In the Heart of Louisiana - An Illustrated History of Rapides Parish

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IN THE HEART 

OF LOUISIANA 

An Illustrated History of Rapides Parish 

by Fr. Chad Partain 

Commissioned by the Historical Association of Central Louisiana 

Historical Publishing Network 

A division of Lammert Incorporated 

San Antonio, Texas

This work is dedicated to our local historians 

who have done so much to safeguard our history: 

George Purnell Whttington, Dr. Sue Eakin, 

Dr. Patsy Barber, Dale Genius, Carl Laurent 

and to Mrs. Nancy Barham 

and Mrs. Rebecca Tisdale who encouraged 

so many students to read and think; 

 

A 1940s greeting card featuring some of Alexandria’s landmark structures. 

to work and to pray. 

First Edition 

Copyright © 2011 Historical Publishing Network 

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 Historical Publishing Network, 11535 Galm Road, Suite 101, San Antonio, Texas, 78254. Phone (800) 749-9790. 

ISBN: 9781935377665 

Library of Congress Card Catalog Number: 2011942249 

In the Heart of Louisiana: An Illustrated History of Rapides Parish 

author: Father Chad Partain 

cover artists: Lloyd Hawthorne, Dr. David Holcombe 

contributing writer for sharing the heritage: Eric Dabney 

photography sources: The Dellmon Collection and The Newcomb Collection at the 

Cammie Henry Research Center at Northwestern State University, 

The Dale Genius Collection at the Louisiana History Museum, 

The Diocese of Alexandria Archives Collection, and 

Ben Pierce Photography. 

Historical Publishing Network 

president: Ron Lammert 

project managers: Joe Neely, Robin Neely 

administration: Donna M. Mata, Melissa G. Quinn 

book sales: Dee Steidle 

production: Colin Hart, Evelyn Hart, Glenda Tarazon Krouse, Omar Wright 

2 ✦ I N T H E H E A R T O F L O U I S I A N A

Louisiana Pines by Ellsworth 

Woodward, 1917. 

COURTESY OF THE BOLTON HIGH SCHOOL 

COLLECTION, USED WITH PERMISSION OF THE 

RAPIDES PARISH SCHOOL BOARD. 

CONTENTS 

4 INTRODUCTION 

5 CHAPTER I c o n q u e r i n g t h e f r o n t i e r 

10 CHAPTER II a n t e b e l l u m g r o w t h 

17 CHAPTER III w a r a n d r e c o n s t r u c t i o n 

24 CHAPTER IV n e w b e g i n n i n g s 

36 CHAPTER V g r o w i n g p a i n s 

53 CHAPTER VI b u i l d i n g t h e f u t u r e 

61 SHARING THE HERITAGE 

95 SPONSORS 

C o n t e n t s ✦ 3

INTRODUCTION 

 

The Kent Plantation at its original site 

on Bayou Rapides, c. 1911. Built by 

Pierre Baillio on lands granted by 

the Spanish crown, the Kent House 

remains the oldest standing structure 

in central Louisiana and was the site 

for the opening celebrations marking 

the bicentennial of the Louisiana 

Purchase in 2003. 

At 4 p.m. on the afternoon of April 15, 1909, Mayor W. B. Turner led a procession of local 

dignitaries and officials of the State Grand Lodge of Freemasons to the site designated for the new 

city hall in downtown Alexandria. The site had been marked out long ago by Alexander Fulton, 

a Pennsylvania trader and merchant, who had settled in the region in the early 1790s. Fulton 

had his brother-in-law, Samuel Levi Wells II, together with Fredrick Walther survey and plat 

the location for a new town along the Red River in February of 1805. Originally know as 

Rapide or Rapide Courthouse, the community that came to be known as Alexandria around 

1810, was laid out on thirteen arpents of land square on the south side of the river divided by 

eight streets into eighty-one blocks measuring 213 feet square. Two centrally located blocks 

were set aside for public use. On the site was the old antebellum brick town hall that had survived 

the devastating fire of May, 13, 1864 when Union troops destroyed the heart of the town. 

The construction of a new city hall marked a crowning achievement for the struggling 

community which had spent decades trying to overcome the destruction of the war and the ravages 

of reconstruction. 

The Most Worshipful Grand Master of Louisiana, the Honorable L. E. Thomas performed the 

Masonic ritual for the laying of the cornerstone. The stone was measured and pronounced true and 

square; wheat, wine and oil were then poured over it and the contents were sealed inside. These 

included a document outlining the official proceedings leading to the new construction, souvenir 

editions of the Alexandria Daily Town Talk and a directory of the city all placed in a copper box 

inside the hollow stone. John H. Overton, a local attorney and rising politician, gave the day’s 

oration. He reminded the citizens gathered in the square that “True civic pride is the basis of 

true civic growth.” “The City of Alexandria has often been called the central Queen of Louisiana”, 

he noted, “The new city hall is the crown for the queen’s brow.” 

The new city hall was finished and ready for occupancy fourteen months later. Built at a cost of 

$52,792, the neo-classical domed structure designed by George Mann of Little Rock and modeled 

after the administration building at the Chicago World’s Fair became an iconic part of the 

city’s downtown landscape and marked the end of one era and the beginning of another; a concrete 

sign of the unbounded hope and optimism that marked the beginning of the twentieth century. 

For fifty-two years its classical beauty lasted throughout all the turbulent changes and transitions 

that saw the small southern town on the lower Red River grow and spread into a modern city. 


C H A P T E R 

CONQUERING THE FRONTIER 

I 

In the beginning the Red River dominated the local landscape and shaped the lives of all who 

came into the area now known as Rapides Parish. Flowing south from its headwaters in New 

Mexico the river travels over 1,275 miles along the boundaries of Texas and Oklahoma through 

Arkansas before flowing through the heart of Louisiana where it joins with the Old, the Atchafalaya 

and the Mississippi. 

From the time of first contact between the Europeans and Native Americans the northern stretch 

of the Red, south from the Arkansas line to Natchitoches, was choked for a hundred miles by a 

massive fill of earth and fallen trees known as the ‘Great Raft’. About fifty miles above the point 

where the Red flowed into the Mississippi another obstacle, the ‘le grande rapide’, a series of 

irregular ledges of sandstone formed a set of falls and rapids that blocked the channel and made 

navigation impossible. Due to the Great Raft and the rapids the Red became a seasonal stream; 

in full flood only during certain seasons and shrinking away to a shallow stream during others. 

The site of the rapids at 31 degrees 19’ north latitude and 92 degrees 29’ west longitude, lies almost 

at the geographic center of what would later become the State of Louisiana. Its location made it a 

crossroads for both animals and men from the beginning. From the south side of the river a flat 

floodplain of rich alluvial soil broken by small bayous and streams stretched forty miles long and 

fifteen miles wide. On the northern bank a series of sharp bluffs rose from the river’s bank to a 

plateau of small hills composed of sandy soil covered by virgin pine forests. 

 

Light at play over Indian Creek. 

COURTESY OF BEN PIERCE PHOTOGRAPHY. 

C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 5

Above: Clouds over Kincade Lake. 


Below: “There they lay—row on row”. 

Graves in the National Cemetery in 

Pineville. The earliest markers are 

for Union troops who never 

returned north. 


The earliest traces of indigenous cultures 

suggest that the area around the rapids was a 

prime hunting ground. Some historians believe 

that large herds of migrating buffalo from the 

Great Plains traveled hundreds of miles to 

winter in the warmer climate of central 

Louisiana. Indian mounds on the northern 

banks of the Red, south of Pineville and scattered 

findings at Catahoula Lake and along 

inland bayous reveal traces of a migratory population 

of hunters and gatherers. Traces of 

Caddo, Tensas and Choctaw influence can be 

found in the mounds, stone chips and arrowheads 

that mark this period. At the time of 

European contact, after Robert de La Salle’s 

1682 expedition down the 

Mississippi, the Native American 

population in present-day 

Rapides Parish was small and 

scattered. A branch of the 

Atakapa lived near Lake 

Cocodrie but they soon migrated 

south to the Calcasieu River. 

Bands of the Avoyel tribe settled 

for a time near the site of the 

rapids. French official and naturalist, 

DuPratz, records that the 

Avoyels along the rapids traded 

in horses and oxen secured in 

Spanish “Tejas” and New Mexico. 

Chactoos, Choctaws, Natchitoches, 

Tensas, Apalachee, Alabama, 

Pascagoula, and Biloxi tribes 

migrated into the area after the 

time of first contact sometimes 

with the aid and support of the 

French colonial authorities. 

The French claimed control 

of the Mississippi River 

valley from 1682 when 

Robert de La Salle made 

his way south from New 

France. Early explorers like 

Bienville, Iberville, and 

St. Denis pushed their way 

up by water from Mobile 

through the rivers and 

bayous that crisscrossed 

the interior west of the 

Mississippi. Expeditions 

along the Red River in 1700 

led to contact with the Natchitoches tribe at a 

site south of the Great Raft. In 1714 Louis 

Juchereau de St. Denis established a storehouse 

for trade goods among the Natchitoches before 

setting off to establish contact with the Spanish 

along the Rio Grande. This action led to the 

development of the area along the Red as the 

French and Spanish consolidated their holdings 

in the northwestern section of the colony. A 

French garrison was established at Fort St. Jean 

Baptiste among the Natchitoches while the 

Spanish pushed north and west from the 

Rio Grande then across the Sabine to establish 

a mission and presidio at Los Adaes dedicated 

in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. The 

twenty-one miles separating the two sites 

marked an international boundary between the 

two great powers. 

As the Natchitoches post developed into an 

important outpost in the west, the Red River 

became a highway linking New Orleans, established 

in 1718, and French settlers isolated 

in the interior. A report from Sieur Diron 

D’Artaguette, inspector general of troops in 

the Province of Louisiana, written in 1722 

highlighted the need for a post at the “rapids” 

on the lower Red River. A French settler 

named Francois Perrier, traveling upriver from 

Pointe Coupee, had been beheaded and his two 

young daughters, ages eight and twelve, 

were kidnapped by Chicksaw Indians as he 

attempted to portage his canoes over the “falls.” 

