 1975 funding 


enabled the council to begin a nutrition program 

that served meals at schools for those sixty and 

older. The Schriever School and the East Houma 

School were the first lunch sites operated by 

the Council on Aging in Terrebonne Parish. 

Funding for Terrebonne’s Council on Aging 

was an on-going concern. The people of the 

parish voted to pass an ad-valorem tax 

dedicated to the organization. The first millage 

was in 1980 for one mill; and then, in 1989, it 

was increased to one-point-eight mills. In 1990, 

it was increased to three mills, and was renewed 

in 1998. In 2000, it was increased to sevenpoint-five 

mills. It continues at this percentage 

today. As the agency’s funding increased, so 

did the number of services delivered. 

In the early days, to promote public 

awareness of the council and its services, 

“A Day at the Mall” was held annually. That 

day, elderly clients walked the runway to 

model fashionable clothing provided by mall 

merchants. A health fair was also held with 

the cooperation of local healthcare providers, 

as well as an exhibit of clients’ craft items. 

 

Above: TCOA’s Board of Directors, 

front row, left to right, Chairman 

Kirby Verret, Debra Marcel 

Thibodeaux, JoAnne Plessala, Victoria 

“Vicki” Rouse, and Natalie Bergeron. 

Back row, left to right: H. Rene 

Rhodes, Stanley Yancey, Ivy J. Dupre, 

Sr., Bert A. LeBoeuf, Charles “Don” 

Boudreaux, and Thomas Guidroz. 

Below: Arts and crafts made by 

Terrebonne seniors for sale at 

Southland Mall in Houma during 

“A Day at the Mall” fundraising event. 


Senior Art Exhibit and Social held at 

the Southdown Plantation Museum in 

Houma, Louisiana. 

Senior Olympic Games were held at each 

senior center (Chauvin, Neal Ransonet, Shady 

Acres, and Bayou Towers.) Those winning in 

the local level automatically represented 

Terrebonne Parish at the State Senior Olympics. 

Today, Terrebonne seniors continue to participate 

in local, regional and state levels. 

In 1991, Edmonson was hired as the 

agency’s special events coordinator in charge of 

public relations. It was in this capacity that 

Edmonson started to host “BIGWHEELS”—a 

community awareness program involving the 

“BIGWHEELS” of the community: members of 

the clergy, elected officials, business and civic 

leaders, housewives and citizens who are 

interested in the issues concerning the elderly. 

In addition, a month-long art exhibit was 

held at the Southdown Plantation Museum 

showcasing artwork by local seniors. 

As a fundraiser, Edmonson also spearheaded 

“Porchlight Drive” throughout the parish. 

Citizens, church members, TCOA board 

members and staff walked the streets, going 

door-to-door to collect cash donations for the 

organization. The drive raised $30,000. 

Edmonson has been recognized for many of 

her innovative efforts to raise funds and build 

awareness of the council. She has received such 

accolades as the Innovation in Programs to 

Benefit the Elderly Award from Lieutenant 

Governor Melinda Schwegmann and the 

Outstanding Leadership in the Field of Aging 

Award from the Louisiana Governor’s Office of 

Elderly Affairs. The National Association of Area 

Agencies on Aging also recognized the cooperative 

agreement among TCOA, the Terrebonne 

Parish Consolidated Government (TPCG) and 

the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO), 

resulting in TCOA being given the exclusive use 

of the old Parish Jail kitchen for meal preparation. 

TCOA provides all raw food products, 

deliveries, and the services of a licensed dietitian. 

TPCG provides the facility with utilities 

and the TPSO provides the labor necessary to 

prepare the meals. 

Edmonson was recognized locally in 2011 

when she received the Courier Award for 

Terrebonne’s Most Useful Citizen for her 

unselfish work and achievement in the community. 

She was also honored by the Louisiana 

Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA) 

for her dedicated and outstanding service in 

emergency preparedness. This honor stemmed 

from the hurricane and the flooding area 

residents experienced in 1992 that displaced 

the old and the young alike. TCOA’s efforts, in 

that respect, began with Hurricane Andrew. 

TCOA worked with the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA), the American 

Red Cross, and the Mennonites Relief Team 

who came to the area to assist victims. The 

collaboration lasted eighteen months. 

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated 

the southern Louisiana coast, the council again 

helped the communities of Lafourche and 

Terrebonne. The two parishes received an 


abundance of in-kind donations, but had no 

place to store the goods. The James Buquet 

Family of Houma generously loaned the use of 

a warehouse to the council for one year in 

order to house the relief goods donated for 

the storm victims. Since then, the TCOA had 

built a 29,000 square foot, two-story building 

as a warehouse for the storage of donated 

equipment and supplies. 

Terrebonne Council on Aging’s transportation 

fleet travels approximately 2,000 miles per 

weekday and averages 500 miles on Saturday 

and holidays. TCOA’s Transportation service 

includes medical, nutritional, and rural. In 

FY 2015, TCOA delivered and served more than 

193,000 meals to 1,663 unduplicated clients. 

By July 2015, the start of FY 2016, personal 

care, homemaker, and respite services were 

expanded. Personal care was increased from two 

to three times per week; homemaker from twice 

per month to once a week; and respite care from 

eight hours per month to eight hours per week. 

In 2010, TCOA, in partnership with the 

Housing and Urban Development, addressed 

the shortage of subsidized housing for lowincome 

seniors by building a fifty unit, twostory 

apartment complex. The Shady Lane 

Apartments stays full and has kept a waiting list 

since it opened its doors. 

Things are always changing, and it is Ms. 

Edmonson’s goal to stay abreast of the changing 

times by providing new and innovative programs 

and services, as needs arise. Strong interagency 

coalitions and strong community relations are 

needed to stay on the cutting edge of progress. 

As an agency, Terrebonne Council on Aging 

strives to strengthen the fabric of care and affirm 

the dignity of growing old by taking the role of 

caregiver to those who are in the late stages of 

their journey in life. TCOA is able to be true to 

its mission not only because of the many partnerships 

it developed within the community, but 

most of all, because of the generosity of the great 

people of Terrebonne, the “Good Earth” Parish. 

 

Above: TCOA’s Senior Park and 

Gardens located behind the Shady 

Acres Senior Center on West Main 

Street, Houma, Louisiana. 

Below: Exterior and interior views of 

the Terrebonne Council on Aging’s 

29,000 square foot warehouse building. 


TERREBONNE 

LEVEE & 

CONSERVATION 

DISTRICT 

 

Above: Numbered floodgate map. 

Below: HNC Floodgate levees. 

A major element of Louisiana’s history 

concerns its peoples’ battle for survival against 

storms and tides in a region suffering one of the 

worst rates of wetland losses in the world. In 

Terrebonne Parish, a major hurricane is not 

required for devastating flooding to occur; a 

strong south wind and a high tide are sometimes 

all it takes. “The positioning of Terrebonne, 

Houma, and the rural "bayou" communities to 

areas of the Gulf Coast put residents at a 

disadvantage,” explains Reggie Dupre, director 

of the agency that is building Terrebonne’s 

first line of defense, the Terrebonne Levee & 

Conservation District. “The State of Louisiana 

began long ago to turn that around, by 

establishing a special government entity that 

would have the responsibility of building levees, 

floodgates, and other structures to protect 

Terrebonne's citizens from tidal flooding.” 

A tipping point of nationwide understanding 

of Louisiana’s vulnerability came in 2005 when 

Hurricane Katrina and related events claimed 

as many as 1,500 Gulf lives. But that was old 

news to residents of the Cajun Coast in 

Terrebonne Parish. “We were well aware, even 

before Katrina, that our area on the Gulf Coast 

is more susceptible to flooding,” says Dupre, 

noting that a 1985 Category One storm—far 

below the power of Katrina—was a local 

benchmark. “Hurricane Juan was the eye 


opener, and helped us realize we needed a more 

comprehensive approach to our flood protection 

needs,” Dupre explains. 

The local parish government had built levees 

and managed drainage projects before then; but, 

in 1986 the Louisiana Legislature created the 

South Terrebonne Tidewater Management and 

Conservation District, to more thoroughly meet 

weather challenges. A similar agency, the North 

Terrebonne Drainage and Conservation District, 

was created in 1988 to manage affairs in the 

parish’s upper region. By 1997 the need for a 

unified, Parish-wide entity was realized, and 

through another act of the legislature the 

Terrebonne Levee & Conservation District 

(TLCD) was created. The district is authorized 

to establish, construct, operate, and maintain 

flood control works relating to hurricane 

protection, tidewater flooding, saltwater 

intrusion, and conservation. 

New scientific data coupled with lessons 

learned through each storm season and from 

flood events were used to sculpt a proactive 

strategy and raise public awareness. The main 

goal of the levee district—in concert with the 

Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration 

Authority—as advocacy of federal construction 

and funding of the Morganza to the Gulf 

Hurricane Risk Reduction Project, a series of 

levees and flood-control structures that would 

meet rising waters head-on. 

The district is governed by a nine-member 

board of commissioners appointed by the 

governor, who receives nominations from local 

state legislators, the parish president, and other 

organizations. The TLCD annually collects 4.89 

mils worth of property taxes, amounting to 

about four and a half million dollars, to fund its 

operations and maintenance. In 2001 voters 

authorized a one-quarter percent sales tax, 

which currently generates approximately six 

million dollars in annual revenues, specifically 

dedicated to construction of the Morganza 

project. “Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008 

added to the devastation and we knew 

Terrebonne Parish could no longer wait for the 

federal government to save us,” said Anthony 

"Tony" Alford, president of the TLCD Board. 

The message was not lost on Terrebonne’s 

voters, who in 2012 approved an additional 

one-half percent sales tax, generating 

approximate $12 million for Morganza 

construction projects. Bonds sold on the basis of 

the sales tax revenue measures yielded 

approximately $150 million to quickly advance 

critical levee and floodgate projects. 

After a twenty-two year Federal study, U. S. 

Congress did authorize a ninety-eight mile, 

$10.3 billion Federal Morganza-to-the- 

Gulf project in 2014; however, no federal 

construction dollars have been appropriated for 

it. The levee district, in conjunction with state 

and local leaders, began to build a network of 

levees and floodgates along the Morganza 

alignment with only state and local funding. As 

of 2015, over thirty-five miles of new levees 

were completed or under construction. The new 

floodgates, all key components of the system, 

include the Bush Canal “Willis J. Henry” 

floodgate, the Placid Canal Structure, Bayou 

Grand Caillou Floodgate, Bayou Petit Caillou 

Floodgate, and the Pointe-aux-Chenes 

floodgate, scheduled for completion in 2017. 

The “Crown Jewel” of TLCD’s recently 

completed floodgates is the Houma Navigation 

Canal “Bubba Dove” Floodgate. The “Bubba 

Dove” gate allows TLCD to close this federal 

canal that acts as a flood funnel from the Gulf to 


Recently, the South Lafourche Levee District 

(SLLD) has begun the design and construction 

of portions of the Morganza alignment in 

Lafourche Parish. Approximately thirty miles of 

the Morganza project falls in Lafourche Parish. 

Windell Curole, the general manager of SLLD 

stated, “Flood waters do not stop at political 

boundaries.” The Morganza project will protect 

approximately 200,000 citizens in Terrebonne 

and Lafourche Parishes, including the entirety 

of the city of Houma. 

 

Above: Mitigation terraces. 

Below: Boudreaux Canal. 

Bottom: Reach J1. 


Above: Bubba Dove HNC. 

Below: Rendition of HNC Lock. 

In the future, construction will move forward, 

with the levee district poised to build one of the 

largest-ever environmental protection projects in 

the nation, a navigable lock complex on the 

Houma Navigation Canal that will help nourish 

fragile wetlands with fresh water and 

accommodate heavy marine traffic related to the 

seafood and oil and gas industries, while 

increasing the efficiency of the other flood control 

structures. The lock system is envisioned as a 

major engineering accomplishment, making the 

region a leader for other communities within 

Louisiana and beyond its borders. “Our goal is 

continued design and perfection of what we hope 

will be a completed federally authorized and 

funded hurricane risk reduction project,” says 

Dupre. “It is our hope that this will afford our 

children, grandchildren, and all future 

generations to continue living and thriving in 

Terrebonne Parish, the Good Earth.” 

1 0 0 ✦ T E R R E B O N N E P A R I S H : S t o r i e s o f t h e G o o d E a r t h

TLCD 

BOARD OF 

COMMISSIONERS 

 

Above, left: The 2015 Terrebonne 

Levee & Conservation 

District’s boardmembers. 

Below: TLCD’s Executive Director, 

Reggie Dupre. 

The Terrebonne Levee & Conservation 

District’s nine commissioners, appointed by the 

governor, from nominations from local 

legislators, the parish president and civic 

organizations, share their individual and unique 

expertise relative to its flood and hurricane 

protection mission. Their knowledge includes 

identification of areas at high risk, and the 

interaction of the area’s fragile lands with tides 

and heavy rains. Once that identification is made 

the commission is in a proper position to oversee 

the building and maintenance of levees and flood 

control structures that protect people and their 

property, natural resources, industry and wildlife. 

Anthony “Tony” Alford has served as 

president of the TLCD board for more than 

twelve years. During his tenure, the District has 

made significant progress in providing 

hurricane protection to the citizens of 

Terrebonne Parish. Other 2015 board members, 

who provide invaluable experience to the 

district’s efforts, are Vice President Leward “Sou” 

Henry; Carl Chauvin; Walton “Buddy” Daisy; 

Darrin Guidry; Steven Ledet; Jack Moore; 

Howard Pinkston; and Lee Shaffer. 

During nearly fourteen years in the Louisiana 

legislature (1996-2009), as a state representative 

and then a senator, Reggie Dupre became a 

recognized leader in the fields of coastal 

protection and restoration, developing laws and 

practices that still impact the state’s fight against 

erosion and storms today. His most notable 

legislative achievements are the creation of the 

Louisiana Coastal Protection & Restoration 

Authority (CPRA) and amending the State 

Constitution dedicating 100 percent of all 

offshore oil and gas revenues to coastal projects. 

A native of Pointe-aux-Chenes, Dupre has 

been a public servant most of his life, serving as 

a deputy sheriff and a member of the Parish 

Council. In 2009 he resigned from the senate to 

take the reins of the Terrebonne Levee & 

Conservation District, using his networking 

skills and knowledge base to bring the parish’s 

flood protection program to the highest level 

ever achieved. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 0 1

TERREBONNE 

PARISH PUBLIC 

SCHOOLS 

 

Above: Students having lunch at the 

Schriever School kitchen, c. 1949. 

Below: Houma Junior High School’s 

front yard is covered with a scrap pile 

as students collect for Uncle Sam’s 

War Bond, c. 1942. 

Imagine the schools of the 1800s. They were 

few and far between; and those that did exist 

were sometimes difficult to reach by horseback 

or because of family situations. Weather often 

took precedence. Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, 

was no different. 

In 1822, the first five persons were appointed 

to the parish school board. Among them were 

Francis Guyal, William Watkins, Henry S. 

Thibodaux, Leufroy Barras, and Henry M. 

Thibodeaux. A school was built on the block 

behind the courthouse in the early 1940s by 

Alex McMaster. An ordinance was passed to 

allow the police jury to donate land on which to 

build a school in 1855 behind the courthouse 

and donate to the directors of the Fourth School 

District. An 1849 issue of DeBow’s Review made 

mention of a large brick school house in Houma; 

a red brick structure about 30 feet by 60 feet 

wide. The columned front faced Church Street; 

and an addition was later added to the rear of the 

building, and painted red. In 1851, Terrebonne 

Parish had thirteen public schools, along with a 

free school in Houma that was “well patronized.” 

All of these were elementary schools. 

The Civil War and the Constitutional 

Convention of 1868 changed education for 

the better by passing an article stating that 

students would be admitted to classes, “Without 

distinction of race, color, or previous 

conditions.” During this era, the white 

population objected to mixed races in the 

schools and often kept their children home. 

In 1898, the High School Auxiliary and High 

School Association were formed to promote 

a high school for the parish. Prior to that, the 

fire hall was used for older students, however, 

the twentieth century ushered in Superintendent 

W. P. Tucker, who brought in Moise 

Levy who taught math and served unofficially 

as assistant principal. 

By 1908, the High School Auxiliary had 

one student to graduate: Jennie Klingman. She 

would go on to attend the Louisiana Normal 

School where she graduated and then returned 

to Houma to teach primary grammar and also 

some high school courses. 

On July 7, 1908, bids were invited for a new 

building. A contract was subsequently awarded 


and when the building was finished, it was 

officially named Terrebonne High School. 

Other early schools began to grow in student 

attendance, as well as construction, as it 

was noted that large schools were capable 

of handling more students. Sports (namely 

football) were introduced in 1914. The High 

School consisted of the eighth through the 

twelfth grades. 

An interesting feature of the school system 

was its high centralization. This brought all students 

in the parish many advantages of larger 

schools; and to the community, an economical 

investment in education. Consolidation depended 

on transportation. In 1908, and for years 

after, some pupils in the parish had to be 

transported by boat because Terrebonne was, 

and still is, “Bayou Country.” The first official 

consolidation took place in 1910-1911. In 

that school year, four transfers were put into 

operation and an era of consolidation took 

place. By 1952, thirty-two transfers were in 

place with 1,000 students benefiting. 

The school still grew even though a lot of 

materials had first dibs by the U.S. Military 

during WWI. Students helped collect scrap 

for the war cause. A year before the new 

school was built, there were 758 students at 

Terrebonne High School. When the building 

was completed, 149 more high school students 

(from the country) could be accommodated. 

When oil was discovered in Terrebonne 

Parish in 1929, the school system realized that 

another large school was needed. In 1934 land 

was purchased to add to the many segregated 

two and four room schools. 

A lot of educational facilities and rules 

have changed since that time. In the early 

1970s, desegregation was implemented, and 

importance was placed on studies like math, 

science, and technology, to name a few. 

As of 2015, nineteen elementary schools 

boast an enrollment of 8,208 students; six 

middle schools with 2,275 students; three junior 

high schools with 2,170 students; and four high 

schools with a combined 4,486 students. 

The district also boasts one career and 

technical high school with approximately 650 

students who are enrolled in one of the high 

 

Above: Lacache Middle School 

in its final days of construction. 

D. D. Pittman Construction Company 

completed the school in late 1948. 

The company also built West Park 

Elementary and Schriever Elementary 

Schools using the same building plan. 

Below: The Gray Colored School on 

Highway 69 was located about eight 

miles from Houma. The picture shows 

children preparing the flowerbeds for 

the school’s opening. Doretha Pharr 

was principal. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 0 3

Above: The Board of School Directors, 

c. 1934, from left to right, in the 

front row: President A. R. Viguerie; 

Superintendent H. L. Bourgeois; 

E. L. Theriot, Edescar Boudreaux, 

Julius Dupont, H. C. Kellis, 

Elliot Jones and H. P. St. Martin. 

Second row: Thomas Bernard, 

Sidney Breaux, Joseph G. LeCompte 

and Milka Pellegrin. 

Below: Grand Caillou Middle School 

was completed in 2014 to allow the 

elementary school to take over its 

former location. The transition was 

a result of hurricane damage that 

destroyed the original site of the 

elementary school. 

schools previously mentioned, but transfer 

to this school for part of the day’s lessons. There 

is one alternative school with a fluctuating 

number of students and a school for exceptional 

children with forty-two students. 

Education has come a long way in 

Terrebonne Parish. In 2013 a Terrebonne Parish 

school was selected to represent the state 

of Louisiana at the National Title one I 

Conference. Gibson Elementary School was 

chosen because of increases in the performance 

of students with disabilities; and increases in 

student performance of the economically 

disadvantaged subgroup; and they also had a 

School Performance Score gain of ten points. 

Pointe-aux-Chenes Elementary School was 

also recognized nationally. The school received 

one of the top honors in the nation when it 

was named a “2015 Blue Ribbon School of 

Excellence.” The school, located in southern 

Terrebonne Parish, was one of only six schools 

in Louisiana to win the award. The school won 

the award because the data showed substantial 

progress in closing the achievement gap 

between all students. 

The school district has grown to fit the 

needs of the citizens of Terrebonne Parish. 

In 2015, there were approximately 2,220 

employees that reported to work each day 

as administrators, instructional specialists, 

teachers, para-professionals and support staff, 

as well as employees in departments such as 

clerical, maintenance, transportation, food 

services, and auxiliary services. 

All thirty-six Terrebonne Parish Public 

Schools are governed from the main School 

Board Office at 201 Stadium Drive in Houma, 

Louisiana. Federal Programs and Special 

Education services are located at 7573 West 

Park Avenue in Houma, Louisiana. 


Terrebonne Parish Government started to take 

shape in 1822 with the first president of the 

Police Jury, Judge Francis M. Guyol, when the 

seat of government was located in Williamsburg 

(now Bayou Cane). Once the City of Houma 

was incorporated in 1848, government officials 

moved their operations to the area that is now 

downtown Houma. It is in this area where we 

see many streets taking the name of those very 

government officials and town leaders that 

were planning out a hopeful community, such 

as F. S. Goode, once mayor of Houma. 

With the development of oil and gas in 

the 1900s, it brought a boom of economic 

development to the area, which would allow 

government officials to expand its services to a 

thriving community. This would continue with 

the discovery of offshore oil off the coast of 

Terrebonne and its abundant seafood industry. 

In the early 1980s, government officials 

moved the Parish from a Police Jury form of government 

to the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated 

Government, with Edward “Bubby” Lyons as the 

first parish president. Since that time, Terrebonne 

has transitioned with the times and proves to be 

a progressive government. Through 2015, under 

Parish President Michel Claudet’s administration, 

government officials have taken the experience 

and advancement of their predecessors and propelled 

the Parish into a new age of infrastructure 

advancements and quality of life projects. 

Today, Terrebonne officials face challenges 

of a seemingly unstoppable encroachment of 

water upon its wetlands and communities, 

causing its leaders to be creative in tackling 

these issues of surge and inland flooding. 

Terrebonne leaders have responded to residents’ 

demands of quality of life improvements 

by adding bike lanes, off-road trails, the Bayou 

Country Sports and Recreation Complex, and 

the Fireman’s Skate Park. It takes a team effort 

to push a community forward, so government 

leaders have collaborated with local agencies 

such as the Houma Chamber of Commerce, 

Terrebonne Economic Development Authority, 

Houma Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 

and the Terrebonne Levee & Conservation 

District to formulate cohesive plans for tackling 

some of the Parish’s most challenging issues. 

The future looks bright for Terrebonne Parish. 

As new leaders take the helm, they will 

continue to face many of these same issues of 

their predecessors but will be better equipped 

to face the challenges ahead due to the efforts 

of the government leaders of the past. 

TERREBONNE 

PARISH 

CONSOLIDATED 

GOVERNMENT 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 0 5

OCCUPATIONAL 

MEDICINE 

SERVICES, 

LLC 

 

Above: The Occupational Medicine 

Services family. 

Below: Pre-employment assessments 

include physical measurements for 

activities such as lifting. 