A post was eventually established on high 

ground at the site of the present-day Rapides 

Cemetery in Pineville perhaps as early as 

1724 although there is no written record of its 

actual foundation. 


Valentine Layssard, the son of Etienne 

Layssard, identified himself in an affidavit as a 

“native of El Rapido” with his birth occurring in 

1747. His father Etienne Marafret Layssard, a 

veteran of the French post among the Arkansas, 

served as the first known commandant under 

Spanish rule at the “Puesto del Rapido.” Written 

records of his presence in the “Rapides” area 

date to December 1767. On his arrival he 

records that he found only two other white 

men, one family of “bohemes” or gypsies, the 

Apalachees and some Alabama Indians. One of 

the earliest land grants in the area on record is 

the alienation of six arpents of land from Mr. 

Dabadie to Vincent Poiret in 1764. 

The Apalachees were a Florida tribe who had 

encountered the Spanish expeditions of Narvaez 

and De Soto. By 1656 they had been converted 

and were settled in and around the mission 

of San Luis de Talimali near present-day 

Tallahassee. In a series of raids between January 

and August of 1704, the English and their Creek 

allies, led by South Carolina’s Governor James 

Moore, attacked and massacred the tribe 

destroying 14 villages and taking thousands of 

captives as slaves. The surviving Apalachees, led 

by Fr. Juan de Perga and 30 Spanish soldiers of 

the San Luis mission, put up a stiff resistance 

until they ran out of ammunition. Many of the 

Indian warriors were tied to stakes, tortured and 

burned alive by the Creeks. Fr. Juan de Parga’s 

head was cut off and brought back to South 

Carolina as a trophy. Those few natives who 

survived fled west and were given land around 

Mobile by Governor Bienville. 

In September of 1763, before the British 

occupation of Mobile, a delegation of Apalachee 

Indians visited New Orleans to petition the 

French Colonial government for permission to 

move into the Louisiana territory. The tribe, 

now numbering about thirty families, elected a 

new chief named Martin and relocated to 

the ‘District of Natchitoches’ and settled above 

the rapids on the banks of Red River at the 

northern end of Bayou Jean de Jean, near 

present day Boyce. There they built their 

homes and planted crops on a bluff later known 

as Zimmerman Hill. A chapel, dedicated in 

honor of St. Louis, King of France, was erected 

for them by Fr. Pierre Valentine, the French 

Capuchin pastor of St. Francis’ Church in 

Natchitoches, in 1764. In 1767 the tribe 

welcomed members of the Alabama tribe 

and the groups merged into one settlement. 

Remnants of other tribes also settled on the vast 

land grants given to the Apalachees both above 

the rapids and along Bayou Boeuf. 

After the completion of the transfer of the 

Louisiana colony from France to Spain in 1766 

settlement in the central portion of territory along 

the Red began to increase. Settlers from French 

posts to the north, from Arkansas and Natchitoches 

like Pierre Baillio, came south looking for fertile 

land and opportunities for trade. He built his 

plantation, the oldest surviving structure in 

present-day Rapides Parish, along Bayou Rapides. 

Others settlers came from the south, from the 

flood-plagued settlements around Pointe Coupee, 

looking for higher ground and the same economic 

opportunities. The earliest families included 

the Layssard, Chavalier, Baillio, Deville, Lacaze, 

LaCour, LaForest, LaSage, Poiret and Vallery clans. 

 

A 1819 land grant survey of the 

Apalachee Indian tract along the 

Red River. 

C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 7

Above: Samuel Levi Wells, antebellum 

planter and surveyor, received a land 

grant from the Spanish government 

and began to develop the fertile lands 

along Bayou Rapides. 

Below: Martha Dent Wells. 

In November 1769 Irish-born Spanish 

General Alexandro O’Reilly, overseeing the 

implementation of Spanish rule sent two 

officers, Irish like himself, Juan Kelly and 

Eduardo Nugent, on a fact-finding tour of the 

region. They found a small population of 33 

whites and 18 slaves at “El Rapido” with a little 

village of Apalachee Indians nearby. There were 

only eight houses around the post and only corn 

and tobacco were being grown in the fields. The 

Apalachee and other natives lived by hunting 

and cultivating corn. 

After the conclusion of the American 

Revolution, during which men from “El Rapido” 

marched with Galvez against the British at Baton 

Rouge and Mobile, more and more “English” or 

American settlers began to venture west of the 

Mississippi into Spanish territory lured by the 

promise of vast land grants. From 1785 to 1791, 

Spanish policy, which until that time had barred 

Protestants from securing land in Spanish territory, 

was relaxed to encouraged a more rapid 

population growth. Grants were made only after 

the parties pledged allegiance to the King of 

Spain and promised to refrain from publicly 

practicing any faith other than Roman 

Catholicism. During this time, Samuel Levi 

Wells moved his family into the rich area along 

Bayou Rapides. The son of an English-born surveyor 

in Spanish pay, Levi Wells was granted a 

large tract of land along the river and bayous. 

He also served as a surveyor for others eager to 

secure there own little empires of virgin land. 

One such grant illustrates the vast amount of 

land sometimes claimed by the early settlers. 

Joseph Gilliard claimed title to 19,000 acres of 

land along the Red River purchased from the 

Pascagoula tribe in 1795. 

With the early planters came the merchants 

eager to trade with the Indians and settlers alike. 

Edward Murphy set up the first trading post on 

the site where Bayou Rapides flowed into the Red 

just below the rapids. Sometime between 1790 

and 1793 William Miller and Robert Fulton, 

restless Pennsylvania traders tutored in the ways 

of the frontier while trading along the Ohio and 

in Kentucky, secured permission to trade with the 

Indian tribes throughout the district for fur pelts, 

bear oil and tallow. Long credit was given to the 

Indians who traded for the day’s necessities 

against the value of their land. In a short time, 

Fulton and Miller acquired title to thousands of 

acres along the river and bayous of central 

Louisiana including a tract originally secured by 

Adam Huffman from the Tensas valued at $5,200 

for a debt of $2,600. It is on this disputed tract 

that Fulton would later lay out his plans for a 

town he would name Alexandria. 

After Eli Whitney demonstrated the effectiveness 

of his cotton engine or ‘gin’ in 1793 new 

waves of fresh settlers entered the region eager 

to grow cotton in the fertile lands along the 

lower Red River. The new post commandant, 

Valentine Layssard, who succeeded his father in 

that year, welcomed the new arrivals. Land 

speculators made a killing selling off great tracts 

of land; pushing the Indians north and west. 

Good bottom land south of the river and along 

the bayous sold for as much as $1.25 an acre. 

In 1792 the population of the entire region 

around the El Rapido post numbered 920 whites 

and 250 free persons of color. Black slaves were 

not counted. This census included all of presentday 

Avoyelles, Catahoula, LaSalle, and part of 

Grant Parishes. By 1799 the population had 

grown to 3,000 whites and 2,000 slaves. That 

number was spread out over a wide area. The 

territory around the post itself, at what would 

become Alexandria, had a population of 

261 souls. Sixty-two people had established 

themselves further up Bayou Rapides in an area 

later known as Cotile. Some 159 settlers lived 

along Bayou Boeuf. Around 225 people were 

scattered in the areas north of the river driving 

cattle. As Carl Laurent points out in his work, 

Red River Frontier, there were very few old people 

in the population. In the entire district at that time, 

there were only thirty-nine persons fifty years of 

age or older (5.5% of the total population). Also 

there were more white men than women, 141 

compared to 106 at the Post itself. 

In November 1796, Bishop Luis de Penalver, 

the first Bishop of Louisiana and the Floridas, 

visited the Rapides post to administer the 

sacrament of confirmation and to conduct a 

census. The bishop’s secretary counted a total 

population of 394 whites and 140 negroes. In his 

two day visit, the bishop performed 48 baptisms, 

1 marriage and 55 confirmations. There was no 

chapel or church in the frontier community 

and the sacraments were probably administered 

in the home of the commandant, Valentine 


Layssard. There was also no resident priest to 

minister to the growing population. Four times 

a year the priest would come down river 

from Natchitoches to administer the sacraments 

during the Ember days. Records of these early 

Rapides baptisms, marriages and burials can be 

found in the records of the Natchitoches church. 

In his report on the visitation Bishop Penalver 

noted, “The immigration from the western part 

of the United States and the toleration of our 

government have introduced into this colony a 

gang of adventurers who have no religion and 

knowledge of God, and they have made the 

morals of our people much worse, by intercourse 

with them.” The bishop’s warnings went 

unheeded and the promise of cheap land fueled 

the passions of speculators like James and Rezin 

Bowie and hundreds more. By terms of a secret 

agreement, the Treaty of San Ildefonso, signed 

October 1, 1800, Spain relinquished control of 

Louisiana back to France. 

The year 1803 brought the completion of the 

sale of the Louisiana Territory to the United States 

for $15 million on December 20. The posts in the 

interior along the Red River were turned over to 

the agents of the United States in the spring of 

1804. At El Rapido, Dr. Ennemond Mueillon, the 

post commandant, and his son-in-law, William 

Miller, oversaw the transfer of powers. William 

Claiborne was appointed territorial governor by 

an act of Congress on March 26, 1804, and the 

“Territory of Orleans” was divided into twelve 

counties. The newly-designated Rapide County 

comprised “the settlements of Rapide, Avoyelles, 

Catahoula, Bayou Boeuf, Bayou Robert, and all 

other settlements which now are, or may be in 

the vicinity thereof, and which may in the 

opinion of the superior court lie nearer or more 

conveniently to the courthouse or seat of justice 

of said County of Rapide.” On June 5, 1805, 

William Miller was appointed judge of the county 

court, which held its early session in Kemper’s 

Inn, by the appointment of Governor Claiborne. 

Hatch Dent was appointed to serve as clerk of 

court; Frederick Walther as sheriff; Ennemond 

Mueillon as treasurer and Alexander Fulton 

as coroner. 

The territorial bounds of the new county 

were fixed: “The said line shall intersect the Red 

River at the confluence of Rigolet de Bon Dieu 

and shall run from thence to the west, in a direct 

line to the nearest corner of the county of 

Opelousas and on the east to the nearest corner 

of the county of Ouachita.” In the first territorial 

election Alexander Fulton was elected to serve 

as representative to the state legislature. 

 

Above: The stillness of the Kisatchie 

National Forest; one of the great 

natural treasures in the area. 


Below: Signature of Alexander Fulton, 

merchant and planter, who laid out 

the plans for the town of Alexandria 

in 1805. 

C h a p t e r 1 ✦ 9

C H A P T E R 

ANTEBELLUM GROWTH 

I I 

 

Antebellum Alexandria before the 

devastating fire of May 13, 1864, 

which leveled most of the town. 

In 1807 the Orleans territory was divided into 19 parishes with Rapide listed as the 15th with 

Rapide Courthouse, the first official listing of the town as Alexandria came in 1810, as the parish 

seat. The land around the Avoyelles post was formed into an independent parish. In 1808 the 

land that now forms Catahoula, LaSalle, and a small portion of Caldwell parishes was formed out 

of the original Rapide concession into Catahoula Parish. On February 20, 1811, Congress passed 

an act enabling the Orleans Territory to form a state government with a constitution. Levi Wells, 

John Hall and Thomas Olliver were elected to represent the newly formed Fourth District. A state 

constitution, closely modeled on the Kentucky state constitution, was adopted. On April 8, 1812, 

Congress approved the new state constitution and Louisiana was admitted into the Union as 

the 18th state of the United States. Under the new constitution new judicial districts were created. 

Avoyelles, Natchitoches and Rapide were included together under the Sixth Judicial District and 

Josiah Stoddard Johnston of Alexandria was appointed to the bench. Stephen Wells was appointed 

sheriff. Hatch Dent was appointed to serve as state senator while Thomas Scott and Levi Wells were 

appointed as state representatives. 

1 0 ✦ I N T H E H E A R T O F L O U I S I A N A

On April 10, 1810, the Louisiana Planter 

began publication as a weekly newspaper in 

the town of ‘Alexandria’. In that year, the U.S. 

census noted a total population of 2,200 

persons in Rapides Parish. Some 1,081 of these 

were black slaves. Americans had come to 

displace the older French and Spanish segments 

of the population. The cultivation of cotton 

became the mainstay of the primarily agrarian 

economy. Five small sawmills were in operation; 

turning out some 1.23 million feet of lumber 

from the virgin pine forests. Some local industry 

such as brick-making and leather tanning were 

also evident. In 1811 an attempt was made to 

open a state-funded private academy but the 

attempt failed and the Academy of Rapides 

was not re-opened until 1818. In 1817 the 

Catholics at Rapides erected a chapel in the 

small town of Alexandria. Before then Mass had 

been offered by visiting missionaries in the 

home of Antoine Biossat, a French veteran of the 

American Revolution. Thomas Lasley was one of 

the first Methodist circuit-riders to preach in 

Alexandria in 1807. He met with little success 

or encouragement. Frederick Wimberly took 

up the circuit in 1812. In 1814 a Protestant 

minister, John Schrock, an ex-blacksmith, 

caused a near riot in Alexandria when he 

attempted to preach at the courthouse. 

After 1815 steamboats began to push 

up the Red River and Alexandria’s small 

port became a major center of trade. In 

1820, the steamboat Beaver became the 

first boat to successfully navigate over the 

rapids and push on to Natchitoches. In 

the dry seasons, Alexandria became the 

market for all merchandise needed in the 

interior; “the center of one of the most 

important cotton districts in the south”. 

During the antebellum period the small 

courthouse town grew as a slave market 

and commercial center complete with 

“doctors, lawyers, editors and bankers 

enough”. By 1822 it was a “pleasant, neat 

village”, Reverend Timothy Flint, the 

Presbyterian minister and president of the 

College of Rapides, noted, “handsomely 

situated on a plain perfectly smooth, and 

carpeted with the richest verdure. The 

white [washed] houses show themselves 

with their pizzas from under the shade of 

the beautiful China trees and catalpas…. Just 

above the village there is a rapid, composed of 

soft rock, apparently in a state of formation from 

clay. The pitch at low water, may be ten feet, and 

over this pitch pours the volumes of waters, collected 

from mountains two thousand miles 

above. It is a romantic view, and the incessant 

roar resembles in the ear the distant roar of a sea 

beach, and lulls one pleasantly to sleep.” The 

view may have been peaceful and pleasant but 

the realities of frontier life were not always so 

easy. Antebellum Alexandria was a place filled 

with men of business and ambition; sometimes a 

deadly combination. Violence was common. 

“The men are ‘sudden and quick in quarrel’”, 

Timothy Flint recorded, “The dirk or pistol is 

always at hand.” The town’s newspaper, the 

Louisiana Messenger, reported, “The commission 

of murders, riots and offenses against the laws of 

this state have become so frequent that few men 

are assured of safety.” Duels over politics, local 

elections, land speculations and personal honor 

frequently polarized the small and complex 

aggregate community. 

A famous episode, the Sandbar Duel, the 

antebellum version of the later gunfight at the 

O. K. Corral, occurred on September 19, 1827, 

when two conflicting parties from Rapides 

 

Red River steamboat loaded with 

cotton for the wharves at 

New Orleans. 

C h a p t e r I I ✦ 1 1

Above: Thomas Overton Moore, 

Rapides Parish planter and politician, 

was elected Governor of the State of 

Louisiana in 1860 and called for a 

secession convention in January of 

1861. His plantation, Mooreland, 

south of Alexandria, was burned 

during the Red River campaign of 

1864. Governor Moore is buried in 

the cemetery at Mount Olivet Church 

in Pineville. 

Below: Ralph Smith Smith, antebellum 

planter and commercial developer, 

built the first narrow gauge railroad 

west of the Mississippi to link 

Lecompte and Alexandria. As the 

chairman for Public Safety for 

Rapides Parish during the Civil War 

his three steamboats served the 

Confederate cause, carrying men and 

supplies along the Red. His boats as 

well as his track and trains were 

destroyed along with his home and 

depot by Union troops in 1864. 

He died in 1883. 

Parish met on neutral ground, a sandbar in 

the Mississippi River, to settle their differences 

over politics and honor with pistol and shot. 

Ostensibly arising out of the disputed election of 

President John Quincy Adams, the duel pitted 

two rival factions from the parish. One group, led 

by Norris Wright and composed of planters from 

Alexandria and Bayou Rapides, had favored the 

election of Henry Clay. The second faction, led by 

Thomas Jefferson Wells and composed of planters 

from Bayou Boeuf, favored Andrew Jackson. Bad 

blood over bank loans, land speculation and town 

gossip brought matters to a head when shots were 

exchanged on a public street. The duel at the 

Mississippi site, between Vidalia and Natchez, 

should have ended when two volleys had been 

fired by the principle antagonists, Dr. Thomas 

Maddox and Samuel Levi Wells II, and no one was 

injured. After the principals had retired their 

weapons another personal argument broke out 

between Colonel Robert Crain and General 

Samuel Cuny. In the ensuing fight, Norris Wright 

and Cuny were killed. James Bowie, who killed 

Norris Wright, was wounded. After his recovery, 

Jim Bowie moved on to Texas where he later died 

in the Alamo. 

The bloodshed in the sandbar duel reflected 

the tensions that had developed between some 

earlier settlers and later arrivals. After 1803 the 

pace of immigration accelerated and many 

settlers rushed in to claim land in the rich 

areas surrounding the old Rapides post. 

Between 1805 and 1811, a large number of 

Americans, including the Cheney, Roberts, 

Stafford and Tanner families moved from 

Wilkinson County, Mississippi, to the southern 

part of Rapides Parish near present day 

Cheneyville. These new arrivals were mainly 

Methodists and Baptists originally from South 

Carolina who moved west in search of available 

land in the beginning of the cotton boom. 

Settling along streams and bayous to facilitate 

the movement of their crops to market, the early 

planters dominated the local landscape. By the 

1820s sugar cane was being introduced and 

the plantations in the southern portion of the 

parish prospered. New plantations sprung up 

along Bayou Rapides as settlers from Virginia, 

Maryland, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and 

Mississippi, staked their claim to the rich bottomlands. 

On Bayou Robert, Thomas Overton 

Moore came from Virginia to oversee his uncle 

Walter Overton’s plantation. Josiah Chambers 

built Oakland Plantation on what is now the 

site of Louisiana State University at Alexandria. 

William Polk of Ashton Plantation became a 

dominant figure in local politics. Around present 

day Lecompte the descendants of Samuel 

Levi Wells built homes and stables for their 

growing stock of race horses. 

The need for reliable transportation to bring 

crops to market forced the development of roads 

and even the construction of a primitive railroad. 

Ralph Smith Smith, a native of Connecticut, came 

south to supervise the construction of the 

Carrollton-New Orleans track. He eventually 

settled along Bayou Boeuf at New Hope 

Plantation. Most planters in that area moved their 

crops by water to the small port of Washington, 

Louisiana, for transport to New Orleans. The 

route was difficult; water levels in Bayou Boeuf 

fluctuated with the seasons and sometimes 

loads had to hauled through dense underbrush. 

Seeing the need for more reliable transport, 

between 1837 and 1842, Smith constructed a 

small gauge sixteen mile railroad from Smith’s 

landing to Alexandria where regular steamboat 

runs linked the Red with the Mississippi. The 

steamboats of the day could be just as unreliable 

as the bayous and even more dangerous. Fires 

were frequent and boiler explosions were 

common. On May 19, 1833, the Lioness exploded 

near the northern boundary of Rapides Parish 

killing Senator Stoddard Johnston, Charles Boyce 

and Basil Riggs along with many others. 