In 1996, Dr. John Sweeney, an orthopedic 

surgeon, felt the local industry needed 

ergonomic strength and functional testing for 

potential employees. Many work-related 

injuries were orthopedic in nature; and he 

thought if employees were pre-screened 

according to their job descriptions, these 

injuries could be avoided. He began 

Occupational Medicine Services, LLC (OMS) 

with the idea that an orthopedic assessment 

was key to the best pre-employment evaluation. 

His experience as a musculoskeletal physician 

specialist enabled him to create effective 

protocols so that workers’ physical abilities are 

matched with the job. 

OMS is a family-run medical clinic 

specializing in occupational medicine and 

pre-employment/post-offer testing. It performs 

drug and alcohol testing, as well as physicals. 

It has earned many certifications in an effort 

to provide the most comprehensive testing 

in the industry; CDL, Coast Guard, Dive, 

UKOOA, Vanuatu, regular, hazmat, crane 

operator, etc. The need for post-offer testing, 

physicals and injury care from a clinic that 

understands the companies’ needs and 

requirements in the oil industry was 

tremendous. Post-offer testing includes x-ray, 

pulmonary respirator fit testing, ergonomic 

testing based on job descriptions, bloodwork, 

electrocardiogram, hearing, etc. The staff can 

conduct most testing at clients’ worksites. OMS 

offers injury care twenty-four hours a day, 

seven days a week. 

The success of OMS’ ergonomic program led 

to the development of a Fitness Factor program. 

The program entails going to the client’s 

worksite to take specific measurements 

regarding lifting requirements, noise level 

measurements as well as physical requirements 

for climbing, stooping, squatting, etc. Once 

those measurements are taken, OMS then 

creates their ADA compliant job descriptions. 

OMS started with about fifteen employees, 

and has more than doubled in size since 1997. 

Employee turnover remains low; most have 

been with the company over five years, many 

ten years or more. When OMS was founded, 

the three Sweeney daughters were in school. 

They worked for their parents during this 

time, learning many aspects of the day-to-day 

operations. All went away to college, but 

returned to participate in the family business as 

human resource manager, office manager and 

clinician. One daughter relocated to Houston, 

but continues her duties as human resource 

manager via the Internet. In the early days, 

after long hours at the office, Mrs. Sweeney 

went home to more work, including payroll, 

preparing bank deposits, and reviewing data 

entry from the previous days. Her mother-in-law 

volunteered to take over some of these duties 

and continues to do so at ninety-eight years of 

age. Today, the company has twenty-six full and 

part-time employees. 

After Hurricane Katrina hit, Dr. Sweeney was 

driving past the Houma Civic Center and 

stopped to see if he could be of assistance at the 


Center. He saw an immediate need for medical 

volunteers. He called OMS and requested that 

they send as many employees and supplies as 

they could to help. Over the next ten days, they 

recruited volunteers, supplies and equipment 

to treat the many patients there, as well as 

hundreds of evacuees from New Orleans. A great 

community effort brought food, shelter, medical 

care and comfort to many people stranded by the 

storm. OMS feels that community involvement is 

very important and maintains membership with 

the South Central Industrial Association. OMS 

contributes and participates in the Super Cooper 

Life Fund, Gibson Head Start, Restore or Retreat, 

Terrebonne Council on Aging, Terrebonne 

Foundation for Academic Excellence, the YMCA, 

and Relay for Life. The company is an annual 

donor to the Children’s Hospital in New Orleans 

and St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Tennessee. 

OMS began in a medical office built as a 

private residence in the 1940s, and was 

converted to a medical office in the 1960s. In 

1999, 2,000 square feet were added to the 

building; but patients still overflowed onto the 

porch and lawn as they waited to be seen. In 

2007, after years of planning and designing, 

OMS relocated to a 13,000 square foot building 

at 144 Valhi Lagoon Crossing in Houma, 

enabling it to provide services to hundreds of 

companies from small, locally-owned companies, 

to large worldwide organizations. 

OMS is true to its original goal: being a onestop-shop 

for local industry’s medical needs. 

They remain the only clinic local industry 

should need for its occupational medicine needs. 

 

Above: Dr. John Sweeney consults 

with William Lemaire, FNP, 

while reviewing a patient’s x-ray. 

Below: Medical staff performing a 

pre-employment screening analysis. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 0 7

TERREBONNE 

GENERAL 

MEDICAL CENTER 

 

Above: Terrebonne General Hospital, 

now Terrebonne General Medical 

Center (TGMC), opened its doors 

on July 1, 1954. 

Below: For many employees and 

physicians, working at TGMC is a 

family tradition where multiple 

generations are employed. TGMC 

dedicated a beautiful oak tree on its 

campus as the “TGMC Family Tree” 

to honor the generations who have 

rooted the hospital in the community. 

For more than sixty years, Terrebonne 

General Medical Center has always responded 

to the ever-changing ways of healthcare. 

Founded in 1954, the Sisters of St. Joseph 

proudly opened the doors of Terrebonne 

General Hospital, with 76 beds, 20 bassinets, 

58 employees and 16 physicians whose primary 

vision was to provide healthcare services to the 

residents of the Bayou region. 

In the 1960s, with an increased population, 

the hospital added more beds and services. This 

however, was still not enough for the ever 

growing population and the need for a state-ofthe-art 

hospital was recognized. In 1984 the 

original hospital was purchased from the 

Terrebonne Police Jury, and under the new 

governance structure of an appointed board of 

commissioners, a 328 bed facility was built and 

Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC) 

was opened. Today, through the good work of 

many board members over the years, TGMC 

remains self supported by its own revenues and 

does not rely on property or sales tax support. 

Throughout its history, TGMC remains 

appreciative of the dedication of many physicians 

and staff and the community’s continuous 

support. Many TGMC physicians and staff 

have a strong lineage working at TGMC where 

generations before them have played a vital role 

in healthcare. Multi-generational families of 

healthcare professionals have committed lifetime 

careers to taking care of Terrebonne Parish, 

several of which were TGMC’s founding physicians. 

These founding physicians helped open 

the first community hospital in Terrebonne 

Parish and brought critical medical services to 

the area. With the support of all physicians and 

staff, TGMC has significantly expanded medical 

services to provide various centers of excellence 

that best serve the local community. 

In 1985, TGMC began its cardiology 

program. Through the years, TGMC and 


Cardiovascular Institute of the South 

have partnered by pioneering research 

and implementing world-renowned 

cardiovascular services that have 

been accredited by the Society of 

Cardiovascular Patient Care and 

received numerous awards from the 

American Heart Association. The 

Cardiology Program at TGMC continues to be 

progressive and has one of the strongest and 

growing structural heart programs in the state. 

Through the vision of early physician 

founders and their multi-generational families, 

TGMC’s orthopedic specialty has advanced 

greatly throughout the decades. Today, our 

orthopedic surgeons continue to bring progressive 

services as well as participate in many preventive 

programs sponsored by TGMC as well. 

In 2005, through the vision of TGMC’s 

obstetrics and gynecology and neonatologist 

specialists and staff, the very beautiful Women’s 

Health Center opened at TGMC. The internationally 

recognized center provides a Level III 

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and is 

a designated Baby Friendly USA facility. Over 

2,000 babies annually are born at TGMC and 

we are always honored to be part of the families 

of our growing community. 

In 2009, TGMC partnered with Mary Bird 

Perkins to bring extensive cancer services to 

Terrebonne Parish and in 2011 opened the 

doors to a comprehensive Cancer Center. The 

Cancer Center has been recognized for its 

excellence and quality with the Commission on 

Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award and is 

the only hospital in Louisiana to receive the 

2015 Quality Oncology Practice Initiative 

(QOPI) Certification. In addition, TGMC offers 

the most progressive screening programs in 

the region. The Early Bird Mobile Medical 

Clinic is always out and about in the community 

working to provide early detection and 

prevention of this disease. 

These and many more services are offered 

at TGMC in order to bring our community 

the best healthcare in our region right here 

at home. Focusing on helping the community 

lead more productive and active lives, TGMC 

developed the Healthy Lifestyles Center in 

2014. TGMC is committed to strengthening the 

health and wellness of the community through 

education, prevention and promotion of wellness 

and healthcare services and is designated a 

Level One Hospital Wellspot by the Louisiana 

Department of Health and Hospitals. “All of 

these services are available to assist our community 

reach their maximum health potential 

and become personally accountable for their 

health,” explained Phyllis Peoples, president and 

CEO of TGMC. “The healthier our residents are 

the better quality of life they are able to have.” 

TGMC continuously demonstrates it is a 

proven leader in quality, safety and patient 

experience which only happens through the 

strength of 1,400 employees, over 300 physicians, 

34 medical specialties and 7 subspecialties. 

In paving the way for future healthcare 

needs and assuring further growth of necessary 

healthcare services, TGMC continues to partner 

with other strong organizations to create strong 

allegiances in the constantly changing world 

of healthcare. As always, TGMC continues to 

take a proactive approach to the health and 

wellness of the community it serves by providing 

exceptional, compassionate care to the 

people of Southeast Louisiana, today, tomorrow 

and always. We call it a New Way of Health. 

 

Above: TGMC has grown to 

1,400 employees, 300 physicians, 

34 medical specialties and 

7 subspecialties to meet the 

needs of Southeast Louisiana. 

Below: TGMC’s A New Way of 

Health means offering programs such 

as Community Sports Institute, which 

supports student athletes by providing 

education, prevention and care at all 

sporting events. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 0 9

HAYDEL 

MEDICAL AND 

SURGICAL CLINIC 

 

Above: Dr. Henry Lawrence Haydel. 

In June 1929, young physician Henry 

Lawrence Haydel moved to Houma after 

completing his medical internship at Charity 

Hospital in New Orleans. His older brother, 

Paul, had already completed his education and 

was working as a pharmacist with Leon Cabrol 

in the latter’s drug store. 

Dr. Haydel opened a medical office in the 

rear of Cabrol’s drug store, a business that Paul 

acquired in 1935. After several years and with a 

growing practice, Dr. Haydel purchased a house 

at 502 Barrow Street and retrofitted it into 

a clinic and small hospital to serve residents 

of Houma and the Terrebonne Parish areas. 

Dr. H. L., as he was known, operated as a solo 

practitioner for several years before inviting 

other medical professionals into the practice 

with him. Tenants included dentists, orthodontists, 

an orthopedic surgeon, and even a psychiatrist. 

Through the years, the building was 

renovated several times and recognized today 

as the Haydel Medical and Surgical Clinic. 

Dr. H. L. was so passionate about his career 

that he set up an examination room under the 

carport of his Point Street home to accommodate 

after-hour and weekend patients. 

Many considered Dr. H. L. to be a local pioneer 

in the field of medicine, but he was also a 

beloved family man. He and his wife, Judith 

Ayme, had eleven children. There were six boys 

and five girls, but the oldest son, Henry 

Lawrence, Jr., (Larry), died accidentally at the 

age of four. The remaining children were raised 

and educated in the Houma-Thibodaux area. As 

fate would have it, all of the boys pursued careers 

in healthcare while the girls became educators. 

Dr H. L. always dreamed that his sons would 

follow in his footsteps and return to Houma to 

practice medicine. His dreams were realized 


when Dr. K. Gerald (Jerry) became a surgeon; 

Dr. Robert D. (Bobby) became a pediatrician; 

and Dr. K. Thomas (Tommy) and Dr. Richard M. 

(Dicky) both became general practitioners. 

Ronald J. (Ronnie) became a pharmacist who 

owned and operated his pharmacy directly 

across the street from the clinic. The legacy 

continued as three of Dr. H. L.’s sons actually 

joined their father in practice; Dr. Jerry in 

general surgery; and Drs. Tommy and Dicky 

as general practitioners. Dr. Bobby would be 

right around the corner, practicing solo as 

a pediatrician. 

Dr. H. L. practiced medicine until a few weeks 

prior to his death at the age of seventy-eight. 

His sons have carried on the family tradition of 

medicine since that time, and now, the third and 

fourth generations of Haydel doctors are following 

in his footsteps, as well. Currently, there are 

six grandchildren who practice medicine inand-around 

the Houma area; Dr. K. Gerald, Jr., 

and Dr. Michael in anesthesiology; Dr. Henry 

Lawrence II in orthopedic surgery; Dr. Robert, Jr., 

in allergy/immunology; and Drs. Patrick and 

Ronald II as chiropractors. Dr. Scott Haydel, 

fourth generation, Dr. Matthew Watkins and 

Dr. Lisa Black, all joined Dr. Richard Haydel 

at the Barrow Street clinic in family medicine, 

while Richard, Jr., (Chad) operates the business 

with a background in healthcare administration. 

The Haydel Medical and Surgical Clinic’s 

experienced physicians and caring staff seek to be 

the leader in providing quality, compassionate, 

and comprehensive medical care to patients in the 

tri-parish area. It is evident they accomplished 

that goal as it has enjoyed a steady, five to ten 

percent growth in new patients within the past 

ten years. Recent changes in healthcare reform 

present new challenges; and, Chad hopes to 

“weather the healthcare storm” by continuing 

to provide the high-quality healthcare that its 

patients have known for generations. 

Haydel Medical and Surgical Clinic is a freestanding, 

multi-specialty facility housing both a 

general surgery and family medicine department. 

Ancillary services provided in-house include 

laboratory, radiology, minor orthopedic and 

surgical procedures, cardiopulmonary testing 

(EKG, Holter heart monitoring, stress testing), 

bone densitometry, hemodynamic monitoring, 

and ultrasound technology. 

The clinic boasts seven physicians and 

approximately thirty support staff. Patient 

volume exceeds 30,000 patients annually. 

 

Below: H. L. Haydel Medical & 

Surgical Clinic, located at 

502 Barrow Street in Houma. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 1 1

THIBODAUX 

REGIONAL 

MEDICAL 

CENTER 

Thibodaux and the surrounding region 

are grateful that the medical center in their 

hometown is a nationally-recognized leader 

for quality care, cost efficiency, innovation, 

safety, and outstanding patient experiences. 

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center has 

numerous industry awards for its care and its 

innovative technology—some of which is the 

first in the region or state. 

In the early twentieth century, there was no 

hospital in Thibodaux, but there was a dream. 

Dr. J. L. Danos and the Reverend Monsignor 

Alexandre Barbier, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic 

Church, recognized the need for adequate 

healthcare and set out to do something about 

it. When Fanny Knobloch offered her home to 

be used as a school, asylum, or hospital, some 

residents were against the home being used for 

such purposes. They agreed that there was a 

need; but were against the location. Dr. Danos 

and the Monsignor came up with a new 

idea: renovate the old church rectory. For 

the cost of $500 in donations, the converted 

building, on January 19, 1930, became 

St. Joseph Hospital—Thibodaux’s first hospital. 

Other founders were physicians Theo Beatrous; 

Benton Ayo; Leo Kerne; Ruth Danos, nurse; 

Sidney Toups, contractor; and Harvey Peltier, 

local businessman. 

The twenty-six bed facility had a ward for 

children, emergency and operating rooms, 

and sleeping quarters for nurses. Occupancy 

increased along with staff and physicians; and 

two wings were added in 1935. St. Joseph 

Hospital considered its service to humanity as 

a primary reason for its existence. However, 

during its twenty-two years in the converted 

rectory, the nurses and staff faced tough odds 

in serving the sick. Despite the odds, the quality 

of service was considered outstanding. 

By 1945 a vote of approval was given 

to build a new facility. Peltier undertook 

fundraising efforts, acquired property, and 

construction on an all-new hospital got 

underway. On January 27, 1953, a new forty 

bed facility opened. The Catholic Sisters of 

Mount Carmel were called upon to operate 

the hospital. Three years later, the hospital 

had grown again and approval was given from 

the hospital’s board for an addition and more 

beds. Then, in 1961, with Peltier’s assistance, 

the hospital raised enough money to construct 

a two story, sixty bed addition. 

In 1967 the hospital board initiated the 

formation of a hospital service district under the 

Lafourche Parish Police Jury as a way to raise 

money for an expansion or to construct a new 


hospital. As plans were underway, the hospital 

earned accreditation by the Joint Commission 

for Accreditation of Hospitals. In 1971, Joel 

Champagne assumed administrative duties. On 

April 14, 1975, St. Joseph closed its doors; and 

Thibodaux General Hospital, a new 101 bed, 

$4.75 million facility opened its doors the same 

day at 602 North Acadia Road. 

The community grew; and with it, the 

hospital. By 1990 the now Thibodaux Hospital 

and Health Centers had become a 149 bed 

facility, serving Thibodaux and surrounding 

areas. The medical staff had grown to forty-two. 

Greg Stock was the new CEO. Plans were 

made for more improvements. Along with a 

master site facility plan, the hospital launched 

many new programs and services, and acquired 

advanced technology. In 1994 a $3.5 million 

Regional Cancer Center was added, as was an 

Outpatient Rehabilitation Center. Cardiovascular 

surgery was a new service offered in 1995. 

A year later, the hospital changed its name 

to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center to reflect 

its growth and expanded areas serviced. It 

was no longer a local, rural hospital, but a 

state-of-the-art medical center serving all the 

people of the region. The hospital continues to 

be a healthcare leader with the new 242,000 

square foot Wellness Center set to open in 2016. 

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, with 

180 beds now has 1,100 employees on staff. 

Its medical staff has grown to more than 

250 physicians. It has an annual payroll of 

$74 million; and has a total economic impact 

of $389 million in the community. The medical 

center continually is recognized with industry 

awards for excellence in patient care, cost 

efficiency, and technology. 

Thibodaux Regional’s mission is to provide 

the highest quality, most cost-effective healthcare 

services possible to the people of Thibodaux and 

surrounding areas. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 1 3

HOSPICE OF 

SOUTH LOUISIANA 

 

Above: Hospice of South Louisiana, 

located at 205 Bayou Gardens 

Boulevard, Suite E, Houma, 

Louisiana 70364. 

Below: Left to right, Reverend Ray 

Marcel and Deacon Joey Lirette. 

Hospice of South Louisiana (HSL) began as 

a labor of love for Dottie Landry, a Terrebonne 

Parish nurse who was the founder of the first 

hospice in Terrebonne Parish. 

Landry, a local R. N. and Great 100 Nurse, 

opened Hospice of South Louisiana as a 

nonprofit organization in 1988, becoming the 

fifth hospice company in the state and 

maintained an average census of sixty patients. 

Dr. Tommy Haydel was the first medical director, 

followed by Dr. Raul Doria. 

The philosophy of Hospice of South Louisiana 

was: Every human deserves to live until they die 

with dignity and comfort care surrounded by 

their loved ones. 

A nonprofit foundation, the Foundation for 

Health Care Research, was established in 1989 

to assist clients with unreimbursed expenses for 

patient care needs. Oxygen, pain control, and 

medical equipment were non-covered or limited 

in coverage by payors. The foundation helped 

clients obtain the needed items that provided 

comfort and relief. 

Following fifteen years of service and 

leadership in state and national healthcare 

associations, including serving on the Governor’s 

Advisory Board for Senior Citizens, Landry 

separated from the home health and hospice 

companies in 2002. Hospice of South Louisiana 

became a locally managed organization again 

in 2004 when Stephanie Schedler acquired the 

organization from an investment company 

headquartered in Lafayette. 

With twenty-five years’ experience in the 

hospice industry, Schedler was the ideal person 

to assume ownership. Hers has proven to be an 

intense, long-lasting love and commitment for 

providing top quality care for hospice patients 

and their families. She has been a member of 

the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative 

Care Organization for over twenty-four years. 


She has served as a board member and held 

the position of president of the Louisiana- 

Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care 

organization where she remains active. 

Schedler continues to run Hospice of South 

Louisiana on the premise of a non-profit 

organization rooted in the original philosophy 

created by its founder. HSL proudly accepts 

referrals without regard to diagnosis, gender, sexual 

orientation, national origin, race, creed, disability, 

and age, place of residence or payor source. 

Ashley Tauzin Guidry, R. N., a true Cajun 

from Lower Bayou Lafourche, is currently the 

Administrator and Director of Nursing. She is 

committed to the advancement of quality hospice 

care and is Hospice and Palliative Care Certified 

both as an RN and as an Administrator. 

Dr. Jules Dupont is the current Medical 

Director along with Assistant Directors Dr. 

Michael Marcello, Dr. Mistie Charlemagne and 

Dr. LaSandra Barton. 

Hospice of South Louisiana has been the 

trendsetter for many healthcare options for the 

public for Home Care and Hospice Care in 

Terrebonne Parish. The work of this organization 

helped prove that infusions and IV pain control 

could be safely given at home and as an outpatient, 

which predated and led to the development of 

local infusion centers. Hospice of South Louisiana 

has had a profound impact on the community 

and has served approximately 5,000 families over 

the past twenty-eight years. HSL continues to 

raise the bar by providing Palliative Care Certified 

nurses, Oncology Certified nurses and nurses 

with many years of Critical Care experience. HSL 

has progressed with social media to maintain a 

constant relationship with the community that 

serves as both a resource and an extended family 

to those in need of education and support when 

caring for their terminally ill loved ones. 

Approved by Medicare, Medicaid, and most 

private insurances, Hospice of South Louisiana 

provides physician’s medical management of pain 

and symptoms; skilled nursing for appropriate 

care, nurses’ aides for personal care needs; 

medical social workers for emotional support 

and counseling; chaplains for spiritual guidance; 

therapy when ordered; twenty-four hour 

emergency support, medications related to 

symptom management of the admitting diagnosis; 

medical supplies and equipment, bereavement, 

and grief support to family members are offered 

for one year after a death; and an annual memorial 

service for all family members of the deceased 

patients within the previous year. 

Hospice of South Louisiana continues to 

remain a leader in the Hospice industry serving 

a fifty-mile radius from its office location in 

Houma, Louisiana. We are Hospice! 

 

Above: Staff and children 

participating in a relay walk 

for charity. 

Below: Left to right, Founder, Dottie 

Landry; Owner, Stephanie Schedler; 

Administrator and Director of 

Nursing, Ashley Guidry. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 1 5

FLYNN 

CLINIC OF 

CHIROPRACTIC 

 

Above: Raymond Flynn with his 

parents, prior to his deployment 

to Vietnam. 

Below: Dr. Jack Flynn with former 

Governor Edwin Edwards. 

As a young man returning to Detroit from his 

service during World War II, John "Jack" Flynn, 

greeted by his mother, said, "Son, I want you to 

consider becoming a chiropractor." Although he 

had never heard of chiropractic before, he 

discovered that, while he was away, his mother's 

disabling headaches had been relieved after 

several appointments with a chiropractor. 

He followed mom’s advice and moved with his 

wife, Pat, and son, Raymond, to Davenport, Iowa, 

in 1950. There, he enrolled and spent four years 

at Palmer College of Chiropractic. Two more 

children, Michael and Sharon, were born there; 

and, upon graduation they returned to Detroit 

where Jeffrey was born. Shortly, the Flynn family 

packed up their belongings with a decision to 

begin his chiropractic practice in Louisiana. 

Louisiana did not have many chiropractors, 

as it was one of four states in 1954 that had not 

yet passed legislative approval. With an adventurous 

spirit, full of confidence in his skills as a 

chiropractor, and seeing opportunity in 

Louisiana, they said their good-byes to family 

and friends and departed south. 