Governor Edward White was injured for life. 

In 1844 the Lucy Walker exploded north of 

Alexandria killing over 80 passengers and crew. 

Despite the risks, river traffic increased steadily 

with over 500 trips a year recorded between 

Alexandria and New Orleans. 

Mortality rates remained high in the area all 

throughout the antebellum period. The 

lowlands on the Alexandria side of Red River 

were prone to flooding and deadly fevers swept 

the area annually. Malaria, yellow fever and 

cholera were common killers. An epidemic of 

cholera in 1833 ravaged the plantations along 

Bayou Rapides. Yellow fever cases reached 

epidemic proportions in 1837, 1851 and 1853. 

In 1853 the population of the town fell from 

1,000 to 300 and of these over 120 died. To 


Left: St. Francis Xavier Catholic 

Church in 1879. It was built in 1834 

by Theophilius Hilton. This building 

survived the fire set by Union troops 

on Friday, May 13, 1864. The silver 

communion service from St. James 

Episcopal Church was hidden in a 

vault dug under the church by 

Fr. J. P. Bellier. 

escape the killing heat and mosquitoes, wealthy 

planters and their families set up vacation 

‘communities’ complete with churches and 

‘academies’ in the piney hills above the river and 

in the heavily-forested hill country along Spring 

Creek. In the town itself work began on a larger 

Catholic church in 1834. Bishop DuBourg of 

New Orleans had visited the town in 1822 and 

preached at the College of Rapides. With his 

encouragement plans were begun to enlarge 

the small chapel built in 1817. The new white, 

wood-frame Church of St. Francis Xavier, built 

by Theophilus Hilton, measured 80 feet in 

length, 36 feet wide with a ceiling height of 

25 feet. It held 38 pews for the roughly 200 or 

so Catholics in the area. The new church was 

one of the few structures that survived a terrible 

fire in 1835 that destroyed a great portion of 

the town. Between 1821 and 1841, eighty two 

Catholic girls from Rapides Parish were enrolled 

at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in 

Grand Couteau. In October 1840 Bishop 

Antoine Blanc assigned a newly ordained priest, 

Fr. Robert Doogan, as the first resident pastor in 

Alexandria. Fr. Doogan extended his ministry 

and established mission stations at Holloway 

Prairie, Plaisance, Calcasieu and at Spring Creek 

where a small colony of Belgian Catholics had 

settled in 1834. In October of 1843 the young 

priest died of bilious fever and was buried in 

the sanctuary of the church. A girls’ school was 

founded in 1856 by a French community of 

religious, the Daughters of the Cross. 

Visiting missionaries and circuit riders served 

the Baptists and Methodists in the area. One of 

these pioneer preachers, Joseph Willis of North 

Carolina, founded Beulah Baptist Church in 

Cheneyville around 1817, Amaible Baptist 

Church near present-day Glenmora in 1828 and 

Spring Hill Baptist Church in 1844. Religious 

arguments over ‘predestination’ and church 

membership split many of these early 

congregations and led to the establishment of 

the First Christian Church of Cheneyville in 

1843. A Methodist church was built in 

Alexandria sometime before 1847 under the 

direction of William Gould and Richmond 

Randle. In 1847 the congregation was 

composed of 40 whites and 52 blacks. Six 

Presbyterians in the area organized in 1844 

under the direction of Bishop Franklin Ford and 

Joseph Weeks. The Episcopal Bishop of 

Louisiana, Leonidas Polk, visited Alexandria in 

1839. Episcopal priests from Natchitoches 

visited the small Alexandria congregation 

periodically beginning in 1842. In 1845 a 

parochial school was established for girls along 

Bayou Rapides near Cotile. Reverend Elijah 

Below: Fr. Jean Pierre Bellier, a native 

of Rennes, France, and pastor of 

St. Francis Xavier Church in 

Alexandria at the time of the Union 

invasion in 1864. He saved the church 

from destruction by threatening to 

shoot anyone who dared desecrate the 

church. Fr. Bellier went on to serve as 

chaplain and instructor in modern 

languages at the Louisiana Seminary 

of Learning in Pineville until his death 

in 1867. 

C h a p t e r I I ✦ 1 3

Above: Trinity Episcopal Church, near 

Cheneyville. Built in the 1840s and 

consecrated by Bishop Leonidas Polk 

of Louisiana, the antebellum church is 

still used for Sunday services. 

Below: The old Exchange Hotel in 

Alexandria was located on the site of 

the Rapides Bank. 

Guion was the headmaster. The cornerstone for 

the Church of St. James was laid and blessed on 

November 1, 1851, under the direction of the 

first rector, Reverend Amos McCoy. In 1852, the 

Episcopal congregation in Alexandria numbered 

37 whites and 165 blacks. 

In the churches and on the distant, scattered 

plantations, black faces outnumbered the white 

more than two to one. In 1830 the white 

population of the parish was numbered at 

3,113; the black population exceeded 5,300. By 

1840 the disparity in numbers was even greater 


with 3,243 whites counted against 10,511 

slaves. The fear of slave rebellion had always 

hung like a shadow over southern minds and 

hearts since colonial times. In 1837 a small 

attempt at insurrection occurred along Bayou 

Boeuf, south of Alexandria. Led by Lewis 

Cheney, a large number of local slaves ran away 

from their masters and attempted to escaped to 

Mexico through Texas. Cheney turned informer 

adding the claim that the runaways intended to 

murder every white person in their path. Panic 

spread and fanned wild rumors of a slave army 

and a march on New Orleans. Local patrols 

rounded up nine slaves and three free men of 

color and took them in chains to Alexandria 

where they were tried and hanged in August of 

1837. Whites continued to hang suspected 

blacks until local planters finally complained 

and U. S. troops were called into the area. Lewis 

Cheney disappeared from Central Louisiana and 

the owners of the executed slaves were 

compensated for their loss but the memory and 

the fear remained fixed in the collective mind. 

There were other forces that increased the 

insecurity of the planters and kept the region 

from enjoying the prosperity of the cotton 

boom. In 1834 and 1848 caterpillars devastated 

the crops. Flooding in 1844 and 1849 inundated 

the countryside. Alexandria itself sat for 

almost two months in five feet of water. 

A devastating fire destroyed part of the town in 

1853 leaving over 100 people dead. In 1855 

a severe drought dried up the bayous and 

the river preventing the flow of supplies. Salt 

pork, flour, rice and other staples could not be 

had at any price. The crops withered in the 

fields and the planters were forced to slaughter 

their plow oxen to feed their workers. Another 

prolonged drought in 1860 led to similar suffering. 

At the same time, a series of local fires 

destroyed the gins and warehouses of several 

planters in the area. 

Even in the midst of such loses and setbacks 

life on the plantations continued. One popular 

past time was the breeding of racehorses and 

many small tracks were set up around the 

parish to test their abilities. The most famous 

of these antebellum champions was Lecomte— 

a beautiful, chestnut-colored colt given to 

Jefferson Wells by his friend, Ambroise Lecomte 

of Natchitoches Parish. Lecomte made history 

when he raced against Lexington at the Metairie 

Track in New Orleans. Lecomte beat Lexington 

in what was described as “the greatest four 

mile race on record”. The town of Lecompte is 

named after the famous horse; the ‘p’ was 

added to the name by a later sign-painter. 

As the nation began to split apart due to 

sectional strife, Alexandria had grown into a 

town of over 1,400 souls. The population had 

more than doubled since the 1850 census. 

A new brick city hall and a new parish 

 

Bauer and Weil, General 

Merchandise, Front Street, 

Alexandria, 1886. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE 

DELLMON COLLECTION. 

C h a p t e r I I ✦ 1 5

Above: George Mason Graham, 

antebellum planter and owner of 

Tyrone Plantation along Bayou 

Rapides. Hailed as the ‘Father of 

LSU’, General Graham was 

responsible for the establishment of 

the Louisiana Seminary of Learning 

in Pineville and saw to the selection 

of its first superintendent, 

William T. Sherman. 

Right: The original brick and stone 

academy building built by the State of 

Louisiana to house the antebellum 

Louisiana Seminary of Learning in 

Pineville. William T. Sherman served 

as the first superintendent at this site. 

The structure survived the War 

between the States but was lost to fire 

in 1868. 

courthouse had been constructed complete 

with cast iron galleries. The brick and frame 

stores and warehouses along Front Street 

overlooked wharves and docked piled high 

with cotton, corn and other commodities. 

Three branch banks represented New Orleans 

banking houses and three hotels, the largest, 

the three story “Ice House”, offered credit and 

accommodations for the traveler who traveled 

along the river. A steam ferry connected the 

town with the Pineville side of the river where 

the state legislature had erected the Louisiana 

Seminary of Learning, the precursor of 

today’s Louisiana State University, at a cost of 

$100,000. William Tecumsah Sherman was 

chosen as the first superintendent. Despite all 

the difficulties of the ’40s and ’50s, in 1861 

Rapides Parish was a major cotton and sugar 

production center with a total cash value in 

land and slaves of more than nine million 

dollars. The largest landowner in the parish 

was Levi Wilson with total holdings of over 

27,800 acres near Echo and on the north side 

of the river. William Waters held 15,300 

acres northwest of Pineville while Meridith 

Calhoun, the largest slave holder in the parish, 

held 15,000 in and around near present day 

Colfax. Josiah Chambers’ plantation, Oakland, 

the site of present day LSU-A, measured 

9,839 acres. A planter from Rapides Parish, 

Thomas Overton Moore, sat in the governor’s 

chair in Baton Rouge, having defeated another 

Rapides resident, James Madison Wells, in the 

general election. 

The bitterly contested presidential election 

of 1860 split the parish into opposing 

camps. The National Democratic ticket of 

J. C. Breckinridge and Lane was endorsed by 

Governor Moore along with other leading 

political leaders such as Thomas Courtland 

Manning, Robert Hunter, and Lewis Texada. 

More moderate supporters of the Union 

supported John Bell and Edward Everett of 

the newly formed Constitution Party. These 

supporters included General George Mason 

Graham of Tyrone Plantation, Leroy Stafford 

and Thomas Jefferson Wells. Some, like 

Michael Ryan and Meridith Calhoun, supported 

the regular Democratic ticket headed by 

Stephen Douglas. Abraham Lincoln and the 

Republican slate did not appear on the 

ballot in Rapides Parish at all. After torch 

light parades, endless speeches and countless 

barbecues, Breckinridge and Lane carried 

the parish and the state to no avail. Abraham 

Lincoln was elected the sixteenth president 

on November 19, 1860. In December, 

Governor Moore asked a special assembly of 

the state legislature to convene a convention 

to discuss the possibility of secession. Thomas, 

Manning, and Lewis Texada represented 

the parish and voted for the ordinance of 

secession together with 117 other delegates on 

January 26, 1861. 

Below: Confederate General Leroy 

Stafford of Greenwood Plantation 

along Bayou Boeuf, former Sheriff of 

Rapides Parish, was killed at the 

Battle of the Wilderness on 

May 5, 1864. 


STAFFORD COLLECTION. 


C H A P T E R 

I I I 

WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION 

After the formation of the Confederate States of America and the attack on Fort Sumter in April 

of 1861, companies began to form in Rapides Parish as they did throughout the South. President 

Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers led to a similar request from President Davis calling on the men 

of the South to repel the ‘invaders’. Rapides Parish was required to form 3 companies. So many 

volunteered that 12 companies were eventually formed with an additional 2 cavalry companies. The 

parish police jury voted to supply all the uniforms and equipment needed for its volunteers 

who took such names as the ‘Moore Guards’, the ‘Rapides Invincibles’, the ‘Cheneyville Rifles’, the 

‘Stafford Guards’. These units saw service in the eastern theatre, far from home, in the Army of 

Northern Virginia under the command of Lee and Jackson. Leroy Stafford of Cheneyville would rise 

to the rank of General before his death in the Wilderness on May 5, 1864. Other units, the 

‘Alexandria Rifles’, the ‘Annacoco Rangers’, the ‘Pinewood Sharp Shooters’, the ‘Rapides Rangers’, 

the ‘Rapides Tigers’, the ‘Red River Rebels‘ and the ‘Westbrook Guards’, served in the west with the 

Army of Tennessee. ‘Benjamin’s Cavalry’, ‘McWater’s Rangers’ and the ‘Rapides Terribles’ served in 

the western department of the Trans-Mississippi. In addition to outfitting the volunteers, the parish 

police jury also voted to assist the families of absent serving soldiers. By 1862 the parish was paying 

out over $60,000 to the wives, widows and children of the volunteer units. 

 

A 1864 engraving of the arrival of 

General N. P. Banks’ Union Army in 

Alexandria in March of 1864. 

C h a p t e r I I I ✦ 1 7

Top: Admiral Porter’s Union Fleet 

anchored at Alexandria in May 

of 1864. 

Above: A portion of Admiral Porter’s 

Union Fleet trapped above the rapids 

at Alexandria, May 1864. 

Despite its distance from the 

front, Central Louisiana was quickly 

effected by the war. The Yankee 

blockade strangled the shipping 

on which the local economy relied 

for supplies. The capture of New 

Orleans and Baton Rouge in the 

spring of 1862 left Alexandria isolated 

and cut off. Coffee and tea became luxury 

items. Substitutes made from burnt turnips or 

roasted acorns became common fare. Wheat 

flour, needles, pins—everything was scare and 

expensive. Dresses and clothes were taken apart 

and turned to last longer while blankets made 

from newspapers replaced those sacrificed for 

cloth. Cotton became worthless as it sat rotting 

on the wharves and in warehouses. After the fall 

of Baton Rouge orders were given for all the cotton 

stored along the Mississippi River to be 

destroyed to keep it from falling into the hands of 

the invaders. ‘Committees of Public Safety’ were 

set up in every town along the Red to prepare for 

the coming assault. Confederate engineers hurried 

to build river defenses in Avoyelles Parish to 

keep the Yankees out of Central Louisiana and 

maintain control of the Red River. In fear of what 

was to come, many families began to move their 

slaves and other possessions west to safety in 

Texas. As 1862 came to a close Union troops 

were at Baton Rouge in the south and opposite 

Vicksburg in the north. Deserters, skulkers and 

draft-dodgers known as ‘jay-hawkers’ banded 

together to raid outlying farms and rob travelers 

along deserted roads. The only troops left to 

oppose them were the few gathered under the 

command of General Kirby-Smith who made his 

headquarters in Shreveport. Alexandria became a 

vital supply depot for the Army Department of 

the Trans-Mississippi whose troops were led in 

the field by General Richard Taylor. 

The Union Army did not come by water in 

the spring of 1863. General Nathaniel P. Banks 

led his army overland, north from Opelousas 

and occupied Alexandria on May 7 without 

a fight. The earthworks at Fort DeRussy near 

Marksville were abandoned and General Taylor 

was forced to move his small army north to 

Natchitoches. Early on the morning of May 8 

Mr. Biossat and the other city leaders of 

Alexandria met with General Banks in an effort 

to save their town from the pillage and destruction 

Banks’ men had inflicted on Franklin and 

New Iberia. Banks responded to their fears by 

stating bluntly, 

Believe it, gentlemen, as if you heard God 

Himself speak it, I will lay waste to your country 

so that you will never organize and maintain 

another army in this department”. 

Time constraints prevented the general from 

carrying out his threat. He was ordered to move 

east to Port Hudson as part of the far-off siege 

of Vicksburg and help the Union regain complete 

control of the Mississippi. Before departing 

from the area Banks seized 3,000 bales of 

cotton for transport south. A small squad of 

twenty-two dismounted cavalry did try to light 

several small fires but they were quickly put out 

and the threat was lifted for a time. 

After the fall of Vicksburg, Union strategy in 

the west centered on gaining ground in Texas. 

The Red River was seen as a natural highway 

and ideal invasion route. The capture of 

Shreveport would mean the complete subjection 

of Louisiana and the dispersal of Confederate 

government. Valuable stores of cotton and other 

supplies could be shipped north to the idle mills 

in New England and President Lincoln could 

bring Louisiana back into the Union making it a 


model for his reconstruction policies. These and 

other considerations were behind the decision 

to launch the Red River Campaign of 1864. 

Troops from Sherman’s command were shifted 

to Banks’ army so that his command would 

number over 40,000 men. A fleet of ironclads 

and steamers was assembled under the command 

of Admiral David Porter. The invading 

force entered Avoyelles Parish at Simmesport on 

March 12, 1864. Fort DeRussy fell on March 14. 

Admiral Porter’s gunboats docked unopposed at 

Alexandria on the morning of the 15th. General 

Banks arrived on the 24th and quickly began to 

restore order. He called for elections to be held 

for an upcoming state constitutional convention 

and encouraged the remaining citizens to take 

a loyalty oath. Many did in order to save their 

personal property from confiscation. Many led 

by James Madison Wells enlisted in the Union 

army together with 150 ‘jayhawkers’. By March 

28 Banks began to move his force north to 

Natchitoches. The length of his column stretched 

for twenty-two miles. 

Waiting for him in the pineywoods north and 

west of Natchitoches was the Confederate army, 

5,000 strong, under Richard Taylor. Anxious to 

get at the Yankees who had invaded his state, 

Taylor launched a savage attack on Banks’ 

column at Mansfield and again at Pleasant Hill. 

Stunned by the assaults Banks ordered a retreat 

to Grand Ecore. There he made the decision 

to fall back to Alexandria. Harassed by 

Confederate troops along his line of retreat 

Banks’ men won the race for Alexandria but 

they were still not out of harm’s way. The Union 

commander set his men to work digging rifle 

pits and embankments along the perimeter of 

the town and surveyed the scene. The river had 

fallen and showed no signs of rising. Only 

three feet of water fell over the rapids; not 

enough for the heavy draft of Porter’s ironclads 

which required at least seven to clear the falls. 

The heavy ships, the pride of the Mississippi 

squadron, represented an investment of over 

two million dollars and could not be abandoned 

to the enemy or wantonly destroyed. As the days 

passed and the river refused to rise, Banks’ situation 

grew desperate. Confederate forces were 

disrupting his communications with Baton 

Rouge and New Orleans effectively sealing off 

the river. The only solution to the problem was 

offered by a staff engineer assigned to General 

Franklin’s command. Joseph Bailey of Wisconsin 

had worked in the logging industry before the 

war and had helped to construct temporary 

dams in shallow water to float vast log piles 

down stream. He believed the same practice 

could be used to raise the water level in the Red 

and save the fleet. With no other solution in 

sight, banks and Porter agreed to let him try. 

Work on the wing dams began 

on April 29. Three thousand men, 

lumberjacks from Maine and former 

slaves, felled trees and tore apart 

wharves and warehouses on both 

sides of the river. Brick, stone and 

scrap metal, including the antiquated 

locomotive from Ralph Smith Smith’s 

railroad, were loaded into huge 

barge-like cribs anchored on both 

sides of the channel. By May 8, provisions 

in the town were running low. 

 

Below: View showing the construction 

of Bailey’s dam which saved Admiral 

Porter’s Federal Fleet and won for 

Bailey the Congressional Medal 

of Honor. 

Bottom, left: Another view of the wing 

dam constructed across the Red River 

by Maine lumbermen and freed slaves 

under the direction of Major Joseph 

Bailey in an effort to save the Federal 

fleet trapped by low water at 

Alexandria during the Red River 

Campaign of May 1864. 

Bottom, right: A twentieth-century 

view of the remains of Bailey’s dam. 

Remnants of the 1864 dam could be 

seen for years during low water. The 

construction of the Red River Lock 

and Dam system has completely 

altered the ebb and flow of the Red 

River obscuring the dam from view. 