Chiropractic is an American-born profession 

dating back to 1895. The first state to license 

chiropractors, as part of the healing arts, was 

Kansas in 1913. By the 1960s, chiropractors were 

licensed and regulated in forty-eight states. 

Their journey south ended in Houma where 

son, Victor, and daughter, Jackie were born. In 

1954, Flynn Clinic of Chiropractic was established. 

Those early years were challenging for Dr. 

Flynn and his family. He practiced for twenty 

years without a license, often under duress, until 

the law was passed in 1974, making Louisiana 

the last state to license chiropractors. Dr. Jack was 

president of the state association that year. 

The Flynn Family chiropractic story was 

featured in two documentaries–Doctored in 2012 

and Undoctored in 2016. 

The documentaries cover the decade long 

legal battle that chiropractors won in 1987 

when a Federal Judge found the American 

Medical Society (AMA) guilty of violating the 

Sherman Antitrust Act. Court documents 

revealed a strategy in 1963 by a designated 


committee of the AMA to “contain and eliminate” 

the chiropractic profession. The chairman of this 

committee was from New Orleans. 

The chiropractic approach to healthcare brings 

a focus to whole body structure and function with 

an emphasis on movement biomechanics. The 

philosophy centers on the relationship of the 

brain and spine to the nervous system. The art is 

corrective manual adjustments by hand (or in 

some cases instrument assisted devices) to 

improve joint motion and effect posture, balance, 

and the neurological expression of pain. 

After seven years of education to receive 

his doctor of chiropractic degree, Dr. Mike Flynn 

joined his father’s practice in 1975. This was one 

year after the law was passed. Today, he continues 

the Flynn Clinic of Chiropractic tradition, 

established by his father in 1954, at Holistic 

Health Medical Center on Corporate Boulevard. 

Dr. Mike is a past state association president, 

past president of the Louisiana Board of 

Examiners, past Chairman of the Board of the 

American Chiropractic Association and past 

president of the World Federation of 

Chiropractic, which represents eighty-five 

countries where chiropractic is practiced. 

In his community, Dr. Mike was elected 

president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1998. 

He was the recipient of a Community Activist 

Award for his work as chairman of a chamber 

committee to downsize both the Parish Council 

and School Board from fifteen to nine members. 

As chamber president he led actions to promote 

national awareness to the disappearing coastline 

with an SOS (Save Our Soil) campaign, where 

thousands of local students wrote letters to the 

United States President. 

Dr. Mike is a Parish Council appointed 

member to the Library Board of Control, a 

position he has served for seventeen years. 

The Flynn family suffered the loss of Raymond 

in 1964, just shy of his twentieth birthday when, 

as a helicopter gunner, he became the first 

Louisiana soldier to be killed in Vietnam. 

Dr. Mike's brother, Victor, is a chiropractor 

practicing in New Orleans. Darlene, Dr. Mike’s 

wife, is clinic manager and known for having 

never met a stranger. The clinic website is 

www.drmikeflynn.com. 

 

Above: Dr. Jack Flynn and his son, 

Dr. Mike Flynn. 

Below: Dr. Mike and his wife, Darlene. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 1 7

LEONARD J. 

CHABERT 

MEDICAL 

CENTER 

 

Above: The front of the 

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center. 

Below: Dr. Fredrik Jenssen and 

medical staff caring for one of the 

many patients seen daily. 

To better serve the healthcare needs of the 

populations of a seven Parish area, regardless of 

financial support, South Louisiana Medical 

Center (SLMC) was created in 1978 by the 

Louisiana Legislature. Senator Leonard Joseph 

Chabert championed the cause for adequate 

healthcare for the underserved in the region. 

Upon Senator Chabert’s death in 1991, his legacy 

of fighting for the medical center was recognized 

by having “his hospital” renamed in his honor— 

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (LJCMC). 

In addition to caring for the underserved in 

the region, the hospital was established as a 

graduate medical teaching facility to provide 

clinical training for physicians, nurses and allied 

health personnel. In 1978, South Louisiana 

Medical Associates (SLMA) was formed as an 

extension of the Alton Ochsner Medical 

Institution to train residents and provide 

physicians for the community. SLMA continues 

to provide physician support today. 

In May 2013 the Louisiana State University 

(LSU) board of supervisors approved the cooperative 

endeavor between Ochsner Health 

System and Terrebonne General Medical Center 

(TGMC). Ochsner and TGMC worked collaboratively 

to develop sustainable solutions to 

deliver crucial safety-net services for the region 

and preserve academic training at LJCMC. 

LJCMC is a 156 bed licensed acute care facility 

accredited by the Joint Commission providing 

both primary and secondary levels of care. 

Inpatient and outpatient services include 

radiology, laboratory, emergency medicine, 

physical rehabilitation, pediatrics, oncology, 

pulmonary/critical care medicine, cardiology, 

urology, orthopedics, surgery, and psychiatric 

care. These services account for 2,600 inpatient 

discharges, 248,000 outpatient tests and 

procedures, 120,000 clinic visits, and 34,500 

emergency department encounters. 

LJCMC’s physician group (SLMA) is 

comprised of eighty-five providers including 

physicians, nurse practitioners, physician 

assistants and nurse anesthetists. SLMA 

physicians span eighteen specialties providing 

clinic and hospital services. 

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center continues 

its long tradition as a safety-net provider for 

the underserved in the region while achieving 

unprecedented access, service, and quality of 

care for its patients. 

Additional information is available on the 

Internet at www.ochsner.org. 


CARDIOVASCULAR 

INSTITUTE OF 

THE SOUTH 

Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) is 

one of the nation's most respected groups of 

cardiologists representing nearly every specialty 

in heart and vascular medicine. CIS began in 

1983 as a one-man practice under the leadership 

of Dr. Craig Walker in Houma, Louisiana. 

From the beginning, Dr. Walker envisioned the 

institute as a center for the development of new 

and improved techniques and technologies for the 

treatment of both coronary and peripheral arterial 

disease. At the time, Houma had one of the 

highest incidences of cardiovascular disease in the 

nation. 

As the largest single-specialty practice in the 

state, CIS continues to grow and prove its 

commitment to bring quality medical services to 

the region. The institute offers a comprehensive 

heart and vascular program with specialized 

medical professionals trained in nuclear cardiology, 

electrophysiology, prevention services, and lipid 

management, as well as aneurysm repair and 

interventional procedures. 

CIS has made significant advancements in 

the development of non-surgical treatments for 

peripheral artery disease (PAD). Because of Dr. 

Walker’s passion and reputation for treating 

PAD, CIS has become a leader in the field by 

using interventional procedures that eliminate 

the need for amputations. 

CIS has received international acclaim 

as a leader of research and development by 

participating in clinical research trials. CIS 

physicians serve as clinical investigators for many 

new and innovative medical devices and share 

their knowledge by lecturing around the country 

about the latest methods of treating both cardiac 

and peripheral arterial disease. Dr. Walker’s 

commitment to education is the reason he cofounded 

New Cardiovascular Horizons, the largest 

conference in the nation focused on preventing 

amputations and improving treatment for PAD. 

The Structural Heart Program at Cardiovascular 

Institute of the South and Terrebonne General 

Medical Center provides treatments for valve 

disorders and structural heart defects. Our team 

is comprised of interventional cardiologists and 

cardiovascular surgeons who use minimallyinvasive 

procedures and innovative techniques 

to treat life-threatening valve disorders. 

Visit www.cardio.com to learn more about 

our services and our team. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 1 9

ACADIAN 

AMBULANCE 

 

Above: Acadian Ambulance and 

Southdown Plantation House in 

Houma, c. 1995. 

Below: Acadian Ambulance’s model 

of providing a top-notch ambulance 

service funded through private 

membership soon spread to 

Terrebonne and surrounding parishes. 

Acadian Ambulance has a rich history with 

Terrebonne Parish. We began service to the area 

in 1973, only two years after founder Richard 

Zuschlag and two other young entrepreneurs 

started a small ambulance service in Lafayette, 

Louisiana. The company had very humble 

beginnings as Richard and his co-founders 

answered calls, drove ambulances, swept the 

headquarters floors, kept books and did 

whatever else was necessary to get the company 

off the ground. 

Richard remains as the chairman & CEO. “Our 

ambulance service was supported primarily by 

family memberships where residents would pay 

an affordable once-a-year fee that would entitle 

the family to discounted ambulance service as 

often as needed,” he said. “We were determined 

to provide the best ambulance service possible 

and a successful membership program was a 

key part in our growth and success. We had a 

lot of help and support from Terrebonne Parish 

officials and will forever remain grateful.” 

While the Acadian membership program 

has changed over the years, it is still in effect 

now offering more products and services to 

Acadian members. 

“I remain grateful to Terrebonne General and 

other hospitals that participated in the funding 

of our Air Med helicopter program in our early 

years,” Richard said. “I am also sincerely thankful 

for the continued support given by the entire 

medical community, public officials, and the 

media. We are proud partners in EMS with 

law enforcement agencies, fire departments and 

first responders.” 

Now, more than forty years later, Acadian 

Ambulance has surpassed the dreams and 

expectations of its founders servicing more than 

sixty-five parishes and counties in Louisiana, 

Texas, and Mississippi. Through growth and 

diversification, Acadian has six divisions with 

over 4,000 employees that serve health and safety 

needs—Acadian Ambulance, Air Med, Safety 

Management Systems, Acadian Total Security, 

National EMS Academy and Executive Aircraft 

Charter Services. 

Acadian has continued its growth and 

commitment to Terrebonne Parish with its first 

security retail store located in Houma. Acadian 

Total Security’s extensive service lines include 

security and home automation systems, personal 

emergency response systems and comprehensive 

business security solutions. 

Acadian Ambulance’s Terrebonne operations 

management team has an average of thirty-five 

years of employment with Acadian. They are 

loyal and dedicated, and are among the 106 

Acadian employees who live and work in 

Terrebonne Parish. All have a strong and healthy 

impact on the economy while striving to be good 

corporate citizens. 


Chad Haydel encountered countless dying 

residents at his affiliated assisted living facility 

in Houma. As he watched the substandard endof-life 

care that families were receiving during 

a time when they were most vulnerable, he and 

his team decided to do something about it. 

Honoring the legacy of his grandfather, 

Henry Lawrence Haydel, a local primary care 

physician for more than fifty years, Chad had 

a vision to positively affect people’s final days 

with the same integrity and character that 

Dr H. L. was remembered for. 

Chad, and his partners, David Schonberg and 

Shannon Boudreaux, wanted to “fill a void” and 

raise expectations when it came to quality and 

compassion in end-of-life care. On August 1, 

2009, they founded HL Haydel Memorial 

Hospice (HMH), LLC in a two-story house that 

was retro-fitted into office space. He says the 

early days were challenging, but the company 

grew rapidly and HMH moved into a building 

that was converted to meet the needs of a busy 

hospice agency. 

HMH is the only locally owned and operated 

hospice in the tri-parish area. It provides highquality 

care and a holistic approach to end-of-life 

care, focusing on the patient and family’s spiritual 

and psychosocial beliefs as well as the patient’s 

medical needs. Its goal is to render the highest 

standard of care, giving patients dignity, quality, 

and comfort. 

In the company’s first year, HMH reported 

rapid growth in patient referrals and admissions; 

and, exponential growth in geographic reach 

and care quality. Recent years have resulted in 

regulatory changes and administrative issues; 

however, HMH maintains a steady growth while 

continuing to provide quality care. 

Haydel Memorial Hospice consists of a diverse 

staff lead by Administrator Laurie Theriot and 

Director of Nurses Debra Gorr, RN. In addition, 

HMH has twenty-three professional employees 

that make up the hospice team. 

Located at 1297 St. Charles Street, Suite H, in 

Houma, HMH will continue providing highest 

standard of care to their community. Long term, 

their goal is to construct an inpatient hospice 

facility to better care for terminally ill patients 

who may not have the luxury of dying at home. 


Internet at www.haydelhospice.com. 

HAYDEL 

MEMORIAL 

HOSPICE 

 

Left: Haydel Memorial Hospice staff. 

Below: Dr. H. L. Haydel. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 2 1

TERREBONNE 

ARC 

As parents of an individual with intellectual 

disabilities, Jeffrey and Nellie Guidry changed 

lives and created what is now known as TARC. 

Jeffrey worked for an insurance company, which 

allowed him to meet many people in their 

homes in Terrebonne Parish. He met many 

families with children with developmental 

disabilities. He said, “Parents hid them from 

strangers or put them in institutions.” 

Jeffrey and Nellie decided to locate other 

families and organize “some form of a special 

school” to help train people with intellectual 

disabilities. They pleaded to various civic clubs in 

the community and approached the local school 

board. With much dedication and hard work, 

a classroom was made available at Terrebonne 

Elementary School in 1953. Yvonne Pellegrin was 

selected as the first instructor of a class of eight 

students. This class was one of the first in the 

state, as well as the first in Terrebonne Parish. 

By March 1962 the new TARC Board of 

Directors incorporated and chartered a nonprofit 

organization. The group sought additional 

support in 1968 through a three mill tax; and 

now collects five point thirty-three mills. 

For over fifty years, TARC continues to be a 

leader in the Arc community with its innovative 

job opportunities, meaningful work and services 

that include pre-employment training, 

job training, residential services, therapies, 

and transportation for individuals served. 

Participants engage in a host of jobs from Cajun 

Confections (gourmet chocolates and bakery); 

Cedar Chest Boutique (thrift stores); Houma 

Grown (gardens and greenhouses); Lagniappe 

Cleaning Company (janitorial); Bayouland Yard 

Krewes; TARC Restaurant and Gift Shop; Buy-U 

Beads (Mardi Gras bead recycling); Grand 

Designs (screen printing); La Maison d’Art therapy; 

and Creative Employment Opportunities 

(community employment) proving that individuals 

with disabilities can make their own way! 

TARC is committed to securing for all people 

with intellectual and developmental disabilities 

the opportunity to enjoy a meaningful life. 

Terrebonne ARC is located at No. 1 McCord 

Road in Houma. Office is open daily, closed 

weekends and holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 

4:00 p.m. Please visit us on the Internet at 

www.terrebonnearc.org or call 985-876-4465 for 

more information on TARC’s services. 


A healthy ecosystem is important to building 

a strong community. Rightly so, say those 

involved in the day-to-day concerns of protecting 

the environment whether it be water, 

wildlife or the earth and all it has to offer. 

The National Estuary Program (NEP) to 

which the Barataria-Terrebonne National 

Estuary Program (BTNEP) belongs, was founded 

by Congress and is administered by 

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Louisiana’s Barataria and Terrebonne basins (4.2 

million acres) were nominated for participation 

as an NEP due to the national significance of 

this landmass and the people who live here; 

there are only twenty-eight NEPs in the nation. 

The mission of BTNEP is the preservation and 

restoration of the estuarine system that lies 

between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers. 

The goal is to rebuild and protect the estuary 

for future generations of humans through 

the implementation of a science-based, consensus-driven 

plan of actions, utilizing partnerships 

focused on the estuary’s cultural, economic, and 

natural resources. 

Al Levron, Terrebonne Parish manager, was 

the first individual to recognize the possibility 

of becoming an NEP. Shortly thereafter, 

hundreds concerned with the estuary including 

business owners, environmentalists, landowners, 

concerned citizens, and federal, state, and local 

government representatives crafted fifty-one 

recommendations for action to improve the 

health of the ecosystem. 

Currently administered through the Louisiana 

Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), 

BTNEP provides the basis for improvements 

found in the Comprehensive Conservation 

Management Plan as outlined by the organization’s 

Management Conference. BTNEP continually 

works to: preserve and restore wetlands 

and barrier islands; support diverse, natural biological 

communities; develop and meet water 

quality standards that protect estuarine 

resources and human health; promote environmentally-responsible 

economic activities that 

sustain estuarine resources; generate national 

recognition and support; implement comprehensive 

wetlands education and awareness 

programs that enhance public involvement and 

maintain cultural heritage; create clear, fair, 

practical, and enforceable regulations; develop 

and maintain multilevel, long-term comprehensive 

watershed planning; be compatible with 

natural processes; and forge common-ground 

solutions to estuarine problems. 

Conservation of this unique ecosystem will 

continue to be the focus of BTNEP long into the 

future. Additional information is available on 

the Internet at www.btnep.org. 

BARATARIA- 

TERREBONNE 

NATIONAL 

ESTUARY 

PROGRAM 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 2 3

LEADERSHIP 

TERREBONNE 

 

Above: The 2015 graduating class 

of Leadership Terrebonne. 

Below: Stan Gravois and 

Karen Schilling, facilitator. 

Leadership Terrebonne has been involved in 

Houma-Terrebonne Parish community since 

1993 when the first graduates completed the 

ten-month program. Born from the findings 

of a needs assessment commissioned by the 

Terrebonne Economic Development District 

Commission (TEDDCO), Leadership Terrebonne 

has been continuously fulfilling its mission of 

encouraging leadership by involvement in 

activities to improve the quality of life for all 

citizens of Terrebonne Parish. Early leaders in 

the development of Leadership Terrebonne are 

Carleton Casey, J. J. Buquet, Sharon Bergeron, 

Charles Theriot, Hartwell Lewis, Bob Schmidt, 

Tim Emerson, Alvin Tillman 

and Kay Thibodeaux. To 

date 599 persons have 

completed the program. 

Leadership Terrebonne is a 

nonprofit and nonpartisan 

community organization. 

Leadership Terrebonne 

participants meet monthly 

from January to October 

for a session focusing on 

a specific aspect of our 

community. Those sessions 

are diversity, law enforcement, 

Simulated Society 

(SIMSOC) education, environment, healthcare, 

government, economic development and community 

concerns/media relations. Each month 

the professional facilitator conducts the session, 

which features the decision makers and experts 

in the topic areas and provides opportunities 

to learn, experience and understand the impact 

of circumstances to our community. 

Jan Day Gravel was the facilitator of the class 

for the first six years. Leadership Terrebonne 

graduate of the Class of 1993, Karen Schilling 

has facilitated the program since 2004. 

Since the beginning, some of the most talked 

about experiences in Leadership Terrebonne 

have been SIMSOC, visits to the jail, learning 

about grassroots organizations addressing 

real community needs, and listening to such 

speakers as Loren Scott on the economy and 

Dan Davis on the environment and the closing 

retreat. SIMSOC is the best kept secret of 

Leadership Terrebonne and ringing the bell at 

the Retreat Center is highly anticipated. 

The Houma Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce 

was contracted by TEDDCO to provide the 

administrative duties of the organization. The 

Chamber provides office space, the use of office 

machines and phone services as well as an 

employee to handle daily operations of the 

Alumni Association. 


SOUTHDOWN 

PLANTATION 

HOUSE 

THE 

TERREBONNE 

MUSEUM 

It is one of the last grand plantation houses in 

Terrebonne Parish that is open to the public and 

the only one that also showcases as a local 

history museum. The manor house has graced 

the southern bank of Little Bayou Black since 

1858. Built earlier still were the sugar factory 

and slave quarters. Within the two-story slave 

quarters, the kitchen, laundry and dairy were 

located. This building stands today at the rear of 

the manor and within are the admissions desk, 

a gift shop and administrative offices. 

For more than a century and a half, sugar 

was king in South Louisiana, enticing pioneers 

to the region and rewarding them with 

prosperity and progress. Southdown is located 

in the city of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, 

where eighty-six sugar mills operated during 

the industry’s boom years. The last operational 

mill in the parish was the Southdown Mill, 

located adjacent to Southdown Plantation 

House. It closed in 1977. 

Southdown Plantation House is a lasting 

tribute to the sugar industry, which helped to 

nurture Terrebonne Parish from its infancy to its 

present population of over 100,000 residents. 

Four generations of the Minor Family, along 

with hundreds of mill workers, fieldworkers, 

and their families, lived and labored at 

Southdown Plantation. The Minor family 

occupied Southdown House until 1934. Over 

the years, the plantation owners, managers, and 

workers helped launch the local sugar industry, 

sustained it through difficult years, witnessed 

the cultural enrichment and progress of its 

boom times, and revitalized the industry from 

a near-fatal crop disease. 

Plantation life and the sugar industry are just 

two of the many topics explored by the exhibits 

of Southdown Plantation House/The Terrebonne 

Museum. In addition to the museum displays, 

the house itself, through its architecture and 

design, reveals information about life in South 

Louisiana. In addition, the museum displays 

historic exhibits such as Terrebonne Parish Life 

1890 to 1945, a re-creation of Senator Allen 

Ellender’s U.S. Senate office and a Native People 

of Louisiana room. The museum is open to 

the public for tours. For more information, 

visit www.southdownmuseum.org. 

 

Above: Southdown Plantation House’s 

slave quarters. 

Below: Current Southdown 

Plantation House. 

Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E ✦ 1 2 5

Unbeknownst to many residents of 

Terrebonne, there are more than twenty 

bayous that are actually considered 

lakes, such as Lake Quitman. 



THE MARKETPLACE 

T e r r e b o n n e P a r i s h ’ s r e t a i l a n d 

c o m m e r c i a l e s t a b l i s h m e n t s o f f e r 

a n i m p r e s s i v e v a r i e t y o f c h o i c e s 

Stephanie Hebert Insurance Agency ..................................................1 2 8 

Lanaux & Felger, CPAs, APC ..........................................................1 3 0 

Haydel’s Drug Store, Inc. ...............................................................1 3 2 

De Fraites Associates, Inc. .............................................................1 3 4 

Holiday Inn Houma .......................................................................1 3 6 

Candlewood Suites ........................................................................1 3 7 

Wolfe’s Pharmacy ..........................................................................1 3 8 

Brooke’s Sno-World........................................................................1 4 0 

Terrebonne Insurance Agency ..........................................................1 4 1 

Houma Area Convention & Visitors Bureau .......................................1 4 2 

Synergy Bank ...............................................................................1 4 3 

Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce .........................................1 4 4 

Baymont Inn & Suites Houma .........................................................1 4 5 

T H E M A R K E T P L A C E ✦ 1 2 7

STEPHANIE HEBERT 

INSURANCE 

AGENCY 

 

Stephanie Hebert. 

Some of the brightest moments in the history 

of Stephanie Hebert Insurance Agency have 

come in serving others during some of the 

darkest days in our parish and state history. 

Take August 30, 2015, for example. 

One day after Hurricane Katrina slammed 

into the Louisiana coast, inflicting wind damage 

in Terrebonne Parish and catastrophic flooding 

in New Orleans, Stephanie Hebert Insurance 

opened its doors to assist hurricane victims 

from across south Louisiana. Powered by one 

generator and one operable computer, the staff 

at the agency helped more than 750 people 

who came in the office on that one day alone to 

file claims, most of whom were not customers 

and many from the New Orleans area who 

sought shelter with family and friends. 

Stephanie Hebert Insurance was one of the 

few insurance offices to open hours after one of 

the worst disasters in American history and her 

commitment to help victims did not end there. 

Hebert and her staff collected and distributed 

supplies to local shelters that were housing 

people from other parishes devastated by 

Katrina, and continued this effort when 

Hurricane Rita flooded 10,000 homes in lower 

Terrebonne Parish less than one month later. 