Above: A rare 1885 interior of the 

antebellum Catholic Church in 

Alexandria—one of the only buildings 

to escape the fire which destroyed the 

town in May 1864. 

Below: Monsignor Leonard Menard, 

a native of Brittany in France, who 

volunteered as a missionary for 

Louisiana in 1870. Msgr. Menard 

served as pastor of St. Francis Xavier 

Church in Alexandria for thirty-nine 

years from 1883-1912. He was 

responsible for the construction of the 

current brick cathedral and Menard 

High School is named in his honor. 

The army’s supplies were dwindling at an 

alarming rate as the commander tried to feed 

not only his troops but the thousands of former 

slaves who had flocked into the Union lines. 

The dam raised the river high enough for four 

of the gunboats to maneuver to safety over the 

falls before the pressure in the narrowed channel 

caused a break. The remaining boats were 

stripped of their heavy guns as repairs were 

made. By the May 12 the boats had been towed 

over the rapids and the fleet was safe in the 

lower Red. With the fleet safe to maneuver, 

Banks wasted no time in ordering the infantry 

to prepare to continue the retreat south overland 

through the Avoyelles. 

Friday, May 13, began with a clear, bright, 

beautiful morning. The citizens of Alexandria 

were awakened early by the sounds of the 

retreating Union army. Banks had assigned 

A. J. Smith’s men as rearguard on the march and 

rumors began to circulate of plans to burn the 

town. Dr. G. W. Southwick and other townsmen 

were assured by Banks’ adjutant that 500 men 

would be left to guard the town from destruction. 

If Banks did intend to give that order it was 

never carried out. Around 8 a.m. Union troops 

appeared carrying torches and buckets of turpentine 

and camphor. They broke into a store on 

Front Street and told the protesting owner “we 

are preparing the place for Hell”. By 9 a.m. the 

central business district was burning with a 

strong spring wind rapidly spreading the blaze 

across a 22 block area. A Massachusetts volunteer, 

L. Van Alstyne, recorded the scene: 

Cries of fire and alarm were heard on every 

side. I think a hundred fires must have started at 

one time…. There was no such thing as saving 

the buildings. All we could do was help the 

people get over the levee, the only place where 

the heat did not reach and where there was 

nothing to burn. Cows ran bellowing through the 

streets. Chickens flew out from yards and fell 

with their feathers scorched. A dog with its bushy 

tail on fire ran howling through, turning to snap 

at the fire as he ran. There is no use trying to tell 

about the sights I saw and the sounds of distress 

I heard. It cannot be told and could hardly be 

believed…. Crowds of people, men, women, 

children and soldiers, were running with all they 

could carry…. Thousands of people, mostly 

women, children and old men, were wringing 

their hands as they stood by the little piles of 

what was left of their worldly possessions. 

Thieves were everywhere…. By noon the thickly 

settled portion of Alexandria was a smoking ruin. 

Some attempts were made by General Grover’s 

men to stop and fight the fire but it was too little 

too late. In less than three hours the third largest 

town in Louisiana had ceased to be anything 

more than a black layer of carbon. Among the 

ruins was the brick shell of the new town hall 

built just before the war began, a few houses on 

the windward side far from the city center and 

the white-framed walls of St. Francis Xavier 

Church. Fr. Jean Pierre Bellier had seen the soldiers 

passing through the streets and had heard 

the rumors that the town was to be fired. An old 

soldier himself, the priest loaded a brace of pistols 

and waited on the front steps daring any soldier 

to desecrate the church. The church was 

spared; the convent school was not. Under the 

rectory, Fr. Bellier had dug a vault to safeguard 

not only the sacred vessels of his church but also 

the silver communion service from St. James 

Episcopal Church. As Banks’ men marched south 

the last of Porter’s steamers pulled away from 

shore leaving behind the wives and children of 

the men who had volunteered to serve with the 

Union army as well as some prominent citizens 

who had supported the invaders and helped with 

Banks’ elections. Also left behind were the thousands 

of blacks who were promised transport to 

freedom downriver. Admiral Porter later recalled 

seeing these “poor wretches…down in despair 


upon the river bank where they had conveyed 

their all to escape the conflagration.” 

The devastation was complete. Racked by runaway 

inflation, harassed by jayhawkers, and 

deserters and stripped of their labor force, the 

remaining civilian population tried to survive as 

best they could in a hostile environment. By the 

end of June 1864, many people in the area were 

facing starvation. Eggs were selling for $5 a dozen 

and there was no more meat, sugar, butter or flour 

to be had at any price. In the area around 

Alexandria, Colonel George Guess reported, “Not 

only every vestige of food in the whole country 

has been destroyed but nearly every town and 

house has been burned and they are in the woods 

without food, shelter or clothing. There are 

many…who are actually living on blackberries.” 

While Governor Henry Wakins Allen did all he 

could to relieved the suffering of the citizens of 

Rapides and Avoyelles Parishes sending shipments 

of corn and other supplies there was little 

he could do to offset the losses. Confederate forces 

reoccupied the region and construction began on 

two earth-works, Forts Randolph and Buhlow, on 

the Pineville side of the river but by January of 

1865 morale was low. Desertions, sometimes as 

many of 15 or 30 in a night, sapped the strength 

of the army and the remnants of Kirby-Smith’s 

forces spent more time foraging and policing the 

area than confronting the enemy. After Lee’s surrender 

in April, the remaining forces in Louisiana 

melted away and on May 20 the Confederate flag 

was lowered over Shreveport. The last regular 

Confederate infantry unit to furl its colors and 

stack arms, the 18th Louisiana Infantry, did so on 

June 9 after parading for the last time down Front 

Street in Natchitoches. 

In January of 1866 a reporter for the New 

Orleans Times described the scene in Rapides 

Parish. Alexandria still showed the ‘horrors of 

war’. “The people are coming out of the blackened 

heaps”, the reporter noted, “Several store 

rooms have gone up and now have their full 

stores…. Pineville is again doing a good trade.” 

But the reporter also noted another spectacle of 

the times, “three miles out in the piney woods, 

the space is occupied by three full regiments of 

negro soldiers.” In 1866 Louisiana was no 

longer a sovereign state; it was a conquered 

province. U. S. army troops were garrisoned 

throughout the South. For a time the garrison in 

Alexandria was under the command of George 

Armstrong Custer whose headquarters were in 

the old Flint Plantation. Those who had held 

 

Clockwise, starting from the top, left: 

Confederate Monument on 

Alexandria’s City Hall Square, 

the 1920s. 

Private Herbert Bennett of the 

Confederate States Army, the son of 

Ezra and Sarah Bennett of Bayou 

Boeuf, was one of the last casualties of 

the War between the States. He was 

killed in June of 1865 when a cannon 

exploded during a routine drill at 

Fort Randolph on the Red River 

opposite Alexandria. 

St. James Episcopal Church, built in 

the 1870s to replace the chapel lost in 

the fire of 1864, on Second Street 

between Fulton and Winn Streets. 

The interior of the old St. James 

Episcopal Church, c. 1920. 


Above: A turn-of-the-century 

storefront, Alexandria, c. the 1890s. 

Below: A 1885 view of Alexandria’s 

Front Street before the coming of 

the railroad. 

office under the Confederate government or 

had borne arms were suspect. Antebellum leaders 

like Henry Boyce and George Mason 

Graham were denied admittance after their 

election to the U.S. Congress. In time they 

would be denied the right to vote. 

Resentment, bitterness and fear simmered 

alongside hunger, poverty and 

destitution. Spring flooding in 1866 

ruined the crops and the hopes of everyone 

in the region along the Red River. 

Tensions flared and erupted into rage 

when white planters who could not 

afford to pay hired black laborers saw 

the remnants of their crops seized by 

Freedman’s Bureau workers in order to 

pay due wages to the freedmen. Governor 

James Madison Wells, a Unionist from 

Rapides Parish, added fuel to the fires 

when he called for the complete disenfranchisement 

of former Confederates. 

These men banded together in societies 

like the Knights of the White Camillia 

and other organizations dedicated to 

restoring ‘white rule’. In Rapides Parish 

over 300 men pledged themselves to that 

end and picketed the homes of ‘carpetbaggers’ 

and Republicans. Officials of the 

Freedmen’s Bureau were harassed, beaten 

and killed. Agitation and intimidation drove 

many of the freedmen away from their former 

homes leaving only about half of the former 

labor force in place. A violent outbreak of yellow 

fever in 1867 crushed hopes as well as 

lives. When freed blacks tried to 

vote in Alexandria in 1868 they 

were met with armed resistance. 

Violence throughout the South 

led many in the North to call for 

a stricter Reconstruction policy. 

In the elections of 1867 a 

Republican dominated legislature 

in Louisiana adopted a new 

state constitution and in 1869 

created a new civil parish from 

land formerly belonging to 

Rapides Parish and Natchitoches 

Parish. The new parish was 

named in honor of the new 

Republican president, U. S. 

Grant and the new parish seat 

was christened Colfax after 

Schyuler Colfax, the new vice 

president. Freed blacks held 

every position of responsibility 

in the new parish. 


In 1870 the population of Alexandria stood at 

1,218; the parish population had fallen to 

18,015. The total cash value of its farms totaled 

just over $1.5 million; far below its antebellum 

worth. The Louisiana State Institute for Learning 

in Pineville burned and the college was relocated 

to new quarters in Baton Rouge. A new brick 

courthouse was finished in 

Alexandria in 1873 at a cost 

of $19,000 alongside new 

Methodist and Episcopal 

churches. A Jewish synagogue 

was built in 1871. 

Despite these improvements 

there was little capital to 

work with and the town’s 

progress was hampered by 

flooding and crop reverses. 