For the next three months, Hebert and her 

staff worked ten hour days, seven days a week to 

help property owners understand their coverage, 

file claims, and manage policy changes. It was a 

difficult time for our region, but also a shining 

example of the power of community that drives 

Hebert and her entire office. 

“This community has given me so much. The 

least I can do is give back and help build our 

community even stronger,” she explains. 

It took a lot of strength, courage, and generous 

help from others for Hebert to begin working 

in the insurance business and eventually 

build her own agency. Following a divorce that 

left her raising two children alone, Hebert credits 

her father, Stephen Hebert, for encouraging 

her to get her insurance license and start her 

career in that field. After five years of learning 

the business working for another local agency, 

Hebert became an exclusive agent for Allstate 

and opened the doors of Stephanie Hebert 

Insurance Agency in December 1994. 

In 1999, Hebert purchased another local 

insurance agency, increasing her company’s size 

by five. What began as a “one-woman show” in 

1994 housed in the back of a dance studio on 

Van Avenue in Houma, has now grown to an 

office of nine employees in the Stephanie Hebert 

Insurance Agency building that opened at 

854 Grand Caillou Road in 2002. 

The agency is focused on helping customers 

protect their families and property by providing 

a range of products such as home, auto, 

business, and life insurance, as well as financial 

and investment services. 

“My favorite part of the job is helping 

customers secure proper insurance coverage and 

feel confident that they are sufficiently covered 

if they have a claim,” Hebert says. “We are proud 

to treat our customers like family and serve our 

community whenever possible.” 

Stephanie Hebert Insurance has been repeatedly 

recognized by Allstate for achievements 

within its insurance market and for community 

service including the Life Leader Award, Elite 

Commercial Agent Award, 14 Allstate Honor 

Ring Awards, 11 National Conference Awards, 

3 Chairman’s Conference, and many Allstate 

“Hands in the Community” grants that provide 

$1,000 for 5 nonprofit organizations in our area 

every year. 

The company also received awards from 

local groups for its business growth. In 2000, 


Stephanie Hebert Insurance Agency was named 

Small Business of the Year by the Houma- 

Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce and Hebert 

was nominated by the Bayou Board of Realtors 

for their Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 

2004, she was presented the Athena Award by 

the Women’s Business Alliance for her leadership 

as a female business owner and for fostering 

professional development and advancement for 

her own office of all-female employees. 

Hebert is honored to have received these 

prestigious awards but most proud of her 

agency’s commitment to support community 

organizations. She is a member of the South 

Central Industrial Association, a founding 

member of the Women’s Business Alliance, and 

has served on the Kiwanis Club Board of 

Directors for which she flipped pancakes for the 

annual fundraiser supporting the Terrific Kids 

Program. An endowed scholarship established 

by Hebert at Nicholls State University provides 

financial assistance to Nicholls’ students 

diagnosed with dyslexia. 

A unique opportunity for community service 

came amid tragedy in January 2005, when six 

National Guard soldiers from the Houma area 

were killed in Iraq. The boyfriend of one of 

Hebert’s employees was part of this Charlie 

Company, and when word of the tragedy struck, 

the employee was overcome with worry until 

she received a call from her soldier letting her 

know he was safe. He was able to make that call 

thanks to a calling card Hebert gave to him 

before he deployed. 

This heart-wrenching event prompted Hebert 

to start a giving program called “Charlie Phone 

Home,” providing calling cards to deployed local 

soldiers so that they could call home more 

frequently and in times of crisis. In one year, the 

program raised over $5,000 in donations for 

calling cards that were sent overseas to soldiers 

from Terrebonne Parish. This program and many 

others earned Hebert the Ray Lynch Award in 

2006, Allstate’s highest award for community 

service presented to only one agent in the 

country each year. 

In 2015, Hebert served as Chairman of the 

Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce, 

where she has been a member for more than 

twenty years. Staff members also regularly 

participate in Chamber events and committees, 

such as LaDonna Cruse who was recognized by 

the Chamber as Ambassador of the Year for 

2014. When it comes to fun for a good cause, 

Hebert does not miss a chance to celebrate all 

that Terrebonne Parish has to offer. She is a 

founding member of the Best of the Bayou 

Festival committee and helps to organize the 

festival’s exciting Alligator Race fundraiser. 

Every three months, the Stephanie Hebert 

Insurance Agency team comes together to select 

a charitable organization to help or an effort to 

support. This has yielded volunteer projects like 

working a benefit for a one year old child 

diagnosed with cancer; donating bedding and 

toiletries for Hooper Dorm—a girls dorm 

located at MacDonell Methodist Children’s 

Services; collecting purses and business attire 

for needy women going on job interviews; Coats 

for Kids; Toys for Tots; and raising money for a 

new exhibit at the Kids in Motion Discovery 

Playhouse Museum. 

Since 1994, Stephanie Hebert Insurance has 

been an active member of the Terrebonne Parish 

community in the best of times and the worst 

of times. They look forward to many more 

years serving customers and Terrebonne 

Parish. Whether its providing quality insurance 

coverage, assisting property owners with 

current policies and claims, or going above and 

beyond the call of duty to help our neighbors 

in a crisis, Stephanie Hebert Insurance Agency 

is a helping hand that you can rely on. 

 

Deployed members of the Army 

National Guard’s Charlie Company 

showing off their calling cards 

provided to them by the Stephanie 

Hebert Insurance Agency’s Charlie 

Phone Home program. 


LANAUX & 

FELGER, CPAS, 

APC 

 

Above: Lanaux & Felger 

Stockholders, from left to right, 

Thomas Lanaux and Mark Felger. 

Below: The Lanaux & Felger Staff— 

Firm members. Back row, from left to 

right, Lohan Kotze, Tommy Lanaux, 

Mark Felger, and Benjamin Adams. 

Front row, from left to right, 

Lauren Easley, Samantha Falgout, 

Karla Tipton and Belle Daigneault. 

It was the height of the oil and gas (O&G) 

industry boom in 1979 when Claude Bergeron 

and Kennon Broussard of Houma, Louisiana, 

realized a great career opportunity awaited them. 

They formed the public accounting firm of 

Bergeron, Broussard & Company, (A Professional 

Corporation [APC]), providing accounting, tax 

and consulting services to local businesses and 

individuals in Terrebonne and surrounding 

parishes. Today, the company operates as 

Lanaux & Felger, CPAs, an APC under the 

direction of Tommy Lanaux and Mark Felger. 

The firm navigated through the O&G 

downturn during the early 1980s, resulting in 

reduction of workforces throughout South 

Louisiana. The partners remained optimistic, 

rode out the tough times, and emerged into the 

prosperous firm it is today. Tommy says, “That 

was a credit to our partners, staff, and clients 

through all their hard work and long hours.” 

Tommy graduated from Nicholls State 

University (NSU) in 1972 and began his career 

in public accounting in 1974 with a national 

CPA firm in New Orleans, working there five 


years. Luck was with him when he was 

conducting an audit at a Houma country club 

when Broussard, a fellow Alexander Grant 

alumnus, stopped to say hello. He said his 

company could use some auditing experience 

with the growth in the local practice. Tommy 

joined the firm in October 1979. 

Mark also graduated from NSU, having 

received his degree in 1990. He began his public 

accounting career in 1992 with Bergeron & 

Company. He had planned a career in public 

accounting following graduation; and had 

interviewed with the firm while still in school. 

In the meantime, he purchased the shoe store 

he had managed while in college. Two years 

later, his wife assumed management of the store, 

and Mark began to prepare for the CPA exam. 

“One of our partners,” adds Tommy, “learned 

that Mark was taking the exam and called to 

see if he wanted to interview for a position with 

the firm. On the morning of the first session of 

the CPA exam, the partners called and offered 

him the position. Mark accepted and joined the 

firm in November 1992.” 

The CPA firm employs eight professional and 

support staff, five of which are certified public 

accountants. Its customer base includes corporations, 

nonprofits, government entities, financial 

institutions and individual clients. 

Lanaux & Felger have been instrumental in 

the development of clients’ businesses by providing 

them with valuable and helpful information 

through tax planning, consulting, and 

accounting services. With a steady growth over 

the years, it also provides clients with audits, 

bookkeeping, cash flow and budgeting analysis, 

business consulting, business succession planning, 

tax planning and preparation, Internal 

Revenue representation, among other services. 

Tommy says he inherited his father’s work 

ethic as a youth, growing up on a sugarcane 

plantation. “He also taught me that it is 

important to give back to the community.” Both 

Mark and Tommy embrace that motto. Tommy 

is a past Jaycee of the Year, March of Dimes 

Volunteer of the Year and Rotarian of the Year. 

In addition, he serves on the board of the 

Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence 

in Public Education, the accounting advisory 

board at Nicholls State University, and Rotary. 

Mark belongs to the Kiwanis Club of Houmas, 

having served as president. He has been Kiwanis 

District Lieutenant Governor. He has served as 

a youth minister and music minister for over 

thirty years at his church. He was also a member 

of the church’s pastoral council for many years. 

Both are members of the American Institute 

of CPAs (AICPA), the Louisiana Society of CPAs, 

and the South Central Chapter of CPAs. Mark 

received the Elijah Watt Sells Certificate from 

the AICPA for achieving the highest score in the 

state, and placing within the top 100 scores in 

the nation on his CPA exam. 

The company was originally located in 

Terrebonne Bank Towers and remained there 

as a tenant until the owners purchased the 

present facility in 1997 at 5779 Highway 311 

in Houma. 

 

The Lanaux & Felger Building, a 

1979 Artist Rendition of the building 

located at 5779 Highway 311 

in Houma. 


HAYDEL’S DRUG 

STORE, INC. 

 

Above: In 1936, Haydel’s Drug Store 

served as one of the favorite teenage 

hangouts. Teens would meet up to 

take advantage of the soda fountain 

or to just talk over the day’s events in 

a wholesome atmosphere. 

Below: Haydel’s Drug Store, c. 1935, 

located at the corner of Church and 

Belanger Streets. 

While many things change, some things, 

like Haydel’s Drug Store, remain the same—a 

true community drug store that is not part of 

a large chain. 

It was Leon Cabrol who opened a drug store 

in 1930 at the corner of Church and Belanger 

Streets in downtown Houma, serving patients 

with prescriptions that needed to be filled. 

While historical records do not share the 

name of this facility, it was similar to other 

apothecaries of its day. 

After working for F. P. Theriot, Paul Haydel, 

Sr., purchased the pharmacy in 1935 and 

named it Haydel’s Drug Store and began filling 

prescriptions to care for the sick of Terrebonne 

Parish. He added some retail items to the 

storefront, complete with soda fountain and 

a soda jerk. It was a place where downtown 

shoppers were welcomed, talked a while, and 

had a treat or milkshake over conversation. 

Often, they inquired about what to do for a 

particular ailment in lieu of a trip to the doctor; 

and, often, Paul offered his best knowledge. He 

was known for his generosity; and, in a random 

act of kindness, Paul filled a prescription when a 

man could not afford medication for his sick 

child. Paul told the man to think of him when, 

and if, he got ahead financially. The next month, 

the man bought Paul a sack of oysters as payment. 

Haydel’s Drug Store started delivery service 

in the 1930s with couriers on bicycles and 

continues delivery service today, using vehicles 

rather than bicycles. Buses often transported 

people from outlying areas to Houma’s Court 

House Square to conduct their monthly 

business transactions, some of which would be 

doctors’ visits and trips to the pharmacy. 

The store served as the central market of 

Houma in the early years. Downtown was the 

focal point of Terrebonne’s economy at the time. 

The store acted as a general merchandise retailer 

where everything from cameras to gift items 

was purchased. Like many drug stores, young 

people met at the soda fountain for dates, others 

gathered after religious services. During the 

pre-mall and big-box pharmacies, it was known 

as the “hang out” because it was open seven 


days a week until 11 p.m. Some still remember 

the stories of the old soda fountain where they 

either met their spouses or hung out with 

friends. Sadly, the soda fountain was discontinued 

prior to 1964. 

In 1964, Paul’s nephew, Ronnie J. Haydel, 

purchased the store, continuing the family 

tradition of caring for the sick of Terrebonne 

Parish. In 1971, Haydel’s Drug Store made history 

by receiving an award from E. R. Squibb & Sons 

Pharmaceutical Company for filling one million 

prescriptions. This was quite a task back then. 

After working for Ronnie for over a year, 

Robert P. Rock purchased the drug store in 

1980, retaining the Haydel name. Haydel’s is the 

oldest family-owned, independent pharmacy 

still operating in Houma. In fact, Haydel Drug 

Store is synonymous with Houma. 

Rock opened a second location on Grand 

Caillou Road in East Houma in 2004. In 2007, 

he opened a third location on Highway 311 

in Houma; and, in 2014, due to the changes 

in the healthcare atmosphere, he merged the 

downtown location with the Highway 311 

location. Today, it operates at the Highway 311 

address and the one on Grand Caillou Road. 

Both are equipped with drive-throughs for 

patient convenience. 

With the ever-changing landscape of healthcare, 

Haydel’s is determined to continue to 

provide friendly, reliable, and personal service 

to Terrebonne Parish residents. Rock says 

“We pride ourselves on taking the time to know 

our customers and their families. Getting a 

prescription filled shouldn’t take hours; we’re 

here to make it simple again.” 

Robert is owner/pharmacist, and son, Robert 

“Bobby” T. Rock (great-grandson of Paul) is 

business manager. In addition, there are 3 

pharmacists (1 on duty at a time), 3 pharmacy 

technicians, 4 clerks, 1 delivery driver, and a 

few relief pharmacists. The 311 store has 

two techs and the Grand Caillou store has two. 

The delivery driver delivers for both stores. 

 

Above: Haydel’s Drug Store being 

honored by the E. R. Squibb & Sons 

Pharmaceutical Company with a 

plaque for filling 1,000,000 

prescriptions. On hand to present the 

award to Ronnie and Paul Haydel 

was the company vice president and 

sales representative, Ernest Liner. 

Below: Robert “Bobby” T. Rock, 

business manager and Robert P. Rock, 

owner and pharmacist. 


DE FRAITES 

ASSOCIATES, INC. 

 

Arthur A. De Fraites. 

Arthur A. De Fraites, a 1928 Civil Engineer 

graduate of Tulane University, founded 

De Fraites Associates in Biloxi, Mississippi in 

February 1944, and in 1947, relocated the 

office to Houma, Louisiana. 

The firm began as a Civil Engineering and 

Land Surveying company and evolved into a 

full service firm offering consulting; civil, structural, 

mechanical and electrical engineering; 

and architectural, planning, and land surveying 

services. The mission of De Fraites Associates 

was to provide sound professional engineering 

advice and services to assist in creating, maintaining, 

and operating infrastructure facilities 

required for the orderly growth of the community, 

to improve the life style of the population, 

and to recommend feasible financing to allow 

those facilities to be successfully realized. 

In 1948 the Terrebonne Parish population 

was approximately 43,000 people, with about 

one-quarter of that population in the City of 

Houma. At that time, no utilities except electricity 

existed outside the city corporate limits. 

De Fraites saw the opportunity to provide infrastructure 

needed to accommodate the coming 

growth resulting from the development of the 

oil and gas industries in Terrebonne Parish. The 

City of Houma held the authority to provide 

the infrastructure needs within its corporate 

limits but did not want to burden the city 

with that responsibility in newly annexed, 

undeveloped areas adjacent to the city. The city 

did have potable water and sewage treatment 

plants that had excess capacity. 

Unincorporated areas of Terrebonne Parish 

operated under the Police Jury form of government, 

whose authority was intended for rural 

development, primarily for the construction and 

maintenance of roads and drainage. For other 

public services, the State Law provided for the 

creation of Special Purpose Districts, i.e., Water, 

Sewerage, Drainage, Recreation, Street Lighting, 

Hospital, Fire Protection, Military Museum, and 

Communication Districts. 

The success of a public works program to 

create infrastructure depends upon the ability to 

provide the necessary financing. De Fraites, with 

the concurrence of the city fathers and the Police 

Jurors, identified farsighted residents in neighborhoods 

adjacent to the city and assisted them 

in petitioning the Police Jury for the creation of 

Sewerage Districts. The sewerage collection system 

was financed by special assessments on the 

property served and the sewerage treatment was 

provided by the city. Ten sewerage districts were 

formed around the city. In 1952, Waterworks 

District No. 1 was formed to include Terrebonne 

Parish Wards 1, and the portion of Ward 3 outside 

the City of Houma, and Wards 5, 6, and 7. 

The financing was a combination of revenue 

bonds and ad valorem tax bonds. 

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the roadways 

along the bayou bank were clam shell 

and many families engaged in fishing, lived on 

houseboats pulled up on the banks along Bayou 

Little Caillou and Lower Bayou Terrebonne. The 

national Consulting Engineering firm of Duff 

and Phelps was retained to verify the revenue 

projections for the Waterworks District. When 

the engineer from Chicago visited the area he 

could not verify De Fraites’ potential customer 

count until De Fraites was able to convince him 

that each houseboat was indeed a potential 

customer. The original bonds for Waterworks 

District No. 1 were sold on a projection of 3,800 

customers and revenues of $200,640 by the 

year 1973. In fact, by 1973, the District had 

12,747 customers and revenue of $1,215,000. 

These revenue bonds ranked among the first 

in the State to finance water systems outside 

of a municipality. The bonds were sold, the 

Parish Water System was born, and De Fraites 


Associates became an established Consulting 

Engineering Firm. In Terrebonne Parish in 1953 

Waterworks District No. 2 was formed in Ward 4. 

Waterworks District No. 3 was formed in 1956 in 

Wards 2, 8, 9, and 10 thereby providing potable 

water to the entire parish. 

In July 1958, Arthur A. De Fraites, Jr., a 1953 

and 1958 Tulane graduate, joined the firm. In 

1961 the firm was incorporated as additional 

principals were added. From the 1960s to the 

1980s the firm assisted in the formation of and 

managed programs of 6 additional Parish 

Sewerage Districts, 5 Recreation Districts, 7 Fire 

Protection Districts, and a Parish-owned natural 

gas distribution system. In 1966, John M. De 

Fraites, with a Business Administration Degree, 

joined the firm and was responsible for Business 

Management and Development. In 1972 the 

firm became a subsidiary of De Fraites 

Associates, Inc., as Gulf South Engineers, Inc. 

In the late 1980s, Terrebonne Parish had 

twenty-four sewerage districts, three water districts, 

and the City of Houma water system. In 

the 1990s, De Fraites, Jr., was instrumental in 

consolidating all of the sewerage districts under 

the Parish Government and all of the water 

systems under Consolidated Waterworks District 

No. 1. In addition to the development through 

Special Purpose Districts, the firm actively participated 

in the City of Houma Street Paving 

Program, the Parish Wide Sewer Program, Parish 

and City Drainage Programs, the Houma- 

Terrebonne Airport, Segments of the Morganza to 

the Gulf Levee Protection System, School Board 

Projects, and in the formation of the Terrebonne 

Parish Communications District, implementing 

the 911 service throughout the Parish. 

In 2002 the firm changed its name to GSE 

Associates, Inc., to better represent the inclusion 

of structural, mechanical, and architectural 

design services. Architectural projects included 

several schools, fire stations, recreational buildings, 

water and sewage treatment plants, office 

buildings, and swimming pools. 

In 2009, GSE Associates, Inc. was acquired by 

Providence Holding, Inc. and became Providence/ 

GSE Associates, LLC. As of January 1, 2013, 

Providence/GSE, as part of the Providence family 

of companies, is an employee-owned company 

under an Employee Stock Ownership Trust. As 

part of this change in ownership structure, 

Providence/GSE’s legal corporate name changed 

on February 18, 2013, to Providence/GSE 

Associates, LLC and is located at 991 Grand 

Caillou Road, Houma, Louisiana, 70363. 

Providence/GSE Associates, LLC and the 

related firms owned by Providence Holding, 

Inc., have experience in all aspects of engineering, 

architecture, environmental, land surveying, 

planning services, disaster recovery, 

regulatory analysis, permitting, modeling, 

monitoring, and compliance, encompassing 

local governments and state agencies to federal 

agencies such as Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development, Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, Environmental 

Protection Agency, Department of Environmental 

Quality, Coastal Protection and Restoration 

Authority, and the U. S. Corps of Engineers. 

This group of professionals has considerable 

knowledge and experience from within commercial, 

academic, consulting, industrial, and 

regulatory fields. The Providence companies 

have provided services to over 500 clients in 

private and public sectors across the United 

States. Its client base includes many multinationals 

in a wide range of industries. As a 

growing company, with over 250 employees, 

Providence has established branch offices in 

multiple states to better serve its clients. 

 

Left to right: Arthur A. De Fraites, Jr., 

and John M. De Fraites. 


HOLIDAY INN 

HOUMA 

 

Above: Holiday Inn Houma is 

located at 1800 Martin Luther 

King Boulevard. 

Below: Guest rooms are equipped for 

business or leisure guests, with many 

amenities including daily newspaper 

delivered directly to your room. 

Travelers looking for a great place to spend a 

night (or longer), in Houma, need to look no 

further than the Holiday Inn. Conveniently 

located on Martin Luther King Boulevard, the 

hotel offers the best source of hospitality, and 

ease to shopping, restaurants, and the Military 

Museum. In fact, it is just minutes from the Gulf 

of Mexico. 

Owned and operated by Q Hotel Management, 

Holiday Inn Houma features ninety-seven 

rooms and eight suites that include microrefrigerators, 

spacious desks, thirty-seven inch 

televisions, and Bath and Body Works amenities. 

Q Hotel Management wanted to bring 

the first new, full-service hotel to Houma in 

2006. The management company saw that the 

booming oil and gas industry and the local 

economic development would require a new 

hotel with a full restaurant and bar to serve the 

needs of the growing travelers to the area. The 

ownership found just the right spot and broke 

ground for Holiday Inn Houma. 

The hotel offers its guests the best in banquet 

accommodations and service for training, 

corporate events, and weddings; as well as, 

offering 4,200 square feet of meeting space to 

accommodate groups from 10 to 300. The 

professional catering sales team is available to 

help customers plan their events from start to 

finish, offering expert menu planning, as well as 

set-up and design services. Regardless of a 

client’s palate, the culinary staff can prepare a 

variety of local dishes and international cuisines. 

The hotel’s staff is specially trained to make 

the guest’s stay a memorable one. Many of 

Holiday Inn’s guests are executives and sales 

representatives who typically stay one or two 

nights and are looking for a full service 

restaurant with the special amenities that the 

property has to offer. The lobby bar, outdoor 

pool and fitness center are a few of the hotel’s 

amenities that the guests enjoy when they visit 

the hotel. 

Now that Holiday Inn Houma is established 

and doing well, the owners plan to continue to 

grow and develop hotels in the Houma and 

surrounding areas. They plan to become an 

invested partner within the community. 


CANDLEWOOD 

SUITES 

When Q Hotel Management realized there 

was a need for an extended stay hotel in Houma 

that offered a relaxed atmosphere with a 

number of amenities, they decided to do 

something about it. They purchased land in 

2011 adjacent to Martin Luther King Boulevard 

on Corporate Drive, and set out to build what is 

now known as Candlewood Suites. This 113 

room facility includes six two-room suites, with 

the average room size being 400 square feet. 

The organization wanted to provide the best 

service and accommodations for the best value to 

guests. Connecting with the guests on a personal 

level while giving them space to relax and enjoy 

a “home away from home” while they are away 

from their families was the ownership’s goal. 

Candlewood Suites features full kitchens, 

stocked with everything a guest needs to start 

cooking. This hotel offers spacious bedrooms and 

suites; a spacious gym with aerobic and cardio 

equipment, free laundry facilities; and the 

Candlewood Cupboard ® where guests can stock 

up on breakfast items, beverages, snacks, and 

frozen entrees any time (on the honor system.) 

An outdoor pool and barbeque grills are for guest 

entertainment at the end of a hard day’s work. 

The pet-friendly hotel welcomes families, 

construction workers, executives, sales representatives, 

oil and gas workers and temporary 

workers who find themselves in Houma for 

longer than a week. Amenities offered at the 

Candlewood Suites include: free Wi-Fi, local 

calls and a business center that provides access 

to desktop computers and a printer. 

Fifteen employees provide guests with 

personal service and a commitment to excellence. 

The job of the staff is to make guests feel welcome 

and give them the space they need while staying 

in Houma. 

A special program, Candlewood Cares, offers 

a free night stay for families who are temporarily 

displaced due to damaging floods, fires, or 

other causes of disaster. 

Q Hotels owns and manages four hotels in 

the Houma area; and, has two more in the 

planning stages. Q Hotels is committed to the 

City of Houma and the business community by 

continuing to make investments and grow with 

the area. 


WOLFE’S 

PHARMACY 

 

Above: Wolfe’s Pharmacy opened in 

1972 in a small portable building. 

Below: Wolfe’s Pharmacy in 1974 was 

a 5,000 square foot Walgreen Agency 

Health Center Pharmacy. 

It was 1972 when Peter and wife, Mary Claire 

Wolfe decided to open their own pharmacy. 

Peter is a second generation pharmacist. His 

mother was one of the first female pharmacists 

in Louisiana graduating from Loyola University 

in 1925, instilling him with a desire to improve 

the health of others, a goal that holds true today. 

“We opened in a small portable building and 

our business grew and in 1974, we expanded 

to a 5,000 square foot health center. With only 

a small startup investment we worked long 

hard hours, alongside our children, to make it 

happen. I think that our winning attitude and 

family involvement contributed to making the 

venture successful.” 

After the move to a larger building Wolfe’s 

became a full service pharmacy, including gifts, 

fine jewelry, electronics, cosmetics and more. 

The Wolfes would shop at gift shows and major 

markets to stock the store with unique items to 

sell. They advertised with monthly circulars 

and coupon books that shared their message. 

Customers came from near and far to have their 

prescriptions dispensed and to shop the wide 

variety of merchandise. 

Wolfe’s Pharmacy has been fortunate over 

the years to have survived business slowdowns, 

hurricanes, flooding and competition. In spite 

of these, they have grown. Hurricane Rita flooded 

the building so they raised the floor three feet to 

prevent future flooding. The job was completed 

in a month, and the store never closed a day. 

That was an unbelievable accomplishment for 

customers and staff. 

Wolfe’s Pharmacy is currently an independent 

pharmacy providing prescription medication 

and compliance packaging that helps patients 

take their medications as ordered by their 

physicians. The “WolfePAK” has really helped 

patients achieve improved health outcomes. 

Peter and Mary Claire’s youngest daughter, 

Alison, is a registered nurse, who fondly remembers 

her young years in the pharmacy. She 

recently left her full time job as a local contract 

critical care nurse in New Orleans and joined 

the Wolfe’s team full time at the birth of the 

“WolfePAK”. A big part of her job is to ease 

the patient’s transition into the WolfePAK. She 

assists patients in determining which WolfePAK 

would best suit their needs. Each WolfePAK is 

customized for the unique needs of the patient. 

All this is done at no extra charge. “We add 

value to what other pharmacies are doing” says 

Peter. Alison also gathers all the information 

needed to transfer the patients’ medications 

to the pharmacy for organizing, packaging, 

and then delivering to the patient at no extra 

charge, wherever their location in Southeast 

Louisiana. Wolfe’s Pharmacy installed a robot to 

strip package the prescribed medication regimen 

along with over the counter medications, 

vitamins, and supplements that the patient 

takes daily or even multiple times per day. 

The WolfePAK system makes it easier and more 

convenient for patients and their caregivers to 

follow their medications regimen. The unique 

packaging replaces bulky blister cards and 

cumbersome medicine planners and organizes 

medications as prescribed by their doctor. 

“I just feel so grateful for all the positive feedback 

and referrals by patients, nurses, social 

workers and doctors,” says Alison. She also 

reports feeling so blessed to be able to work for 

her father at this stage of his career and life. 


“My father is the hardest working 

man I know and I am blessed 

to witness and assist him. His 

enthusiasm for pharmacy, entrepreneurship, 

and helping others 

is absolutely contagious and 

inspiring. He teaches me that 

through determination, integrity, 

strong teamwork and perseverance 

that anything is achievable, 

I love you Dad,” says Alison. 

Peter and Mary Claire are 

grateful for the many friends and 

patients that have supported 

them through the years and 

contributed to the success of 

their business. The couple enjoys 

being a big part of the Chauvin 

community. “The people are outstanding; 

that’s why we are here and eager to 

help” adds Mary Claire. 

They have grown from a small portable 

building to a complex computer operated 

business with the most advanced robotics in the 

industry. They started with 4 or 5 employees, to 

a present staff of over 20 with 4 pharmacists. 

Our mission is still to maintain and improve the 

health of our patients. 

“Without my incredible, hardworking, dedicated 

staff, I could not have achieved any of 

these goals. I came up with the ideas, and 

they put them together and made them work,” 

says Peter. 

 

Above: Two “WolfePAK” Pharmacy 

techs. The WolfePAK helps patients 

achieve improved health outcomes. 

Below: The main pharmacy. 


BROOKE’S 

SNO-WORLD 

Brooke Carrere fell in love as a teen, 

and has not regretted a minute of it. 

During high school, she worked at a 

Sno-Ball stand and became hooked! 

“I never wanted to quit; so, years 

later, I opened my own shop.” With 

the help of her mother, Geraldine, and 

father, Ernest, she opened Brooke’s 

Sno-World in January 2007 at twentysix. 

“I rented a building and used my 

tax return to fund the opening. It was 

a tough decision. 

“I thought if I was going to do this, I wanted 

to be the best. Everything has to be consistent 

and customer service has to be infallible.” 

In the beginning, the business only made fifty 

dollars per day—and she was working twelve 

to fourteen hour days with no days off. She 

grew the business, hired staff and remodeled as 

she could afford it. After two years, she built a 

new building with a drive-through. The 

structure was twice the size; then, the business 

grew even faster. 

Brooke began selling only Sno-Balls; and 

then, added a full menu, now serving over 500 

people daily with a wide variety of tasty treats 

and other foods. Besides Sno-Balls of every 

flavor, there is Schwan’s real ice cream, regular 

and waffle cones, shakes, floats, sundaes, 

banana splits, along with appetizers and 

combos for lunch and supper. Offerings include 

PoBoys, nachos, hot dogs, fries, and more. 

Brooke’s Sno-World’s vision is to provide 

guests with high quality food and desserts, 

along with its signature Sno-Ball flavors in an 

atmosphere of friendly service via its team 

members. “We want to provide memorable 

experiences for, and create relationships 

with, the guests in the communities where 

we operate.” 

The business is growing by ten to fifteen 

percent annually. With twelve to eighteen 

employees during peak season, the Houma 

location is expanding to Thibodaux and Boutte 

in the near future. “Sno-World’s plan is to 

run a successful business, build an empire, and 

leave a legacy behind. I want people from all 

over to remember our Sno-Balls and signature 

ice cream.” 


TERREBONNE 

INSURANCE 

AGENCY 

Terrebonne Insurance Agency was founded 

in the 1950s. It has since grown from an 

auto and homeowners’ insurance agency to 

one that is multifaceted. That can all be 

attributed to the business expertise of the late 

Frederick D. Thibodeaux. 

After going to college to become a teacher, 

he served in the U.S. Army for two years. 

Upon returning home, Fred had been hired to 

run the small agency owned by eight investors. 

Fred realized with eight owners, there was little 

profit for him. In 1960 he bought out the 

investors and became the sole owner-operator 

of the insurance agency. 

Upon acquiring the agency, he moved to 

Houma, renting the old KHOM building. In 

1973, Fred hired Linda Fazzio who stayed with 

the agency until her retirement in 2014. In 

1986, he bought a house and turned it into his 

office. As the business grew, so did the structure. 

Many days, he walked from farmer-to-farmer 

and collected cash to insure their homes and 

equipment. He used manual rating to determine 

premiums, and hand-typed policies and auto ID 

cards. Accounting was done by hand on ledgers. 

Fred split his time between his many years 

serving on the Terrebonne Parish School Board 

and his agency. 

Fred’s daughter, Kelly joined the agency in 

1977 and daughter Kitty, joined in 1998 after a 

career in the medical field. As business increased, 

more employees were added. In 1999, Jessie 

Trosclair, a marine expert, joined the agency, 

followed by Carol Stretch and Michael Blandino 

who specialized in oil and energy. The 

newcomers brought experience and contacts in 

the oil, energy and marine business. More 

recently Joel Martinsen joined the agency with 

his expertise in construction. 

For better marketing position, the agency 

was moved to Highway 311 in the growth area 

of the Parish. Fred retired in early 2000 and left 

his daughters to run the agency. In 2007, he 

was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed 

away July 8, 2008. 

Terrebonne Insurance is still independently 

owned and has grown from a staff of three in 

1980 to thirteen in the 2000s. It continues to 

grow and diversify, providing specialty markets, 

Mardi Gras Program, marine, oil and energy, 

construction, small business and personal lines. 

 

Above: Original Owner-Operator, 

Frederick D. Thibodeaux. 

Below: Owner-Producer, Kelly 

Thibodeaux and Owner-Producer, 

Kitty Ford. 


HOUMA AREA 

CONVENTION & 

VISITORS BUREAU 

 

Above: Visitors taking in the exotic 

wildlife and scenery on a swamp tour. 

Right: Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Houma is Louisiana’s Bayou Country, with 

over 2,500 square miles of mysterious swamps 

and vast wetlands. Bordered by the bountiful 

Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by rich, coffeecolored 

bayous, and shaded by an endless 

canopy of moss-draped cypress trees, you will 

find a rare blend of nature, as well as the 

deep-rooted Cajun culture and hospitality that 

is sure to add some flavor and spice to a visit 

to Houma. 

Where to start? Why not experience some 

Cajunicity! Houma is authentic Cajun culture 

at its finest. Discover Houma’s colorful way of 

life, unique dialect, lively music, world-famous 

cooking, and history that is rich in heritage 

and hospitality. Experience it at the city’s twoweek 

long Cajun Mardi Gras celebration. See it 

in many of the area’s annual festivals. Hear it 

resonate within the colorful Cajun language 

and distinctive music; and taste its rich flavor 

in the renowned Cajun cooking. In Houma, 

there is an unbridled love of life, music, food 

and camaraderie, and it is woven itself into 

a rich, robust and sometimes unexpected 

tapestry of life found nowhere else on earth. 

Climb aboard a swamp tour and come 

face-to-face with the unusual, the exotic and 

the ferocious. For those who enjoy photographing 

exotic flowers, wildlife and birds, the 

wetlands are the place to bring a camera. From 

the comforts of a guided tour boat, snap photos 

of fifteen foot alligators. Enter an amazing 

world full of wildlife parks and refuges, birding 

sanctuaries and nature preserves—many with 

elevated boardwalks and viewing decks—teeming 

with some of the world’s most extraordinary 

wildlife. Cocodrie, just thirty miles south of 

Houma, is an Ultimate Fishing Town. Do not 

take the residents’ word for it; the experts 

at World Fishing Network said so, placing 

the South Louisiana fishing village among the 

world’s top three fishing destinations. The 

Houma area’s unique location allows for a 

diverse combination of fishing that makes it a 

true fisherman’s paradise. For a more relaxed 

visit, uncover timeless historic sites, take one 

of many unique cultural tours, spend time in 

an interactive museum, and tour the nation’s 

only folk art sculpture garden. Visit our informative 

website at www.houmatravel.com for 

additional information. 


SYNERGY BANK 

With each day that passed as Synergy Bank 

built its first office in 1999 on West Tunnel 

Boulevard, residents could see the building 

rising and coming together—first the foundation, 

supporting beams, and lastly, the deep red 

bricks that have become a signature look of 

Synergy offices. However, the real foundation of 

this bank—its heart, character, and philosophy—has 

embedded itself into the community 

far beyond that first building. 

At Synergy Bank, employees believe that 

there is strength in community. Formed by a 

group of local business leaders from both 

Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, Synergy 

Bank was created as a bank with a true sense of 

local identity, one that would celebrate the 

values and traditions of the Bayou Region and 

its citizens. These ideals are built into the name 

Synergy itself. “Synergy” means all parts—the 

community and the bank—working together 

are more efficient than either alone. The staff 

believes that together, they are stronger. 

Offering a full range of financial services, 

Synergy designs service packages to the 

individual needs of customers. Greeted by a 

warm, friendly voice ready to help you, Synergy 

employees also pride themselves on offering 

something more—a unique brand of customer 

service that you just cannot get anywhere else. 

“You’ll see it in the smiles of our people, in 

the genuine interest they show in you, in the 

pride they take in their jobs, and in their 

commitment to our community,” says President 

and CEO Jerry Ledet. 

Synergy Bank’s commitment to the community 

runs deep. Synergy’s employees—all 100 

plus of them—volunteer thousands of hours 

to local civic and nonprofit organizations 

in both Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. 

They are proud partners with six local schools 

providing financial literacy lessons to young 

children each month. 

With five branches and more on the horizon, 

Synergy Bank is proud to have grown with 

the local landscape. Just like south Louisiana, 

Synergy Bank is rich in its diversity, warm in 

its compassion, grounded in its history, and 

alive with the promise of its future. Synergy 

Bank is proud to be a part of this vibrant and 

dynamic community. 

For addition information or locations near 

you, please visit www.banksynergy.com. 

 

Above: Synergy Bank’s main office 

in Houma. 

Below: Through their Partner in 

Education Bank at School Program, 

Synergy Bank teaches children 

financial literacy. 


HOUMA- 

TERREBONNE 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 

On June 20, 1918, in the bayou side community 

of Houma, Louisiana, the Houma-Terrebonne 

business community came together to form an 

association that would speak on its behalf, 

and work to improve the business environment 

as well as the community. The Houma- 

Terrebonne Association of Commerce became 

chartered under the supervision of Incorporators 

Leon Heyman, Clifford P. Smith, Charles C. 

Krumbhaar, Reuben Chauvin, J. Cyrille Dupont, 

and Dr. Charles Menville. Their objective then 

was “to promote the civic, industrial, commercial 

and general welfare of the City of Houma, and 

the Parish of Terrebonne, Louisiana.” 

Eleven years later, a group of concerned 

individuals met at the Elks Club on August 28, 

1929, for the purpose of organizing the Houma- 

Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce. They arrived 

in Model A’s and Pierce-Arrows that they had 

driven over shelled streets. The group heard 

A. J. Caillouet present a motion to the Meeting 

Chairman, Gibson J. Autin, to the effect that 

“this body of men go into organization under the 

old charter and elect seventeen directors tonight.” 

Elected for a three-year term as the chamber’s 

first board of directors were Gibson J. Autin, 

William J. Cenac, Eugene Dumez, Julius 

Dupont, H. T. Bond, and C. A. Ledet; for a 

two-year term, Allen J. Ellender, Ignatius 

Lewald, Elliot Jones, Harry Hellier, Clyde 

LeBlanc, and Harold Dupont; for a one-year 

term, Joe Richard, Henry P. Berger, F. J. Lofasso, 

Reuben Elster, and Henry Thibodaux. Autin was 

elected president of the board and served in 

that position until 1935. Dumez served as the 

executive secretary and Bessie Jones was the 

office secretary for the chamber. 

For many years the Houma-Terrebonne 

Chamber used the Elks Club meeting room and 

at some point used Booty’s Southern Club for 

meetings. Sometime in the mid to late 1950s, the 

chamber moved their office into the Lottinger 

Building in downtown Houma, at 603 Belanger 

Street. From there the offices moved to 1600 

St. Charles Street in 1975, and then moved next 

door to 1602 St. Charles Street in 1981. In 2000 

the chamber purchased the property where they 

are located today at 6133 Highway 311. 

The longest managing director for the chamber 

was A. C. Fondren. He was hired in 1970 as 

the executive vice-president, or president/CEO 

as it is called today. Fondren retired in 1996 

after twenty-six years of service. 

Today, the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of 

Commerce and its more than 750 members are 

actively involved in supporting our local businesses 

and advocating to improve the quality of 

life for the residents of Terrebonne Parish. 

Presently the board of directors consists 

of twenty-five chamber members who have 

demonstrated a commitment to the mission that 

governs our chamber, “Uniting community and 

building a stronger Terrebonne.” There are eight 

standing committees, the executive committee, 

finance committee, infrastructure/economic 

development committee, chamber development 

committee, diplomat committee, education 

committee, healthcare committee, and the 

government activities committee. Through 

our committees and grassroots campaigns, 

our membership is active in developing and 

determining the positions the chamber takes on 

issues affecting education, infrastructure, coastal 

protection, and economically detrimental rules 

and regulations. These committees work to 

strengthen our chamber, our local economy, and 

our community as a whole. 

The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber takes great 

pride in its role as the voice of our business 

community and serves businesses of all sizes and 

industries. From legislative and issue advocacy 

to networking events, the chamber provides its 

members with many opportunities to strengthen 

their business and this community. 


Recipient of the 2015 TripAdvisor Certification 

of Excellence Award, Baymont Inn & Suites 

Houma, a three-star hotel, welcomes visitors 

to the Bayou area of Louisiana where you can 

choose from sixty-six interior rooms. All rooms 

are non-smoking with free Wi-Fi Internet, 

microwave/refrigerators, coffeemaker and LCD 

flat panel HD television. 

Chauvin Sculpture Garden and Art Studio or 

Terrebonne Folklife Culture Center. For a day 

trip, approximately one hour away is the City 

of New Orleans, which also offers the southern 

charm of the area. 

BAYMONT INN & 

SUITES HOUMA 

Those who hope to soak up the sun’s rays will 

find the outdoor swimming pool beckoning to 

them. If that is not enough for an exercise 

enthusiast, guests can get their heart rates up 

in the hotel’s well-equipped fitness room. 

For the business traveler, Baymont Inn has a 

twenty-four hour business center and a 276 

square foot boardroom, which accommodates 

up to twelve people. 

Located off Interstate 90, Baymont Inn is 

convenient to area attractions and activities. 

The Intracoastal Waterway is just minutes away. 

Plan a visit to see our local flowers and animals 

up close and personal at the Wildlife Gardens 

or any of our Swamp and Marsh Tours. 

Chartered fishing trips are available from CoCo 

Marina or if art is your cup of tea, visit the 

Should you choose to do your laundry yourself, 

a twenty-four hour on-site guest laundry 

facility is available. 

Dining options available range from fresh 

seafood, steaks, Italian, even local creole and 

many other options. 

Baymont Inn & Suites Houma is located at 

1254 Grand Caillou Road and on the Internet 

at www.baymontinns.com/hotel/19432. 


Prairies are common in Louisiana 

such as the prairie outside of 

Gueydan, Louisiana. 



BUILDING A GREATER 

TERREBONNE PARISH 

T e r r e b o n n e P a r i s h ’ s r e a l e s t a t e d e v e l o p e r s , 

c o n s t r u c t i o n c o m p a n i e s , h e a v y i n d u s t r i e s , 

a n d m a n u f a c t u r e r s p r o v i d e t h e 

e c o n o m i c f o u n d a t i o n o f t h e p a r i s h 

SONOCO .....................................................................................1 4 8 

Bourgeois & Associates, Inc. ...........................................................1 5 2 

Pipeline Construction & Maintenance, Inc. .......................................1 5 6 

Harry Bourg Corporation ...............................................................1 6 0 

Chauvin Brothers, Inc. ...................................................................1 6 3 

HOT Energy Services, Inc. ..............................................................1 6 4 

Motivatit Seafoods ........................................................................1 6 6 

T. Baker Smith LLC .......................................................................1 6 8 

CORTEC, LLC ..............................................................................1 7 0 

Logan Babin Real Estate & Appraisals ..............................................1 7 2 

Richard’s Restaurant Supply ...........................................................1 7 4 

Houma’s Town & Country Real Estate, Inc. .......................................1 7 5 

Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center ................................................1 7 6 

B U I L D I N G A G R E A T E R T E R R E B O N N E P A R I S H ✦ 1 4 7

SONOCO 

 

Above: Left to right, back row: 

IT Manager Jim Guidry, Field 

Coordinator Carroll Freeman, HSE 

Director Jim Wendell, Purchasing 

Manager Troy Babin, Vice President 

of Sales Juan Cosenza, Vice President 

of Operations Mark Hepburn, 

Vice President of Finance Pam Toups, 

Human Resources Manager Eddie 

Filce, Warehouse and Logistics 

Manager Pat LeBlanc and 

Assistant Manager Bridget LeBlanc. 

Front row: Senior Vice President 

John Eric Sontheimer, President Diane 

Sontheimer and Senior Vice President 

Kent Sontheimer. 

Right: John Sontheimer receiving 

“Business of the Year” award from 

LSP Troop “C” Captain Penoulih. 

When John Sontheimer returned from service 

in WWII, he acquired an accounting degree and 

went to work for Shell Oil in Houston. Shortly, 

thereafter, he left the company. He formed a 

drilling company with two men he had met in 

the elevator as he was leaving Shell’s building. 

He handled catering and insurance as part of 

his oversight; so, when the company was sold, 

he joined a catering company in Houma. 

After running other businesses for twenty 

years, John put together a group to start a 

company. An entrepreneur at heart, he wanted 

to create an opportunity of his own. It was 

while helping other caterers that he met his 

wife, Diane, who also worked in catering. 

Sharing the same career and entrepreneurial 

spirit, they became business partners. 

Eventually, John bought out his partners; 

and he and Diane sold the company, signing 

management contracts. When those contracts 

ended in 1985, Diane convinced John to open 

a company of their own. This company would 

offer service and personnel that were superior 

to what had been the industry norm. 

On August 15, 1985, they founded SONOCO 

with offices at 2717 West Main Street and a 

warehouse on Houma Air Base. The couple 

wanted the family name on the business, and 

Sontheimer Offshore/Catering Company was 

born, dba as SONOCO. 

SONOCO opened the company with two jobs 

and three employees; John, Diane, and Billy Pack. 

In keeping with the family atmosphere, there 

was a nursery for John Eric, the Sontheimers’ 

youngest son, who was just two months old at 

the time. Diane created a nursery next to her 

office where she could care for him. John’s sister, 

Dottie, came from California to help out with 

the baby, while Diane took time from her work 

day to feed and put him down for naps. 