There were no banks, no 

local industry. The muddy 

unpaved streets were not 

drained and livestock 

roamed freely through the 

town. Former Confederate 

soldiers like George Washington Bolton, originally 

from Union Parish, and Isaac Rosenthal 

migrated to the area in the hopes of making a 

living through trade. As products began to flow 

upriver from New Orleans and Baton Rouge. In 

1888, George Bolton chartered the Rapides 

Bank and Trust Company. 

 


Prominent Confederate veterans, 

Alexandria, 1921. Left to right, top 

row: Isaac Miller, R. G. Maddox and 

Jonas Rosenthal. Bottom row: W. D. 

Hynson and Judge Wilmer Blackman. 

George Washington Bolton, 

Confederate veteran, merchant and 

president of the Rapides Bank and 

Trust Company. 

George Washington Bolton built a 

store in Pineville after the war. He 

later moved his store to Alexandria 

and eventually established the Rapides 

Bank and Trust Company. 

The Rapides Bank and Trust 

Company. The core of the historic 

structure now houses the Alexandria 

Art Museum. 


C H A P T E R 

I V 

NEW BEGINNINGS 

 

Laying of the cornerstone for the new 

city hall, c. 1910. 


ELLIS TWILLEY COLLECTION. 

By 1875, Rapides Parish began to slowly recover from the ravages of the war. Rebuilding efforts 

increased and the town again became a center for commerce between Shreveport and New Orleans. 

Real tangible progress was made when the Texas and Pacific Railroad bought the property of the old 

Ralph Smith Smith railroad and established a terminal in Alexandria. In 1882 the T & P Railroad 

opened traffic on a new line linking Shreveport to New Orleans. New lines linking Alexandria to 

Lake Charles, ‘the Watkins road’ (1887), and to Monroe, the Missouri Pacific’s ‘Iron Mountain Road’ 

(1890), made the town a major hub for railroad transport in the state. A railroad roundhouse on 

Second Avenue was completed in 1898. The coming of the railroads marked the beginning of 

the timber boom in Central Louisiana. Julius Levin, a German immigrant who had served in the 

Confederate Army was one of the first to expand his small lumber yard into a major operation after 

the coming of the T & P, marketing over a million feet of finished lumber per month. By 1891 the 

Levin Lumber Company was processing a hundred thousand board feet a day for markets in Texas, 

Oklahoma and the Midwest. 


Opposite, clockwise, starting from 

the top, left: 

Log trains at the turn of the century. 

“Men as tough as their ax-handles,” 

Louisiana loggers at the turn of 

the century. 

The dedication of the railroad 

roundhouse platform at Alexandria. 

“Stripping the forests bare” Lumber 

operations at the turn of the century. 

Long-leaf pines set against the sky are 

a reminder of the miles of virgin forest 

logged and milled in Rapides Parish 

at the turn of the century. 


In time other mills sprang up eager to exploit 

the vast stands of long-leaf pine, oak, ash, hickory, 

walnut and cypress stands. Mill towns like 

Woodworth, Long Leaf, Forest Hill, Pollack, and 

Tioga sprang up along the railroads. Men like 

J. Stamps Crowell, Henry Hardtner, Joseph 

Bentley and J. W. Pollack made fortunes from the 

timber trade. Urania, the mill town established 

by Henry Hardtner became one of the first to 

practice the principles of reforestation. He later 

became a major factor in the creation of the 

Louisiana Department of Forestry and served as 

the first chairman of the State Commission for 

the Conservation of Natural Resources. Joseph 

Bentley, a native of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 

and his partner, E. W. Zimmerman came to 

Rapides Parish by way of west Texas. They 

bought an old sawmill located about seventeen 

miles north of Alexandria and named it 

Zimmerman. In time their Enterprise Saw Mill 

grew into one of the largest in the area processing 

over 30,000,000 board feet a year. The timber 

boom and the coming of the railroads provided 

the major economic boosts that helped to 

lift the local economy out of the malaise left from 

the war and reconstruction. In 1899 Alexandria 

C h a p t e r I V ✦ 2 5

Above: Compromise Sugar Mill, 

c. 1906. 

Bottom, left: Joseph Bentley, the 

lumber baron and builder of the 

grand hotel that bears his name. 

adopted a new city charter and a new civil 

government. Improvements were made in the 

establishment of a professional police force 

under the direction of H. R. Roberts after 

the 1897 murder of constable Welch Baillio by 

Joseph Timberlake. By the end of the nineteenth 

century, Alexandria’s population had grown to 

2,800 and there were encouraging signs of 

progress to be seen in all directions. An 

iron bridge spanning the Red River linked 

Alexandria and Pineville in 1900. The future 

seemed very bright for what Edgar McCormick, 

Bottom, right: Hotel Bentley, c. 1920s. 


the editor of the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, 

called ‘The Future Great City’ of Alexandria. 

From 1901 to 1907 the population of 

Alexandria tripled in size welcoming immigrants 

from Hungary, Lebanon and Italy. The 

town itself grew into a more modern urban 

environment—a city with six miles of electric 

trolley lines, three and a half miles of brick and 

gravel paved streets and twenty miles of brick 

and concrete sidewalks. Running water was 

introduced on March 27, 1895, and electric 

street lamps began to shine on April 2 of that 

same year. The Alexandria Telephone Company 

was in operation by June of 1895 urging its 

customers “Don’t shout; just talk”. By 1904 a 

nine mile, $30,000 sewage system designed by 

city engineer, Ira Wallace Sylvester, was in 

operation and drainage canals dug at a cost of 

$63,000 helped to drain the town. Gracious 

homes decorated in ‘Queen Ann style’ were all 

 

Above: A 1910 view of downtown 

Alexandria looking north west from 

the river. 

Bottom, left: Early headquarters for 

the Alexandria Daily Town Talk. 

The local daily was first published on 

March 17, 1883. 


JOE DELLMON COLLECTION. 

Bottom, right: Trolley car of the old 

Alexandria Electric Railroad Line, 

c. 1907. 

C h a p t e r I V ✦ 2 7

Clockwise, starting from the top: 

Cotton bales loaded for shipping 

passing Alexandria’s antebellum brick 

city hall around 1900. The roof and 

spire of the old City Market can be 

seen to the left of the building. 

Cotton fields at harvest time. 

The steampackets of the Red River line 

up at the wharves in New Orleans. 

A postcard view of one of the last 

steamboats on the Red River. Regular 

steamboat service on the river ended 

in 1906. 

Cotton compress, Alexandria, c. 1900. 


the rage including the Cook House on the corner 

of Florence and Monroe Streets. Large homes 

columned in ‘classical revival’ style nestled on 

broad tree-shaded lots lined Bolton Avenue 

which became a show place for the city. A new 

brick and stone Episcopal church anchored the 

southern end of Bolton Avenue in 1925. 

Levee work continued after the Red River 

overflowed in June of 1886 after over 28 inches 

of rain fell in two days. Another terrible flood 

in June of 1892 led to greater efforts at food 

control. Congressman Newton Blanchard, who 

later served as governor of the state, obtained 

funds for improving the Red River levee system. 

 

Above: High water in the streets of 

Boyce, 1908; a way of life before the 

levee improvements of the 1930s. 

Below: A train plowing through 

high water. 

C h a p t e r I V ✦ 2 9


Cook House, placed on the National 

Register of Historic Places, is one of 

the area’s finest examples of Queen 

Anne Victorian architecture. 


Mrs. Cora Hixson, Mrs. Edith 

Hixson, and Mrs. Annie Hixson 

riding along Fourth Street in 


Homestead Plantation, 1904. 

The Jackson family, Lecompte, 

c. 1910. 



Shiloh Baptist Church in downtown 

Alexandria, c. 1910. 

The iconic clock tower of St. Francis 

Xavier Cathedral (1895) in downtown 

Alexandria was once the tallest 

structure on the river at its completion 

in 1907. Its three large bells continue 

to mark the hours and half hours of 

the passing day. 


A view of St. Francis Xavier Church 

on Fourth Street, downtown 

Alexandria, before the addition of the 

belltower in 1907. 

St. James Catholic School was 

established as part of St. James 

Catholic Church in Alexandria. 

This photograph showing students 

with a Sister of Divine Providence 

dates from around 1919. 

Reverend Duncan and Rollo Jarreau 

shown with the children’s choir of 

St. James Episcopal Church, Second 

Street, Alexandria, c. 1900. 

St. Peter’s Catholic Church and the 

Michael Paul cemetery in Elmer 

around 1911. 

C h a p t e r I V ✦ 3 1


The old Rapides Parish courthouse 

built after the Civil War. The building 

was later used as a jail and firehouse 

before it was torn down in the 1920s. 

Alexandria’s turn of the century 

Parish Jail. 

1907 view of Alexandria’s antebellum 

brick city hall, finished in 1860, which 

survived the fire set by Union troops 

on May 13, 1864. 

A professional fire department was established in 

1907 under Ralph Neff and W. H. McCracken to 

replace the volunteer fire fighters who had 

served the town since reconstruction. In 1907 

the Alexandria White Sox defeated the world 

champion Chicago White Sox in an exhibition 

game by a score of 1 to 0. New construction 

marked the new era in brick and mortar. 

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, a neo-Gothic brick 

church finished with a High Victorian interior, 

was finished in 1898 after three years of 

construction. Its clock tower was finished in 

1907. A beautiful domed and pillared Jewish 

temple for the Gelimuth Chassodim congregation 

was erected on the corner of Fisk and 

Fourth Streets. in 1908 at a cost of $30,000. A 

huge neoclassical parish courthouse was built 

overlooking the river on Second Street in 1908. 

Joseph Bentley, the great lumberman, dissatisfied 

with the service at the old Rapides Hotel built 

the ‘Biltmore on the bayou’, the Hotel Bentley 

which opened for business on August 10, 1908. 