Shortly after opening SONOCO, their former 

business asked the Sontheimers to purchase its 

assets, as they wanted to liquidate. This allowed 

some former employees to return to work for 

them. Carroll Freeman and Pam Toups are still 

with the Sontheimers today. 

SONOCO is a 24/7/365 business, providing 

service to customers’ operating platforms, 

Deepwater Platforms, drilling units, flotels; 

and also serves onshore training facilities. It 

provides service from Mobile, Alabama, to 


Brownsville, Texas, and delivers to any point in 

between at any time. 

The company operates its own warehouse 

and delivery fleet. Buying directly from many 

large vendors, they maintain an inventory of 

over 1,300 items. Orders are packed by warehouse 

employees, loaded into marine containers 

and trucked to docks across the region. 

SONOCO has 300 plus employees working 

on customers’ locations in the Gulf of Mexico, 

preparing meals, maintaining the kitchen and 

dining facilities, as well as performing all 

housekeeping functions including room 

cleaning, personal laundry and maintaining 

offices and common spaces. SONOCO services 

are much like that of a hotel. At any given time, 

the company is servicing between fifty and sixty 

customer locations. 

The SONOCO management team has more 

than 295 years of combined experience, 

showing that employees truly are SONOCO’s 

most valuable asset. 

In addition, the company operates its own 

USDA-approved meat cutting facility, and a 

commercial bakery. Other than rib-eye, T-bone, 

porterhouse and filet mignon, they also process 

specialty sausages, stuffed chops, and smoked 

meats—all for consumption offshore. 

Six years after founding SONOCO, the 

couple consolidated the business in one 

location. They purchased the vacant Louisiana 

Offshore Building and the adjacent ten acres 

of land. They also built a 10,800 square feet 

warehouse, bringing the space to 40,000 square 

feet of dry storage plus 35,000 cubic feet of 

frozen storage. 

Generator power gives SONOCO the 

capability to run its whole operation during 

power outages. In fact, after Hurricanes Katrina 

and Gustav, it was one of the first businesses up 

and running. It fed the Louisiana State Police, 

Terrebonne Parish’s first responders, and also 

utility companies that were restoring power 

after the disaster. The company also furnished 

local residents and rectories with dry ice. 

Katrina was the worst of the storms. 

SONOCO set up its “Kitchen on Wheels” at 

Shell’s Robert Training Center in Robert, 

Louisiana. Shell’s employees and their families 

evacuated to this facility, and SONOCO fed 

them all—including their pets! Shell housed 

 

Top, left: Senior Vice President 

Kent Sontheimer. 

Top, right: Current Senior Vice 

President John Eric Sontheimer, 

back in the early days of his career, 

delivering an order to Freshwater 

City, Louisiana. 

Below: John and Diane Sontheimer. 


Above: Owner Diane Sontheimer and 

sons, John Eric (L) and Kent (R). 

Below: SONOCO’s “Kitchen on 

Wheels” used on remote locations and 

for emergencies. 

federal dignitaries when they came to evaluate 

the disaster. 

At the same time, SONOCO also helped 

Anadarko provide emergency assistance to its 

employees who were scattered across Louisiana 

and Mississippi. Care packages were shipped 

from the Houma facility to Lafayette, and from 

there, distributed by Anadarko volunteers. 

Anadarko’s CEO presented SONOCO with a 

Recognition Award for company efforts. 

When Shell wanted to move back to One 

Shell Square, there were no local restaurants 

open to feed its staff. SONOCO saved the day 

by operating from a nearby closed restaurant 

to prepare meals and transport them to 

the eleventh floor, which was turned into a 

cafeteria and coffee shop. On a typical day, 

SONOCO prepared and transported more than 

2,000 meals. 

During that period, SONOCO began feeding 

its own employees from its own kitchen facility, 

which is also used for testing cook applicants 

and training employees. 

SONOCO’s Kitchen on Wheels is an eighteen 

wheel trailer that has been transformed into a 

commercial kitchen that can serve over 1,500 

meals per day. An extremely versatile piece of 

equipment, it has been used to feed customers 

in remote areas after hurricanes, in shipyards 

when rigs are undergoing refitting, and it saw 

extensive use during the BP Oil Spill when it 

was set up at a vessel decontamination station. 

There, the unit fed 400 people daily on a 

twenty-four hour schedule. 

When John’s health started to deteriorate in 

2008, Diane had a 3,600 square foot building 

erected to house John’s antique car collection, 

complete with a lounging area and big-screen 

television. John spent a large part of his time 

being close to both his cars and Diane as she 

continued to run the business. Today, it houses 

the commercial laundry, which can process 

more than 50,000 pounds of laundry per week. 

Diane had been running the company for 

several years before John passed away in 

2012. At the urging of SONOCO’s 

customers, Diane had the company 

certified as woman-owned business in 

2010. SONOCO is a member of the 

Women’s Business Enterprise National 

Council (WBENC.) 

During the BP Oil Spill of 2010, 

Shell’s Robert Training Center became 

the Incident Command and Control 

Center, led by United States Coast 

Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry. 

Operating twenty-four hours a day, 

SONOCO fed hundreds of dignitaries 

such as Department of Defense 

representatives, U. S. Senators, FEMA, 

EPA, Federal and State Wildlife 

and Fisheries, and members of all 

branches of the Armed Forces. 


Left: SONOCO’s Onshore Support 

Team 2015. 

Below, front row: Senior Vice 

President John Eric Sontheimer, 

President Diane Sontheimer and 

Senior Vice President Kent 

Sontheimer. Back row: Vice President 

of Sales Juan Cosenza, Vice President 

of Operations Mark Hepburn and 

Vice President of Finance Pam Toups. 

SONOCO is a well-respected company in 

the Gulf area, especially among those in the 

O&G industry. It supports local schools, 

MacDonnell Children’s Home, the American 

Heart Association, Bright Light Foundation, 

St. Jude’s Children’s Center, United Way, 

Alzheimer’s Foundation, and Make a Wish 

Foundation, among others. It even provides an 

annual BBQ for children who are hospitalized 

at St. Jude, along with their families. SONOCO 

was recognized in 2015 by St. Jude at the opening 

of the new Eric Trump Foundation Center. 

SONOCO has been recognized consistently 

through the years for its community involvement. 

It was voted Employer of the Year by 

Troop C, Louisiana State Police; twice named 

Employer of the Year by TARC; and named 

Shell Oil Subcontractor of the Year, 2014. 

John and Diane have three children: Kent, 

Nikki and John Eric, all of whom grew up in 

the business. Although Nikki has chosen not to 

stay in the business and resides in Arizona, 

Kent and John Eric represent the next generation 

of SONOCO leadership, and they uphold 

the same values as those of John and Diane: 

Integrity and Pride. 

“Pride in What We Do...Brings the Best to You.” 


Above: The original four employees 

take time to pose for a photo in 1984. 

Left to right, Roger Bourgeois, 

Cal Eschete, Nelson Sonier, and 

Mark Hebert. Nelson has been 

instrumental in the company’s success. 

Right: Terry Smith Antill has also 

been instrumental in the success of 

Bourgeois & Associates, Inc. 

BOURGEOIS & ASSOCIATES, INC. 

Bourgeois & Associates, Inc., was founded 

by Roger Bourgeois on October 8, 1984. The 

company opened its doors for business on 

October 15, 1984. 

Roger credits his wife, Carolyn for urging 

him to start his own company after Delta 

Fire Systems faced financial problems. 

The initial start-up loan, incorporation, 

vehicles, and base of operation were secured 

within a week of the decision to leave 

Delta Fire Systems. Nelson Sonier 

left at the same time and was 

at work offshore on the first day 

of operation. 

In October 1984 the Delta 

Natural Resources Group declared 

Chapter Eleven bankruptcy. Delta 

Safety & Supply and Delta 

Fire Systems were casualties of 

the bankruptcy. 

Roger Bourgeois, Nelson Sonier, 

and Terry Antill, all still with 

Bourgeois & Associates, Inc., were 

the initial employees. Later, 

several other Delta Fire Systems’ 

technicians began employment with 

Bourgeois, after Delta Fire Systems 

failed to reorganize under Chapter 

Eleven bankruptcy, and eventually 

liquidated. The Delta Bankruptcy 

was the largest ever for Terrebonne 

Parish. Over twelve hundred people 

lost their jobs. Many former Delta 

managers began their own companies; some of 

which are still in operation today. 

We are thankful for all of the new companies 

spawned from the “Delta” bankruptcy. Many 

former “Delta” employees were able to find 

employment in the same field, i.e., fabrication, 

ship building, painting, and marine construction 

to name a few. 

The company specializes in Engineered Fire 

Protection systems and fire and gas detection 

systems. Customers include petrochemical 

plants, refineries, utility plants, and offshore 

facilities. Roger and Nelson have serviced 

many of the same companies since 1975, over 

forty years. 

Roger’s business philosophy has been simple, 

“Do what you tell people you’ll do.” This 

philosophy pertains not only to customers, but 

associates and vendors alike. 

Roger credits the hard work and loyalty of the 

company’s associates for its continued success: 

• Roger Bourgeois, 32 years 

• Nelson Sonier, 32 years 

• Terry Antill, 32 years 

• Kate Giroir, 17 years 

• William Fonseca, 15 years 

• Joseph Proskauer, 10 years 

• Candice Welch, 5 years 


Roger has been working his entire life. As a 

young boy, he helped his grandfather, Martial 

Babin, Sr., deliver Melba Ice Cream to various 

grocery stores in the Thibodaux area. Later, he 

helped his uncle, Malvin Pitre deliver Pelican Ice 

and later Acadia Dairy Milk. As a freshman at 

Raceland High School, Roger ran his own milk 

truck, awakening at 3:00 a.m. each morning 

to load his truck. He still made it to school by 

8:00 a.m. He worked his way through college at 

Nicholls State University by delivering milk for 

ten dollars a week. Roger credits his uncle and 

grandfather with teaching him “integrity” and the 

“value of hard work.” Roger attended Nicholls 

State University and graduated from Louisiana 

State University in 1966 with a bachelor of science 

degree in industrial technology. 

Five years after establishing the company and 

leasing a building from Darden Domingue, Roger 

purchased a building on Thompson Road. 

The company still operates out of this building 

located at 120 Thompson Road. The facility has 

since expanded to four buildings at the corner 

of Grand Caillou and Thompson Roads. The 

company currently services the South Louisiana 

and Gulf of Mexico area and sells, install, and 

services Engineered Fire Protection Systems. 

Roger believes every person should give back to 

the Industry from which he earns his livelihood. 

Roger has been actively involved in the Fire 

Suppression Systems Association and the 

Automatic Fire Alarm Association. He is a past 

president of both national trade associations. He 

was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement 

Award of both organizations. He is a Lifetime 

Professional Member of the Society of Fire 

Protection Engineers and certified at NICET 

Level IV in Special Hazards and Fire Alarm 

System Technology. He is also a Certified Fire 

Protection Specialist (CFPS). 

Roger was instrumental in establishing 

licensing laws for Louisiana Fire Protection 

Contractors and has served on the State Fire 

Marshal Advisory Board. 

 

Above: Roger Bourgeois dons the 

Past President Red Jacket while 

accepting the Fire Suppression 

Systems Association outgoing 

president plaque. 

Below: Roger Bourgeois receiving the 

Larry Neibauer Lifetime Achievement 

Award from AFAA President John 

Chetelat with Carolyn at his side 

(as always!). 


Above: Roger and Carolyn donated 

the Cajun Tool Shed ® collection of 

artifacts to the Terrebonne Folklife 

Culture Center. 

Bottom, left: Carolyn Bourgeois 

receiving the Circle of Roses Award. 

Bottom, right: The Terrebonne Folklife 

Culture Center. 

Roger has served on the board of directors of 

the Houma Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce, 

the Nicholls Free Enterprise Week Board of 

Directors, and the Nicholls Foundation Board of 

Directors in addition to his work with Industry 

Associations. The company donates to almost 

every Parish event. 

Bourgeois & Associates established a 

scholarship in LSU’s Industrial Technology 

Department. Later, a Bourgeois & Associates 

endowed scholarship was established; the 

Bourgeois Excellence in Manufacturing 

Technology Endowed Scholarship. The 

Manufacturing Technology Program was 

discontinued, so the endowed scholarship was 

moved to the Nicholls John Folse Culinary 

Institute. Roger received the Nicholls Honorary 

Alumnus award for his work with the Nicholls 

Capital Campaign and was also recognized as 

vice chair for the campaign. 

Carolyn is a hard working member of the 

Terrebonne Garden Club. She has served as 

chairman of the Civic Pride Committee for 

several years; she has organized the Cleanest 

City Contest, and works closely with the parish 

president and department heads. In 2015 

she was recognized with the Circle of Roses 

Award sponsored by the Louisiana Garden 

Club Federation. 

Roger has collected woodworking tools ever 

since he received a child’s tool box for Christmas 

in 1949. In 1997, he began displaying his 

tool collection at Houma’s Downtown on the 

Bayou Festival. He is an avid collector of vintage 

woodworking tools, decoys, Cajun artifacts, 

firefighting collectibles, and ice-man 

collectibles. Carolyn collects bells, glassware, 

and duck head walking canes. Roger always 

wanted a way of sharing his passion with the 

public. The collection was dubbed the Cajun 

Tool Shed ® . Roger and Carolyn have donated 

the display cases, antique tools, and other 

artifacts presented in the Cajun Tool Shed ® , in 

addition to many decoys in the Louisiana 

Decoys Exhibit at the Terrebonne Folklife 

Culture Center. The Cajun Tool Shed ® features 

decoy carvers, dugout pirogues, antique wood 

working tools, and antique wildfowl decoys. His 

exhibits; “It’s a Plane World,” “Then & Now,” 

and “Louisiana Decoys” have been on exhibit 

throughout Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. 

He is actively involved in the Terrebonne 

Waterlife Museum, having donated a fire alarm 

system when the building was constructed. 

Bourgeois & Associates has maintained the 

annual inspection of the fire alarm system at no 

cost to Terrebonne Parish. 

Roger and Carolyn have 4 children, 7 

grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren. All 

of the family resides in Houma except for one 

grandson who resides in Baton Rouge. 


During the early 1980s, the oilfield was in 

deep recession. Several of Delta Fire Systems 

employees were preparing for the Lafayette Oil 

Show (LAGCOE). Their thoughts turned to 

using trade show novelty items that would be 

different from the others, i.e. key chains, 

pencils, yard sticks, etc. They decided that 

spices and hot sauce in particular would be a 

good give away. Many bottles of hot sauce were 

purchased, labels removed and the traditional 

Delta Fire Systems Logo was applied to the 

bottles. The “Delta Hot Sauce” was an 

immediate success, especially at National Trade 

Shows outside of the South Louisiana area. 

Roger incorporated “Hot Sauce” into his 

advertising, using the first label in 1985, 

“Continuing the Tradition.” A few years later, “If 

it’s hot, you need a Fire Suppression System ® ”, 

became the focal point of the label, and was 

registered as a service mark. 

Bourgeois’ Hot Sauce was not only for Trade 

Shows; it became the official calling card of the 

company. Receptionists, restaurant owners, 

customers, and friends were smitten by the Hot 

Sauce Bug. Next was the “Bourgeois Hot Sauce 

Caddy,” three bottles in a cypress caddy 

complete with a “Lifetime Supply” registration 

number and certificate. The Hot Sauce legend 

lives on. 

To date, 1,128 hot sauce caddies have 

found their way into offices, kitchens, and 

hot sauce collections around the world. Many 

of the certificate holders call on a regular 

basis for refills, which are shipped free of 

charge as “Emergency Refills.” Bourgeois 

Hot Sauce has been seen in Russia, China, 

Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, Nova Scotia, 

Alaska and Brazil. 

Roger, by this time, was recognized 

everywhere as “The Hot Sauce Man.” The 

hot sauce history becomes more intriguing 

as a result of an Amazon fishing trip, where 

Roger met a group of doctors from Chicago. 

Ed Pellettiere, one of the doctors, was a 

native of New Orleans. Roger gave him a 

couple of bottles of the “Near Famous Bourgeois 

Hot Sauce.” 

The good doctor was impressed with the 

Bourgeois sauce. He called Roger to tell him that 

he loved the sauce, and the marketing ploy. 

He also asked, “What else would you like to do 

to enhance your marketing”? Roger was quick 

to reply, “remember the Pillsbury Dough Boy ® ? 

Well, I should have a Hot Sauce Man!” 

Dr. Pellettiere was talented in pen and ink 

drawings and created the first “Hot Sauce Man” 

design. Never satisfied, Roger commissioned 

decoy carver and friend, Joseph “Sonny” 

Navarre to carve a “Hot Sauce Man.” 

For more information about Bourgeois & 

Associates, Inc. or Bourgeois Hot Sauce, please 

contact Roger Bourgeois at (985) 851-0881 or 

by email at bourgeois@lahotfire.com. 

Bourgeois is currently planning to write the 

“memoirs” of Bourgeois, the Hot Sauce Man ® , 

revealing the magical powers of this unique 

marketing concept. 

 

Above: Bourgeois The Hot Sauce Man ® . 

Bottom, left: Carolyn Bourgeois 

distributing Bourgeois’ Hot Sauce to 

attendees of the Bourgeois Reunion in 

Nova Scotia. 

Bottom, right: A Bourgeois Hot Sauce 

bottle label. 


PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION & 

MAINTENANCE, INC. 

Mike Fesi founded Pipeline Construction & 

Maintenance, Inc. (PCM) on August 6, 1996. 

With his background in general construction, 

Fesi had broken into the pipeline business 

years prior when his services were needed by 

a pipeline company on a civil project. “They 

hired me and I learned that the industry was 

an exciting and challenging one. I liked it 

so well; I decided pipeline work would be 

my profession.” 

Today, PCM has a team of 340 employees. 

The business operates from six locations 

across the south, with headquarters in Houma, 

Louisiana. Additional satellite offices are located 

in Franklin and Jennings, Louisiana; Prentiss, 

Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; and Winnie, 

Texas, offering PCM a greater geographical 

footprint. The team has worked all over 

the southern states and into the north. 

PCM holds licenses in Louisiana, Mississippi, 

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, 

and Texas. 

PCM performs work for some of the largest 

companies in the petroleum industry. “A large 

percentage of our projects are what we call 

classification changes due to population 

expansion, station upgrades, and maintenance. 

Maintenance includes maintaining, testing 

and repairing all types of heavy industrial 

pipelines,” Fesi explains. “We will install up to 

twenty miles of pipe, up to forty-eight inches 

in diameter.” 


For PCM, every project is a personal 

project. “We apply our full attention to 

each contract,” he continues. “They are all 

different but have the same goal: provide 

high quality work, in the safest and most 

timely manner. We strive to get projects 

done right the first time.” He adds, “PCM’s 

goals are achieved through long hours, hard 

work, and dedication by the entire team. 

Challenges and adversity are commonplace 

in our industry, and they often arise at the 

most inopportune times. Having the ability to 

face those challenges is what makes PCM an 

exceptional contracting company.” 


PCM is a “full service” company, performing 

nearly everything in-house, including design 

and fabrication. Additionally, the company has 

established a strong network of suppliers and 

strategic partners to keep the business on 

schedule every day. Fesi explains PCM uses 

strategic partners for certain tasks, such as 

directional drilling. “They can drill up to 

a forty-eight-inch diameter tunnels under 

marshes, highways, and other obstacles to 


allow our team to install the pipelines. When 

we do need to use one of our strategic partners, 

we go with the company that we feel will 

help us accomplish our goal.” PCM also has 

alliance companies. “They come in with pigging 

devices, which travels through the pipelines 

retrieving data,” he explains. “PCM assists in 

running the specialty devices and shares the 

critical data with these partners.” 

As the business grows, PCM is prepared 

to participate in the advances of the oil and 

gas industries into harder to reach reserves. 

Fesi explains, “Opportunities such as shale 

extraction and hydraulic fracturing will mean 

new needs for the industry. We are growing to 

accommodate these industry needs.” 

PCM’s growth may include diversifying 

services and expanding into new territory. As 

much as the company evolves, a few key 

components will remain the same. Fesi states, 

“Personnel retention is big for us. We want to 

keep our top workers with the most experience. 

Safety is a top priority. Our company policy is 

that every morning we have a safety meeting 

with our teams so they can return home safely 

to their families.” 

For a company that performs a lot of work 

breaking ground, Fesi is a huge proponent of 

underground safety, which includes utilities 

and pipelines. “The National 811 Campaign 

[811] is extremely important public service 

awareness,” Fesi says. “811 is a service that 

marks utility lines and major pipelines before 

you dig. I created two characters, Burnie 

and Earl; Burnie, a natural gas flame, and 

Earl, an oil drop. Through these characters, 

we aim to educate kids and parents about 

the importance of calling 811 before they dig.” 

He explains that hitting a utility line could 

be devastating. “It could cause major service 

disruption to your area, an injury or even a 

fatal accident,” he continues, “So this is an 

important message for all of us to know. 

Burnie and Earl are positive representatives 

for our industry. They will help us to illustrate 

safety and the importance of petroleum in our 

everyday lives.” 

While quality work, safety and growth are 

priorities for PCM, the company strives to 

promote its own industry. PCM is able to 

galvanize the importance of the oil and gas 

business by being involved in programs such 

as Burnie and Earl promoting 811. Pipeline 

Construction & Maintenance, Inc., will continue 

to work toward safe and steady growth for the 

future energy industry. 


HARRY BOURG 

CORPORATION 

 

The old Bourg family homestead. 

Harry Bourg was born June 2, 1888, in 

the Grand Caillou community near Dulac, 

Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, the son of 

Menuier Bourg and Leontine LeBeouf Bourg. He 

was one of eight children whose father was 

diligent in trapping, shrimping, and oyster 

harvesting, a trait he passed to his son. Harry’s 

ancestors were among the French Canadians 

who were banned from the Acadian provinces 

in 1755 settling along Louisiana’s coast. Known 

as Cajuns, they worked hard and long every 

day, doing what they loved best: shrimping, 

trapping, fishing, enjoying nature and the 

beautiful marshlands that surrounded them. 

Harry was a devout Catholic who was taught 

the benefit of hard work and honesty at an early 

age. Harry received a modicum of education, 

and at age eight, began working alongside his 

father learning the industry that would one day 

make him rich. 

At nineteen, Harry’s father gave him a boat to 

share with his younger brother and, together, 

they worked long hours doing what their father 

taught them—shrimping, trapping and fishing to 

pay for the clothes they wore and food they ate. 

Harry managed to accumulate $300; which, at 

one time, was a decent amount of money, and 

used most of it to build a home for his young 

bride, Louise Samanie. Family lore has it that 

after his wedding day, and upon carrying his 

bride across the threshold of the home he built, 

he only had thirty-five cents left in his pocket. 

With Harry’s limited education, his wife taught 

him to read and to do math. 

Harry may have had a limited education, 

but he had a brilliant mind and a tremendous 

amount of common sense. He realized early on 

that catching shrimp with a net by hand was 

tedious and often not rewarding. Therefore, 

with one of the first gasoline motors owned and 

utilized in Terrebonne Parish, he rigged a net 

with a long rope to trawl for his catch. To make 

the shrimp more interested in his net, he 

invented a shrimp tickler, which was a piece of 

wood shaped like an airplane propeller with a 

weight on one end and a net behind it. When 

the device was pulled through the water, it 

settled to the bottom, stirring up the shrimp, 

causing them to swim into the net and resulting 

in significant shrimp catches. In 1910 this led to 

the first shrimp-drying platform in Terrebonne 

Parish where Harry invented another device 

resembling a washing machine to separate shells 

from the shrimp and the result was another 

profitable venture. 

Harry loved the marshlands of Terrebonne 

Parish and realized it was a trapper’s paradise. 

He began acquiring sections of marshland in the 

1920s and 1930s, so that he could expand his 

trapping operations. He dug one of the first 

trenasses in Terrebonne Parish and ended up 

acquiring nearly 17,000 acres of land. With this 


acreage, he became one of the largest muskrat 

trappers and dealers in Louisiana. Eventually, 

the muskrats began to die off, but when one 

venture faded, Harry always came up with 

something new. 

In 1938 the Fohs Oil Company leased land 

from Harry and dug a six mile long canal named 

the Fohs Canal from Bayou Grand Caillou to 

the middle of Harry’s marsh where the company 

drilled an oil well 13,300 feet deep that at the 

time was reported to be the deepest well in the 

United States and the deepest in the world. 

The well was named the Harry Bourg Number 

One, and it produced distillate, which is light 

sweet crude, very valuable to those who could 

obtain it. The well was prolific and led to additional 

wells being drilled on Harry’s property. 

In fact, the oil helped fuel the economy of the 

United States in support of its efforts during 

WWII. Naturally, Harry became wealthy as 

other wells followed and his property became 

highly valued for oil and gas. Nevertheless, 

Harry remained devoted to the land. trapping, 

hunting, and fishing areas of interest. 

As the largest individual landowner in 

Terrebonne Parish, Harry became a vice 

president and director on the board of Citizen’s 

National Bank, later First National Bank of 

Houma, and now Whitney National Bank. 

As he became wealthier, his legend grew and 

he was known to horde the royalty checks, 

which oil and gas companies sent him every 

month. He feared cashing them because he 

never fully trusted the companies and was never 

sure that they were paying him the right 

amount. Naturally, with his limited education, 

he could not fully understand oil and gas 

accounting. As a result, there was a steady 

stream of oil company executives finding their 

way to his small office on the banks of Bayou 

Grand Caillou, begging him to cash the checks 

so they could balance their books, all the while 

looking around to see the drying skins of 

muskrats hanging from the ceiling. 

Along the way, Harry formed the Harry Bourg 

Corporation and transferred all of the real estate 

to it, issuing stock to himself, his wife, and their 

seven children who became involved in the 

company and resulted in a seven person board 

of directors. That board remains today, but is 

now run by the third generation of Bourgs. 

Harry and Louise were married for over fifty 

years having had seven children: Albert, Nora 

Gertie, Evelina, Mildred, Dorothy, and Lena. On 

November 3, 1973, at the age of seventy-five, 

Harry passed away. Louise passed on August 18, 

1980, at the age of ninety-two. At that time, 

Harry and Louise had a total of 134 children, 

grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

Harry’s legacy remains as does virtually all of 

the 17,000 acres, which he purchased, less 

acres eroded or subsided because of saltwater 

intrusion. Today, the third generation and board 

of directors comprises of Cyrus J. Theriot, Jr., 

Joyce Bourg Benoit, Adruel Breaux Luke, Roland 

P. Voisin, Ronald Bergeron, Louise M. Price, and 

Brenda M. Carson. 

Realizing that oil and gas companies had 

provided significant wealth to the Bourg family; 

but it had also caused significant damage 

to Harry’s precious marshlands, which the 

companies not only refused to repair, but refused 

to clean up, and led to litigation. Thus, a suit was 

filed in 2003 against twelve oil and gas operators. 

The board hired noted mineral attorney, James 

Funderburk, and experienced geologist Courtney 

Oliver, who, together, began studying the history 

of the activities of these oil and gas operators 

from 1938-2003 and discovered that the 

companies had left numerous drilling and 

production pits (and other oilfield debris) on the 

 

Above: Harry Bourg’s platform, 

c. 1928. 

Below: The Harry Bourg Corporation 

trappers, c. 1934. 


Above: Deepest oil well in Terrebonne, 


Right: Old family photo at a 

social gathering. 

Below: Fishing on the river. 

property, which they refused to clean and 

remove. Thus, an historic suit followed, and 

for three years, the parties litigated resulting 

in a favorable settlement to Harry Bourg 

Corporation, which allowed it to clean and 

restore much of its property. The Harry Bourg 

Corporation was one of the few companies 

achieving a successful settlement who actually 

utilized the money to restore the land rather 

than to simply spend the money on other 

nonessential endeavors. Unfortunately, the 

Louisiana Supreme Court in the historic case 

of Terrebonne Parish School Board vs. Castex 

issued a ruling in favor of Big Oil, changing 

100 years of jurisprudence, and letting the 

companies off the hook for repairing and 

restoring the land. Previously, the law had 

always been that a lessee had to return property 

leased to a lessor in substantially the same 

condition as it was at the time of the lease, less 

normal wear and tear. Nevertheless, the 

Louisiana Supreme Court capitulated to Big 

Oil and threw the Louisiana landowners “under 

the bus” by not following the long-established 

law such that Harry Bourg Corporation could 

not achieve full recovery for the damage to its 

property; but, nevertheless, achieved enough 

of a recovery to make significant repairs, clean 

and restore the property to the manner in which 

it was when first leased to those companies. 

With the inland oil and gas industry dying 

out, Harry Bourg Corporation has branched 

out into subdivision development, finding a 

way to utilize its soil to help protect Terrebonne 

Parish from hurricanes and other storm 

surges. Realizing that the Terrebonne Levee 

and Conservation District was building the 

Morganza to the Gulf Levee System, Harry 

Bourg Corporation, led by its president, Cyrus 

Theriot, Jr., began contacting contractors who 

were winning levee bids to sell dirt to those 

contractors and the company now has several 

dirt pits on its property and is playing a leading 

role in supplying materials that are being used 

to construct levees and will help restore and 

protect not only Harry Bourg Corporation lands 

but much of Terrebonne Parish, which is 

something that Harry must be quite pleased 

with as he and Louise smile down on the third 

generation of Bourgs. 


In 1875 a young French pioneer named 

Albert Eloie Chauvin settled in the southern 

part of Terrebonne Parish on Bayou Petit 

Caillou in coastal Louisiana. He had a boat that 

he would load with produce, furs, fish and 

whatever else there was to sell, travel to New 

Orleans’ French Market and sell his goods. 

Since that time, this small business has grown 

to be one of the most successful and longlived 

family owned businesses in Southern 

Louisiana. Today, Chauvin Brothers, Inc., in 

Chauvin, Louisiana (the town bearing Albert’s 

name) has spanned over 140 years and is the 

oldest operating business in Terrebonne Parish. 

As years went on, the Chauvin family 

became known for the processing and canning 

of fresh seafood from the small fishing community, 

which was distributed throughout the 

country. The community began to grow and 

the family recognized the needs of the locals, 

so they operated a general store supplying 

them with groceries, clothing, dry goods, boat 

supplies, fuel, even furniture and appliances. 

Today, the company has expanded to supplying 

quality products for the home such as building 

materials, floor covering, specialty millwork, 

door and windows, plus many other furnishings 

and decors. 

Times have changed considerably since 

the Chauvin seafood plant opened. The overwhelming 

growth of Terrebonne Parish and 

surrounding areas have enticed many larger 

retail outlets to move in. But what makes 

Chauvin Brothers unique to these larger big box 

stores is the personal relationship with their 

customers. For five generations, customers have 

been known by name, but more importantly, 

service to them is second to none. 

Because of the foundation and deep roots 

the business has in the area, Chauvin Brothers 

is committed to continuing this tradition for 

many years to come. There is great value in 

having many years of experience, knowledge of 

the quality products sold and the unmatched 

personal service provided to residential and 

commercial customers. 

CHAUVIN BROTHERS, INC. 

 

Above: The Chauvin Brothers’ 

original store. 

Below: Present day store front, 

built in 1948. 


HOT ENERGY 

SERVICES, INC. 

In 1988, Houma Oil Treaters, now HOT 

Energy Services, Inc., was established with the 

need of a specials skills inland oil field service in 

South Louisiana. Major oil companies such as 

Texaco, Hilcorp, Apache, and Texas Petroleum 

needed specialized equipment to clean their 

wells and pipelines to insure their oil 

production was working effectively and at 

maximum capacity. Back in 1988, George Platt, 

part owner of Houma Land & Offshore, felt there 

was a need to build safe dependable barges 

to meet safety standards that were beginning 

to be implemented. Platt assembled four Hot 

Oil Heater Units with 400-BBL storage tanks, 

pumps, and hydraulic Cranes to service our oil 

industry. As the barges were completed, he 

hired local employees from the Houma area 

and the local bayous that had extensive oilfield 

knowledge on hot oil barges. Platt became close 

friends to all his employees and their children. 

He wanted his company to be family oriented 

and we all feel like family! 

The oil companies refer to us as the “Hot 

Oil Barges.” A hot oil barge can perform over 

twenty-five different specialized jobs pertaining to 

well production and their production facilities. We 

have USCG certified barges, pumps, heaters, 

cranes, tanks and equipment to melt paraffin in 

the pipelines to prevent clogged or plugged lines. 

Our hot oil units keeps the lines clean and free 

from obstructions in 

the piping. We also hydrostatically test wells, 

casings, and flow lines to ensure the integrity of 

the pipelines. We also clean oil storage and salt 

water tanks when needed. We provide our own 

tugs and barges with experienced captains 

and operators. We are licensed by the State of 

Louisiana to haul and remove hazardous waste to 

disposal sites. We dispose of tank bottoms, sludge, 

well water and basic sediment and water (BS&W). 


Our equipment can suck up contaminated oil spill 

fluids from lakes, canals, and dead end cuts in the 

marshes. We have 400-BBL storage tank capacity 

on our certified barges. Licensed and certified 

personnel, with over 100 years of oil field 

experience operate the equipment. 

In 2012, we added an Environmental division 

and purchased supplies and equipment, adding 

2 construction barges, 1 deck barge, and 3 

tug boats to fulfill what we needed to start 

an environmental company. Between the two 

divisions, we can service all of the inland oil 

and gas production facilities (land or water), 

fabricating facilities, and wells throughout the 

south. We carry hard pollution booms, soft 

booms, oil skimmers, pollution pads, 26 foot 

aluminum boom boat, 14 and 16 foot Jon boats, 

also an Oil Spill Emergency Response Trailer 

loaded with oil spill equipment needed in any 

type of chemical or oil spill emergency. HOT is 

continually growing the business in order to 

accommodate our customer’s needs. We have 

several major oil companies who rely on good 

reliable equipment and the best experienced 

oilfield workers in the industry. HOT Energy 

Services is proud to serve our customers and 

provide the best equipment available. We wish 

to thank all our employees and their families 

who have made HOT Energy Services successful. 

We are very proud to be members of the Houma 

Chamber of Commerce. 

HOT Energy Services is operated by 

Vice President of Operations Zack Giroir; 

General Manager Curtis Louviere; Chief 

Accountant Suzanne Guidry; and Accountant 

Natasha Boudreaux. 

HOT Energy Services, Inc. is located at 921 

Dunn Street in Houma and on the Internet at 

www.hotenergyservices.com. 


MOTIVATIT 

SEAFOODS 

 

Above: Ernest Voisin. 

Below: The Miss Joyce. 

Ernest Voisin grew up speaking Cajun- 

French. His parents, fifth generation immigrants 

from France, were among those who 

settled in the Bayou region of Louisiana. 

However, young Ernest was forced to speak 

English in school; and, that was the impetus 

that fueled his ambitions. 

In 1947, following high school graduation 

and a restless period, Ernest headed to Southern 

California and found a new life and new culture. 

He was smitten with the lifestyle, married, 

settled in Torrance, and had five children. 

He joined a small plastics company and 

entered management. He took college classes 

and learned about business operations and 

development while supporting his family. 

He divorced, remarried and decided to 

move back to the Bayou. He, and his brother, 

Charles, spent hours mulling over designs 

and blueprints that would enable them to 

construct an automatic oyster dredge. It was 

not without trial and error, but they persevered, 

applied for, and were granted a patent on the 

apparatus. Soon thereafter, Charles decided to 

pursue other interests. 

Motivatit Seafoods was incorporated in 1971. 

Ernest, along with his twin sons, Michael and 

Steven, began building oyster boats, automatic 

oyster dredges while opening an oyster processing 

facility. Ernest’s day to day management 

style, engineering talent, willingness to take 

risks along with his vast experience enabled 

the company to prosper. Together they either 

purchased or discovered several thousand acres 

of oyster leases and started working with Harry 

Dardar, Sr., a fisherman who taught the family 

many things “out on the water.” 

Ernest had come a long way since his humble 

beginnings and was crowned “King” of the 

1976 Oyster Festival on Bayou Lafourche and 

Michael was crowned “Prince” the same year. 

A rewarding relationship with A. J. Buquet/ 

Buquet Canning Co. resulted in the purchase of 


the latter’s business location, more oyster leases, 

and the majority of their oyster boat fleet. 

Ernest and sons continued growing the business 

and established two distribution points— 

Los Angeles and Miami. They constructed the 

M/V Miss Joyce (a 75.9-foot steel hull oyster 

boat) at the shop and launched her in 1989. 

Not long afterward, Ernest’s wife passed away 

at a very young age. 

In the 1990s, Motivatit became concerned 

for the safety of its customers due to a bacterium 

Vibrio Vulnificus. The Voisins searched 

for a way to remove the bacteria without 

altering the raw oyster’s characteristics. They 

tried irradiation, depuration and several freezing 

methods without any success. One day 

Elgin Voisin, Ernest’s cousin, was reading a 

magazine article about the Flow International 

Corporation. Flow recently developed a high 

pressure processing machine capable of killing 

bacteria while leaving the products taste and 

texture in perfect condition. Ernest, along 

with Dr. Marilyn B. Kilgen of Nicholls State 

University, tested the oysters through the innovative 

equipment and discovered that the 

bacteria was eliminated and, surprisingly, the 

abductor muscle had released from the shell, 

literally shucking itself. A patent on the process 

was applied for and granted. 

Ernest remarried in 2006. A couple of years 

later, in 2009, Ernest passed away leaving a 

legacy that would serve his heirs well into 

the future. Michael continued with special 

attention to industry development, public relations, 

and community involvement. Michael 

passed away in 2013. The industry lost one of 

its strongest voices. Steven has been instrumental 

in oyster farm development, processing and 

special projects. Steven, along with several of 

Ernest’s grandchildren is continuing his father’s 

and brother’s legacy. 

Motivatit’s mission is to: Lead the way in oyster 

production, good manufacturing practices, 

and food safety compliance in order to satisfy 

customers with reliable, quality products. 

Today, Motivatit employs 80 to 100 people 

including an amazing team of managers 

and supervisors and has income exceeding 

$10 million annually with a customer base 

established throughout the United States. 

The company harvests oysters from its farm 

and public grounds, purchases oysters from 

several producers along the Gulf and East 

Coasts, processes a full line of oysters, and 

leases property to other companies in its 

industrial park. 


Internet at www.motivatit.com. 

 

Left: Michael Voisin. 

Right: Steven Voisin. 


T. BAKER SMITH 

LLC 

 

Right: A portrait of three generations 

(top to bottom) T. Baker Smith, 

Wm. Clifford Smith and 

Kenneth Wm. Smith. 

Below: Founder T. Baker Smith in 

the field. 

Kenneth Wm. Smith, P.E., P.L.S. (Kenny) is 

determined to carry on the tradition begun 

by his grandfather. As president and sole owner 

of the firm that bears his grandfather’s name— 

T. Baker Smith, LLC (TBS)—Kenny leads the 

firm to provide superior integrated professional 

solutions across a broad spectrum of markets 

in multiple geographic regions. 

In 1913, upon graduation from Tulane 

University, T. Baker Smith, CE (Baker) returned 

to his home in Houma to begin his profession. 

His appreciation for the community and the 

outdoors allowed him to assist in building 

the early infrastructure in Lafourche, St. Mary, 

and Terrebonne Parishes, which included roads 

bridges, and utility systems. Baker is recognized 

as being the civil engineer for the first paved 

street in Houma, and it is estimated he drew the 

plans for at least half of Terrebonne’s existing 

bridges prior to his death in the early 1960s. 

Baker became an expert at the accurate reconstruction 

of U.S. government surveys dating to 

the late 1800s along the south Louisiana coast 

between the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya 

River. He was a national pioneer who developed 

techniques, grounded on irrefutable empirical 

evidence, that have become professional benchmarks. 

His original and reconstructive surveys 

have withstood the test of time for accuracy, 

impartiality, and legal viability. And, he did it 

all with a transit, theodolite, level, and chains 

in 66 and 100 foot lengths. 

Baker’s son, William Clifford Smith (Kenny’s 

father) succeeded him in the business, expanding 

operations to include integrated solutions 

in urban planning, environmental science, 

regulatory compliance, and land development. 

As the oil and gas industry became more 

developed, however, he pursued near and 

offshore surveying; civil, structural and coastal 


engineering; as well as program and construction 

management. Clifford is known throughout 

the community as one of the first “bell ringers” 

to notice the importance of saving Louisiana 

from coastal erosion. 

Kenny joined the family business in 1980, 

and after becoming president and CEO 

in 2011, he soon welcomed Geographical 

Information Systems (GIS), hydrographic surveying, 

and oyster assessment services to 

expand and further develop the 

firm. Beginning in 2002, he 

expanded the firm geographically 

by adding TBS office locations in 

Thibodaux, Lafayette, Covington, 

Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and 

Metairie, Louisiana, and Houston 

and San Antonio, Texas. 

Today, Kenny says, “We help 

our strategic clients with the 

entire life cycle of their developments. 

Every project is different 

and every solution is, too. We 

do not take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ 

approach to the services that 

we provide. At TBS, we aim to 

be true partners, to help clients 

become successful no matter how 

complex or unique the challenge. 

Plain and simple: We do what 

it takes to get the job done.” 

He adds that while it may mean collaborating 

with stakeholders across locations and practice 

areas throughout the entire project lifecycle 

to tailor a solution for clients, “We do it with 

the same, creative spirit we’ve used to make 

clients successful since 1913.” 

TBS has built its reputation on professionalism, 

turning ideas into reality and building 

relationships one project at a time. The TBS 

team consists of more than 300 professionals 

and support staff, including urban planners; 

environmental professionals; near and offshore 

surveyors; civil, coastal, and structural engineers; 

hydraulic and 3D models; oyster biologists; 

air and water professionals; project 

managers; and CADD/GIS technicians. 

Between 1913 and 2013, TBS developed 

and grew from a one man surveying and civil 

engineering operation into one of the top 500 

engineering, architectural, and environmental 

design firms in the United States, according to 

the Engineering News-Record. 

TBS strives to hire good people, 

identify their talents, and help 

them grow their talents to complete 

meaningful work to help 

grow its communities. The success 

of TBS is organic and comes from 

its associates. 

Three generations of leadership 

and over 100 years later, the quest 

of providing superior, integrated, 

professional solutions is deeply 

engrained in the TBS culture. For 

more information on TBS, LLC, 

please visit www.tbsmith.com. 

 

Left: Professional development at TBS 

is encouraged for all associates. 


CORTEC, LLC 

 

Above: Bobby Corte, Jr., c. 2004. 

Bottom, left: CORTEC Fluid Control 

Houma office, c. 2004. 

Bottom, right: This Managed Pressure 

Drilling manifold system, installed on 

the Ensco DS-9 in early 2015, was 

designed, manufactured, assembled 

and tested by CORTEC in Houma 

Louisiana. This unique and compact 

design represents one of the first 

installations of a Managed Pressure 

Drilling unit on an ultra-deepwater 

drillship in the world. It stands more 

than twenty-five feet tall and weighs 

over 100 tons. 

CORTEC was founded in 2003, but its roots 

go back three generations. That is when Bobby 

Corte, Sr., in search of a job, borrowed $100 

from a close friend to cover moving and living 

expenses as he and his wife, Barbara, relocated 

to Houma, Louisiana. It was 1964 when he 

found work as a machinist and developed 

manufacturing skills for valve internal working 

components as well as the design and material 

knowledge necessary to withstand harsh abrasive 

services common in the oil and gas (O&G) 

industry. After a few years, he landed at Latex 

Gulf Valve in Upper Bayou Blue where he soon 

welcomed an opportunity to be co-owner. He 

and a co-worker purchased the company and, 

through shared hard work, long hours, and soon, 

a booming oilfield, they experienced success. 

Bobby sold his interest in Latex in 1981 and 

founded Cor-Val, Inc. Over the next decade, he 

shared his skills with his sons and son-in-law 

who were all instrumental in growing the 

business. By the late 1990s, the business had 

grown to more than 100 employees. Cor-Val was 

eventually sold to an investment group on 

February 29, 2000. 

Three years later, Bobby Corte, Jr., and his 

wife, Virginia, founded CORTEC, LLC, dba 

CORTEC Fluid Control (CFC). Bobby, Jr., had 

hands-on experience including machine work, 

equipment repair, design and drafting, as well 

as business management. 

In the first year of planning, a 35,000 square 

foot facility was built, CNC machine tools 

and tooling were sourced and installed, while 

valve designs and API Q1 and ISO9001 quality 

programs were developed for implementation. 

In retrospect, it was an unbelievable feat to 

accomplish in this short timeframe. The first 

employees were people with whom a relationship 

and history of working well together existed—machinists, 

welders, sales and quality 

assurance. Bobby, Jr., expresses that he will 

forever feel in debt for the leap of faith of these 

employees to work with him again in a new 

venture and their critical contributions to the 

company’s development. 

CORTEC supplies the O&G industry with 

engineered equipment that it designs, engineers, 

manufactures, assembles, and tests within its 

facilities. Their preferred approach to all manufacturing, 

sales and service facets is to keep them 

underroof. Maintaining control of the process is 

indispensable to being consistently responsive 

and competitive. Because of this, CORTEC’s 

customers see added value in working with 

CORTEC. The company strives to set the 

standard and always be the preferred supplier. 


Today, products manufactured in CORTEC’s 

Louisiana facilities are used globally in locations 

throughout North and South America, Africa, 

Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. 

In 2006, CORTEC Manifold Systems (CMS), 

a new division, was co-founded between 

Bobby, Jr., and Lawrence “Larry” Chauvin III 

with Larry as president. CMS would pursue the 

design and manufacture of Compact Ball 

Valves; fullport valves designed to provide 

space and weight savings when used on 

offshore drilling and production facilities. 

Within six years the company had earned a 

reputation as one of the premiere providers in 

the global industry and today, is routinely 

awarded projects that once seemed reserved for 

large publicly-traded corporations. 

Bobby, Jr., and Larry are proud to be working 

together with their sons Bobby III, Justin 

and Stephen Corte and Thomas Chauvin in 

developing the next phase of the business. 

Family is very important, and the company’s 

commitment to promoting a family atmosphere 

is evident when visiting one of CORTEC’s 

facilities. Everyone takes great pride in doing 

their job well and it is common to see someone 

outside of their responsibility helping a coworker 

or other department for the betterment 

of the company as a whole. 

The CORTEC brand is comprised of two 

globally operating divisions CORTEC Fluid 

Control (CFC) and CORTEC Manifold Systems 

(CMS) with manufacturing locations in 

Houma and Port Allen, Louisiana, as well 

as an international sales office in Houston, 

Texas. CORTEC is a growing presence in 

the global market with partners actively 

supporting customer needs in strategic 

locations worldwide. 

Actively involved with valve automation 

and manifold packaging applications, CORTEC 

continues to diversify its product range 

and offerings. 

 

Top, left: The Ensco DS-9 MPD 

manifolds being installed in 

Singapore, c. May 2015. 

Top, right: The manifold systems 

were assembled and tested along 

the Intercoastal Waterway in 


Below: Bobby Corte, Sr., running a 

manual lathe in the early 1960s. 


LOGAN BABIN 

REAL ESTATE & 

APPRAISALS 

 

Above: Founder, Logan H. Babin, Sr. 

Top, right: Sketch of the historic home 

at 400 Lafayette Street that is now the 

Logan Babin offices. 

Below: Left to right, Logan H. Babin, 

Sr., and Logan H. Babin, Jr., in 1971. 

Always possessing an entrepreneurial spirit, 

Logan H. Babin, Sr., found his way to Houma 

when the Texas Company (Texaco) hired him to 

work on an early drilling rig in Lake Pelto. He 

took the job after leaving Texas A&M during the 

Great Depression so his older sisters could remain 

in college. After an injury on the job, Texaco paid 

his way to Louisiana State University (LSU) where 

he received a degree in petroleum engineering. 

During WWII, he became a foreman at the 

Higgins plant in New Orleans, helping to build 

“the boats that won the war.” Following the war, 

Logan turned to air conditioning, contracting 

and construction. To secure funding for his 

companies, he needed property as collateral; and 

began his foray into the real estate business. All 

of these formative experiences eventually paved 

the way for the formation of Logan Babin Real 

Estate in 1962 as he focused on the opportunity 

that industry and the Intracoastal and Houma 

Navigational Canals brought to Terrebonne. 

He flew to Tampa and pitched his vision of a 

10,000 acre land development program to Jim 

Walter of Jim Walter Homes, who had purchased 

the South Coast Corporation and its property 

in Terrebonne. That vision reshaped much of 

East Houma and transformed it from a rural, 

agricultural area into a blossoming oilfield 

service location. 

In 1969, Logan Babin, Jr., (one of the first 

graduates of the Air Force Academy and a pilot 


for Pan Am) returned home to assist his father 

in the development and, also, began working 

as an appraiser. Together, they served the 

real estate needs of the oilfield service industry 

in Terrebonne while keeping a civic mind of 

service to the community. 

Logan III, better known as “Hank,” returned 

to Houma in 1997 to begin the third generation 

of the business, working in real estate sales, 

appraising, and consulting. He and his father 

are both Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) 

with Logan, Jr., serving as the international 

organization’s president in 1995. 

Since the company’s beginning, it has been 

located at 400 Lafayette Street in a former 

residence built by Alphonse Dupont in 1911. 

After buying the historical home in the 1960s, 

Logan, Sr., spent years converting it into an 

office building, preserving much of its charm 

and grandeur. In 2014, Hank oversaw the 

modernization of the structure, making it ready 

to serve future decades of clients. 

For more than fifty years, Logan Babin Real 

Estate & Appraisals worked quietly behind the 

scenes to help shape and develop Terrebonne 

Parish. They have been instrumental in the 

donations of property for Chabert Hospital, 

numerous schools, and the Port of Terrebonne. 

They worked on land rights for road, drainage, 

levee, and utility expansion projects, as well 

as long-range recreational projects for Houma, 

and trying to convert U.S. Highway 90 into 

Interstate 49 South. Now, the company plans to 

be more visible working as developers, brokers, 

consultants and appraisers in South Louisiana, 

serving their client base of local families, 

municipalities and global corporations. 

Logan Babin Real Estate & Appraisals is the 

only firm in Terrebonne that focuses exclusively 

on commercial, industrial, and developmental 

real estate. The company plans to increase its 

sales force with individuals knowledgeable of 

the company’s business sector to further services 

to clients. Because Terrebonne’s economy is tied 

heavily to the energy industry, it has periods of 

growth and contraction. “Our company and our 

agents have been through all of those peaks and 

valleys. But that is a time when buyers and sellers 

need the best advice possible so they can make 

sound business decisions,” Logan, Jr., said. 

“We have been right here in South Louisiana 

working on one thing for over fifty years and three 

generations. We have the knowledge, experience, 

vision, and expertise to provide the best results 

for any of our clients,” according to Hank. 

That is why individuals and companies 

take the family company’s motto seriously: 

Logan Babin Real Estate & Appraisals—Local 

Knowledge…National Reputation! 

 

Left: A before and after view of 

Logan, Sr., and Jr.’s waterfront 

industrial vision in Houma. 

Above: Logan “Hank” Babin, III 

speaking at the CRE convention in 

San Francisco, 2013. 

Below: Logan H. Babin, Jr., and Logan 

“Hank” Babin, III in the company’s 

conference room. 


RICHARD’S 

RESTAURANT 

SUPPLY 

 

Top, left: Original location in 1977 

at 99 Verret Street, the old 

A & P building. 

Top, right: New location in 1996 at 

235 South Hollywood Road. 

Below: CEO Henry J. Richard’. 

Bottom: President Ryan H. Richard’ 

project managing a job site. 

The Richard’ family of Houma is as determined 

in business today as their ancestors in 

France were in 1785 when they boarded the 

small 180 ton Le Beaumont, one of seven ships, 

heading for America. Of the 51 families on 

that ship, 41 families settled near Baton Rouge, 

5 families went to the Attakapas, and 3 families, 

including the Richards’, chose to settle along 

the Bayou Lafourche at Lafourche Crossing. 

In 1955, Pierre Leonce Richard’ and his 

brother Laywood, (seventh generation in 

America) opened Best-O-Burger, Houma’s first 

hamburger drive-in, downtown across from 

Terrebonne General Hospital. Throughout the 

thirty-six years of operation they employed 

hundreds of people. 

In the ’60s and ’70s, Henry J. Richard’ 

worked for his father, Leonce, learning his 

business philosophy and work ethic. Henry was 

dedicated, focused, and intrigued with the 

restaurant business and the specialty equipment 

that made restaurant work easier and more 

efficient. After a stint working in the offshoremarine 

industry, Henry bought the family 

business, opened full-service restaurants and 

night clubs, and realized his desire to make 

restaurant equipment available locally. 

In 1977, Henry opened Richard’s Restaurant 

Supply in downtown Houma where he choose 

to devote full attention to servicing the industry 

as a whole instead of just being a part of it. 

When the 1980s oil bust arrived, it was a very 

difficult time in Terrebonne for all businesses. 

Persistence in sales, service and customer satisfaction 

paid off in the 1990s recovery, which brought 

many large projects to Richard’s on the marine 

side such as outfitting the 2 largest drill ships 

in the world, securing a 50 Coast Guard Patrol 

Boat galley contract and landing kitchen and 

bar packages for 13 of the 15 riverboat casino 

licenses in Louisiana and in other states. This was 

the turning point for Richard’s Restaurant Supply. 

These successes enabled Henry to build a new 

facility in 1996 at 235 South Hollywood Road, 

the largest showroom in the state, featuring 

20,000 square feet of culinary products targeting 

professional chefs and home cooks alike. The 

public is invited to “shop where the chefs shop.” 

His sons, Dustin and Ryan, joined him part-time 

during high school and their college years, and 

eventually full time upon graduation. 

Richard’s Restaurant Supply is now led by 

President Ryan H. Richard’ and Vice President 

Dustin J. Richard’. Together they support 

their mission statement: To be recognized as 

a premier supplier of commercial kitchen 

equipment and supplies through value added 

business solutions at fair prices delivered with 

enthusiasm, integrity and professionalism. 

Richard’s sells all major brands of equipment, 

repair parts, and small wares as a full-service 

dealership with professional experience from 

design services providing the most efficient 

kitchen and bar layout, to installation, service 

and maintenance of equipment. A main focus is 

creating long-term relationships with customers 

and becoming an asset to their success. 

Richard’s is a member and supporter of 

various professional, industrial, civic and 

charitable organizations and in 2015 celebrated 

thirty-eight years of operation. 

Henry, Dustin and Ryan have also focused 

on economic development of new real estate 

properties in Terrebonne such as: Blue Marlin 

Car Wash, Boat & RV Storage, CitiPlace 

Retail, Corporate Centre, Corporate Office Park, 

Grand Van Park, Hollywood South Retail, 

as well as Northpark and Williamsburg 

subdivisions marketed under the name of 

Richard’ Development. 


In 1976 the Charter of Incorporation of 

Houma’s Town & Country Real Estate was 

filed with the Secretary of State; and, two years 

later, Town & Country was purchased by Bill 

and Jelene Boyd. The company consisted of a 

name, two sales representatives and ranked 

last in production among all real estate companies. 

Under the direction of Bill, as principal 

broker and Jelene as associate 

broker along with a 

superb professional sales 

team, Houma’s Town & 

Country worked its way to 

the top three real estate 

companies in total sales 

production for the last twenty 

years in the tri-parish 

area. Bill’s success was built 

on: God first, love your family, 

and treat everyone who 

walks through the doors as 

you want to be treated. 

Bill is a director for 

the Louisiana REALTORS ® 

Association, in addition to 

being a director on the 

Bayou Board of REALTORS ® 

and Multiple Listing Service chairman, member 

of the Political Action Committee for Louisiana 

REALTORS ® Association and the Bayou Board 

of REALTORS ® , along with serving on the 

Louisiana Governor’s appointed I-49 South 

Funding and Feasibility Task Force. Bill 

also held the position of chairman and 

vice chairman of the Louisiana Real Estate 

Commission; and was a Louisiana Real Estate 

Commission Commissioner from 2002-2008. 

Houma’s Town & Country Real Estate’s 

mission is to maintain its standard as the 

region’s leader in personalized guidelines for 

honesty and integrity when providing real 

estate services. Town & Country is committed 

to continual adaptation to the client’s needs 

and changing real estate markets. Whether 

buying, selling or relocating outside of the 

tri-parish area, it does not matter if someone 

is moving across the street, or across the 

ocean, Town & Country Real Estate can guide 

them in the right direction to make the move. 

Houma’s Town & Country Real Estate was 

recognized as the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber 

of Commerce’s 2009 Large Business of the 

Year award recipient and was voted Reader’s 

Choice Best Real Estate Agency by the readers 

of Houma Today from 2009-2015. 

Houma’s Town & Country Real Estate 

has enjoyed helping people experience the 

dream of home ownership throughout forty 

years of business. 

 

HOUMA’S 

TOWN & 

COUNTRY 

REAL ESTATE, 

INC. 

Left: Bill and Jelene Boyd. 

Below: The realtors of Houma’s Town 

& Country Real Estate, Inc. 

Not pictured: Amanda Porche, Fred 

Clark, Gilda Scott, Kitty Bourgeois, 

Mike Smith, Nicole McGee, 

Sally Crochet and Shelly Billiot. 


MORRISON 

TERREBONNE 

LUMBER CENTER 

 

Top: Houma Brick and Box was 

founded by Chester Morrison, Sr., 

and Ferdinand Robichaux in 1924. 

Above, right: Current Location of 

Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center. 

Morrison Terrebonne Lumber 

Center is a full line building 

material dealer that was created in 

1999 with the merger of two longstanding 

building supply companies, 

Morrison Home Center and 

Terrebonne Lumber and Concrete. 

Their roots have been imbedded in 

the community over ninety years. 

Houma Brick and Box was founded 

in 1924 by Chester Morrison, Sr., 

and Ferdinand Robichaux. The duo 

started out owning and operating 

a sawmill in Charenton, Louisiana. The mill was 

wiped out by a flood in 1914. Morrison and 

Robichaux moved to Houma in 1923 and set up 

a sawmill on the Saint Louis Canal on what is 

now Morrison Avenue and went into the retail 

lumber business in 1924. In 1927 they moved 

the company to its present location at 605 

Barataria Avenue on land that was purchased 

from Lee Lottinger, Allen Ellender and Charles 

Ledet. The property had previously belonged 

to R. R. Barrow. J. Farquhard Chauvin, one of 

the early stockholders also became a partner 

in 1930. The company eventually adopted the 

name Morrison Home Center and was acquired 

fully by Chester Morrison, Jr. Over the years, 

the business steadily grew becoming a full line 

building supply store by adding offerings of 

hardware, cabinets and flooring. Morrison 

Home Center expanded with the addition of 

Grand Rental Station on Barataria Avenue. 

In 1937, a group of investors led by Madison 

Funderburk founded Terrebonne Lumber 

and Supply Company on Menville Street. It 

developed into a major supplier of building 

supplies to the contractor trades. The site 

boasted a large storage facility for lumber and 

building supplies and eventually a concrete 

plant. In 1968, Funderburk sold the company 

to Hillard Mire. Norris Ledet, Robert Vice, 

Burnelle Landry, and Ray Voisin also became 

minor shareholders. Vice, Landry and Voisin 

purchased all outstanding shares in 1982. In 

1999 the two companies merged to create 

Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center. Along 

with Morrison, Jr., Vice, Voisin and Landry 

operated the company until 2003 when 

long-time employees Doug Gregory, Gregory 

Landry, David Vice and Keith Voisin purchased 

the company. The Concrete Plant owned by 

Terrebonne Lumber and Concrete and Grand 

Rental Station owned by Morrison were not 

part of the merger and remained under original 

ownership. In 2007, MTLC expanded with 

the addition of a new Hardware Store on St. 

Charles Street in Houma, which currently operates 

under the name of Home Hardware Center. 

In 2012, Morrison Terrebonne Lumber 

Center merged its operations with Central 

Network Retail Group. CNRG was owned 

by Jimmy Smith of Natchez and partner Boyden 

Moore. At the time of the merger, CNRG 

operated twenty-one Home Hardware Center 

stores located in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

The new partnership continues to grow and 

now operates eighty-three home improvement 

stores under various brand names nationwide 

with more expansion planned. The brands 

include home centers, hardware stores and 

pro-oriented lumber yards from Washington 

State to North Carolina and from Michigan to 

the Gulf Coast. 

Today, Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center 

operates its Houma operations out of its main 

location at 605 Barataria Avenue and the Home 

Hardware Center location at 1218A St. Charles 

Street. The old Terrebonne Lumber location on 

Menville Street is used as a storage and delivery 

depot for its large inventory of building supplies. 

Altogether, Morrison Terrebonne Lumber 

Center covers more than three city blocks of 

the city it has grown with for almost 100 years. 

It occupies nearly 300,000 square feet of retail 

and storage buildings. 

More information on Morrison Terrebonne 

Lumber Center is available on the Internet at 

www.lumbercenter.com. 


SPONSORS 

Acadian Ambulance....................................................................................................................................................................120 

Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program..........................................................................................................................123 

Baymont Inn & Suites Houma....................................................................................................................................................145 

Bourgeois & Associates, Inc........................................................................................................................................................152 

Brooke’s Sno-World ....................................................................................................................................................................140 

Candlewood Suites.....................................................................................................................................................................137 

Cardiovascular Institute of the South..........................................................................................................................................119 

Chauvin Brothers, Inc.................................................................................................................................................................163 

CORTEC, LLC............................................................................................................................................................................170 

De Fraites Associates, Inc. ..........................................................................................................................................................134 

Flynn Clinic of Chiropractic .......................................................................................................................................................116 

Harry Bourg Corporation............................................................................................................................................................160 

Haydel Medical and Surgical Clinic ............................................................................................................................................110 

Haydel Memorial Hospice ..........................................................................................................................................................121 

Haydel’s Drug Store, Inc. ............................................................................................................................................................132 

Holiday Inn Houma....................................................................................................................................................................136 

Hospice of South Louisiana ........................................................................................................................................................114 

HOT Energy Services, Inc...........................................................................................................................................................164 

Houma Area Convention & Visitors Bureau................................................................................................................................142 

Houma’s Town & Country Real Estate, Inc. ................................................................................................................................175 

Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce................................................................................................................................144 

Lanaux & Felger, CPAs, APC ......................................................................................................................................................130 

Leadership Terrebonne ...............................................................................................................................................................124 

Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center.............................................................................................................................................118 

Logan Babin Real Estate & Appraisals.........................................................................................................................................172 

Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center..........................................................................................................................................176 

Motivatit Seafoods ......................................................................................................................................................................166 

Occupational Medicine Services, LLC .........................................................................................................................................106 

Pipeline Construction & Maintenance, Inc. ................................................................................................................................156 

Richard’s Restaurant Supply........................................................................................................................................................174 

SONOCO...................................................................................................................................................................................148 

Southdown Plantation House/The Terrebonne Museum..............................................................................................................125 

Stephanie Hebert Insurance Agency............................................................................................................................................128 

Synergy Bank .............................................................................................................................................................................143 

T. Baker Smith LLC ....................................................................................................................................................................168 

Terrebonne ARC .........................................................................................................................................................................122 

Terrebonne Council on Aging, Inc................................................................................................................................................94 

Terrebonne General Medical Center............................................................................................................................................108 

Terrebonne Insurance Agency.....................................................................................................................................................141 

Terrebonne Levee & Conservation District ...................................................................................................................................98 

Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government .............................................................................................................................104 

Terrebonne Parish Library System ................................................................................................................................................90 

Terrebonne Parish Public Schools ...............................................................................................................................................102 

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office .................................................................................................................................................86 

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center ...........................................................................................................................................112 

TLCD Board of Commissioners...................................................................................................................................................101 

Wolfe’s Pharmacy........................................................................................................................................................................138 

S P O N S O R S ✦ 1 7 7

COURTESY OF THE TERREBONNE ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 


COURTESY OF TERREBONNE PARISH 

CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT. 

S H A R I N G T H E H E R I T A G E ✦ 1 7 9

For more information about the following publications or about publishing your own book, 

please call HPNbooks at 800-749-9790 or visit www.hpnbooks.com. 

Albemarle & Charlottesville: 

An Illustrated History of the First 150 Years 

Black Gold: The Story of Texas Oil & Gas 

Care By the Sea: A History of 

Medicine in Nueces County 

Carter County, Oklahoma: Then and Now 

Coastal Visions: Images of Galveston County 

Dallas County: A 21st Century Mosaic 

King Cotton to Space Capital: 

The Huntsville-Madison County Story 

Garland: A Contemporary History 

Historic Abilene: An Illustrated History 

Historic Alamance County: 

An Illustrated History 

Historic Albany: City & County 

Historic Albuquerque: An Illustrated History 

Historic Alexandria: An Illustrated History 

Historic Amarillo: An Illustrated History 

Historic Anchorage: An Illustrated History 

Historic Austin: An Illustrated History 

Historic Baldwin County: 

A Bicentennial History 

Historic Baton Rouge: An Illustrated History 

Historic Beaufort County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Beaumont: An Illustrated History 

Historic Bexar County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Birmingham: An Illustrated History 

Historic Brazoria County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Brownsville: An Illustrated History 

Historic Charlotte: 

An Illustrated History of Charlotte and 

Mecklenburg County 

Historic Chautauqua County: 


Historic Cheyenne: A History of the Magic City 

Historic Clayton County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Comal County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Corpus Christi: An Illustrated History 

Historic DeKalb County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Denton County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Edmond: An Illustrated History 

Historic El Paso: An Illustrated History 

Historic Erie County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Fayette County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Fairbanks: An Illustrated History 

Historic Gainesville & Hall County: 


Historic Gregg County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Hampton Roads: 

Where America Began 

Historic Hancock County: 


Historic Henry County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Hood County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Houston: An Illustrated History 

Historic Hunt County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Illinois: An Illustrated History 

Historic Katy: An Illustrated History 

Historic Kern County: 

An Illustrated History of 

Bakersfield and Kern County 

Historic Lafayette: 


Lafayette & Lafayette Parish 

Historic Laredo: 


Laredo & Webb County 

Historic Lee County: 

The Story of Fort Myers & Lee County 

Historic Louisiana: An Illustrated History 

Historic Mansfield: A Bicentennial History 

Historic Midland: An Illustrated History 

Historic Mobile: 

An Illustrated History of the Mobile Bay Region 

Historic Montgomery County: 


Montgomery County, Texas 

Historic Ocala: The Story of Ocala & 

Marion County 

Historic Oklahoma: An Illustrated History 

Historic Oklahoma County: 


Historic Omaha: 

An Illustrated History of Omaha and 

Douglas County 

Historic Orange County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Osceola County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Ouachita Parish: An Illustrated History 

Historic Paris and Lamar County: 


Historic Pasadena: An Illustrated History 

Historic Passaic County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Pennsylvania An Illustrated History 

Historic Philadelphia: An Illustrated History 

Historic Prescott: 

An Illustrated History of Prescott & 

Yavapai County 

Historic Richardson: An Illustrated History 

Historic Rio Grande Valley: 


Historic Rogers County: An Illustrated History 

Historic San Marcos: An Illustrated History 

Historic Santa Barbara: An Illustrated History 

Historic Scottsdale: A Life from the Land 

Historic Shawnee: 

A History of Shawnee & Pottawatomie County 

Historic Shelby County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Shreveport-Bossier: An Illustrated History 

of Shreveport & Bossier City 

Historic South Carolina: An Illustrated History 

Historic Smith County: An Illustrated History 

Historic St. Louis: 

250 Years Exploring New Frontiers 

Historic Temple: An Illustrated History 

Historic Texarkana: An Illustrated History 

Historic Texas: An Illustrated History 

Historic Victoria: An Illustrated History 

Historic Tulsa: An Illustrated History 

Historic Wake County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Warren County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Williamson County: 


Historic Wilmington & The Lower Cape Fear: 


Historic York County: An Illustrated History 

Iron, Wood & Water: 

An Illustrated History of Lake Oswego 

Jefferson Parish: 

Rich Heritage, Promising Future 

Louisiana: The Energy State 

Making San Antonio: 

The Story of San Antonio Manufacturing 

Miami’s Historic Neighborhoods: 

A History of Community 

Mile Marker 103: 

The History of Edmond, Oklahoma 

More Than a River: Decatur-Morgan County 

The New Frontier: 

A Contemporary History of 

Fort Worth & Tarrant County 

Old Orange County Courthouse: 

A Centennial History 

Plano: An Illustrated Chronicle 

Prospects to Prosperity 

Rich With Opportunity: 

Images of Beaumont and Jefferson County 

Salt Lake City: Livability in the 21st Century 

San Antonio, City Exceptional 

The San Gabriel Valley: A 21st Century Portrait 

Southwest Louisiana: A Treasure Revealed 

The Spirit of Collin County 

Valley Places, Valley Faces 

Water, Rails & Oil: 

Historic Mid & South Jefferson County

Terrebonne Parish: Stories of the Good Earth

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?