With 175 rooms, 125 with private baths, the 

Bentley reigned as the largest and best hotel 

north of New Orleans. A brick and stone public 

library was built on the site of the old city center 

and opened in 1907 with help from the 


Andrew Carnegie Foundation. In 1910 the 

Catholic Diocese of Alexandria was established 

and the see city was transferred from 

Natchitoches on August 6, 1910. Bishop 

Cornelius Van de Ven served as the first Bishop 

of Alexandria until his death in 1936. In June of 

1910 Ira W. Sylvester became the first civic official 

to move into his office at the new city hall 

opposite the Bentley Hotel. In 1910 the city’s 

population reached 11,213 and in 1914 State 

Representative McClanahan pushed to move the 

state capital to Alexandria. 

On the Pineville side of the river the foundations 

of Louisiana College, a private Baptist 

institution, were laid in 1903. Nineteen male 

students and three faculty members began the 

first semester on October 3, 1906, under the 

direction of W. E. Taylor. The state, seeking 

to expand its health care facilities, began 

construction on a new hospital for the mentally 

ill which opened on January 6, 1906. Camp 

Stafford was built, on lands formerly belonging 

to the old Louisiana Institute of Learning, for 

the annual encampment of the Louisiana 

 

Above: Nick Velotta Grocery, Rapides 

Avenue, c. 1900. 

Below: Barron’s Store, Pineville, 

c. the 1890s. 

C h a p t e r I V ✦ 3 3

Above: Cheneyville, c. 1902. 

Right: Old Town Square, Alexandria, 

c. 1901. 

Below: Old Rapides Parish 

Courthouse which stood along the 

river at Main and Lee Streets. 

National Guard. New immigrants poured into 

the region lured by advertisements of cheap land 

and opportunity. Two hundred Czech families 

bought farms of 40 to 120 acres sight unseen on 

installment. On arrival they found cutover land 

of sandy soil left behind from the extensive 

logging operations. undeterred they built two 

communities at Libuse and Kolin producing 

strawberries, peanuts, and other vegetables in 

their large truck gardens. Their carpentry skills 

were in demand when the government built 

Camp Beauregard as a training center in 1917 

at the start of World War I. Thirteen hundred 

buildings were built to house 22,243 men. 

Hundreds of recruits died in the camp as 

outbreaks of measles and the Spanish influenza 

reached epidemic proportions before the end of 

the war in 1918. Despite the epidemic almost all 

of Alexandria turned out for the victory parade 

led by the Fifth Infantry band through the streets 

of downtown as the cathedral bells rang out. 


Left: The dedication of Louisiana 

College in Pineville, 1906. 

Below: Opening day of classes at 

Louisiana College, Pineville, 1906. 

C h a p t e r I V ✦ 3 5

C H A P T E R 

GROWING PAINS 

V 

 

A local “Share Our Wealth” parade in 

downtown Alexandria, c. 1931. 

The end of the war brought prohibition and falling cotton prices. In 1919 the Louisiana Baptist 

Convention took over the management of the former Alexandria Sanitarium. In time the Baptist 

Hospital would become Rapides Regional Medical Center. Pine Crest Colony and Training School 

was established in Pineville in 1921 on a thousand acre tract for the training of the mentally 

retarded. Roy O. Martin purchased a small sawmill in 1923 and began to expand his interests even 

as other mills were going under or moving away to new fields. As cotton prices continued to fall 

farmers struggled to diversify. Hill farmers around Glenmora introduced the ‘Glenmora gem’, a 

hybrid strawberry that proved popular. Sweet potatoes were exported to Chicago and other points 

north but resistance to change and lack of capital kept many families trapped in the cotton 

economy. A series of terrible cyclones ripped through Pineville in 1923 causing severe damage 

throughout the community. In 1927 the Mississippi overflowed, wreaking havoc and destruction 

throughout the state. The Red River crested at an all-time high of 43.65 feet while volunteers, 

prisoners and conscripts led by Mayor John Foisy and Police Chief Don Legg filled sandbags to 

augment the levees. The levees around Alexandria held but they gave way south of the city. South 

Rapides and Avoyelles parishes were covered with six to seven feet of water. A relief camp for those 

escaping the over 425,000 flooded acres was established at Camp Beauregard. 



Huey Long, the constant campaigner, 

launched his race for his second run 

for governor of Louisiana in 

Alexandria in 1928. Here the 

“Kingfish” is seen, in his white linen 

suit, in front of the Hotel Bentley. 

In August 1927, Huey Pierce Long, Jr., a 

native of Winn Parish, kicked off his second 

attempt to secure the governor’s office at a rally 

for 3,000 in the new Bolton High School 

auditorium in Alexandria. Swept to victory by 

his populist platform promising roads and 

textbooks Huey embarked on his political career 

in 1928 using strong-arm tactics to bully 

corporations and legislators alike. The editors of 

the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, a paper Long 

called The Alexandria Bladder, turned against the 

Long machine and joined with others in calling 

for his impeachment. Long rallied supporters 

in central Louisiana at a meeting in the Bolton 

High auditorium on May 11, 1929, where 

he attacked Rollo Jarreau, the Town Talk’s 

outspoken editor. The rally was broken up as 

supporters of both men began to come to blows. 

At a later rally on the steps of the Hotel Bentley 

in 1933, Long was forced from the steps of the 

city hall and pelted with eggs and rotten 

vegetables by a hostile crowd. Infuriated by this 

insult, Long pushed through legislation granting 

him power of city appointments throughout the 

state. Alexandria’s entire administration was 

removed by Long, who threatened to revoke the 

city’s charter. A new police chief was appointed 

in 1935 after which Alexandria was largely 

ignored by the Long administration. 

One Rapides supporter of Huey Long, John 

Overton, defended the governor during his 

impeachment proceedings and eventually won 

election to the U. S. Senate in 1932. During his 

time in the Senate (1932 to 1948), Overton 

served with distinction eventually winning the 

title “the father of modern flood control” for his 

Senator John Overton of Alexandria, 

supporter of Huey Long and the 

father of Modern Flood Control 

Legislation, served in the U.S. Senate 

from 1932 until his death in 1948. 


JOE DELLMON COLLECTION, NORTHWESTERN 

STATE UNIVERSITY. 

The home of Senator John Overton, 

Alexandria attorney and political ally 

of Huey Long. This wonderful 

example of turn of the century, Queen 

Anne suburban architecture was 

destroyed to make way for a parking 

lot. Only the carriage block remains 

to mark the site. 

Flooding in Pineville, 1947. 

C h a p t e r V ✦ 3 7

efforts to improve the levee systems throughout 

the Mississippi River valley. During the early 

1930s, Leo Ortego, a veteran of the First World 

War, worked to develop a hovering aircraft—a 

prototype of today’s helicopter. His machine was 

successful, hovering about 10 to 15 feet above the 

ground, and an early patent was granted to him. 

After the outbreak of the Second World War 

Ortego went to work for the Ryan Aeronautical 

Company in California where he died in 1947. 

Despite Long’s ‘Share Our Wealth’ campaigns, the 

effects of the Great Depression deepened. In 1930 


over 1,200 men were unemployed in Alexandria 

alone. Teachers’ salaries were slashed by thirtyseven 

percent. President Roosevelt’s efforts to 

push recovery by legislation were considered 

suspect by the conservative citizens of central 

Louisiana who feared a ‘socialist revolution’ but 

there was no other relief in sight. The ‘New Deal’ 

meant survival and Rapides Parish supported 

Federal programs like the Public Works 

Administration and the Civilian Conservation 

Corps. The extensive reforestry work accomplished 

by the CCC led to the designation of 

lands known as Kisatchie National Forest. 

Federal dollars were poured into the construction 

of a new parish courthouse on Murray Street 

and a new ‘art deco’ styled post office in 1938. 

 

Opposite, clockwise starting from the 

top, left: 

Leo Ortego, veteran of the First World 

War and aeronautical engineer, shown 

with his prototype of a modern 

helicopter in 1931. 


JOE DELLMON COLLECTION, NORTHWESTERN 

STATE UNIVERSITY. 

The main gate of the former England 

Air Force Base; now England 

Air Park. 

Colonel Dwight Eisenhower, Louisiana 

Maneuvers, 1941. 

Troop parade down Third Street 

during World War II. Troop 

placements in the area camps more 

than tripled the local population 

during the war years. 

Camp Livingston, one of the major 

‘reservations’ or camps built for the 

Army Manuevers of 1940-1941 and 

later utilized as training and 

detention centers during 

World War II. 

Left: City government, Alexandria, 


C h a p t e r V ✦ 3 9

Above: Lecompte High School, one of 

the many brick and stone schools built 

in the parish during the 1920s. 

Right; Cheneyville High School, 

c. 1920. 

Below: A view showing the different 

sections of the Baptist Hospital, now 

Rapides Regional Medical Center, in 

downtown Alexandria. The original 

turn of the century brick hospital can 

be seen to the right of the photograph. 


Above: Lincoln Williams of 

Cheneyville worked for the education 

of freed blacks in the Bayou Boeuf 

area until his death in 1920. 

An integrated school was later named 

in his honor. 

Left: Rapides Parish Schools, 

c. the late 1920s. 

Relief came to the area in 1939 with the 

‘invasion’ of the U. S. Army. The Army General 

Staff chose central Louisiana to be the base of 

operations for the huge training maneuvers 

set for 1940-1941. General Marshall together 

with his staff, which included men like Patton, 

Eisenhower, McArthur and Kissinger, camped 

out in the Bentley Hotel while new camps, 

Livingston, Claiborne and Polk, were set up 

to accommodate over 90,000 men. In 1941 

Alexandria, with its total population numbering 

around 27,000, played host not only to the 

troops but also to over 15,000 family members. 

Rapides Parish became the largest troop training 

center in the South. By the summer of 1941, after 

the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the declaration 

C h a p t e r V ✦ 4 1

Right: A rural baptism scene. 

Below: Catholic school children and 

Sisters of Divine Providence from 

St. Francis Xavier School, pictured on 

the front steps of the Jewish 

Synagogue in downtown 



of war, over 500,000 troops were training in the 

area for the coming invasion of Europe and for 

the conquest of the Pacific. As the troops 

departed for the war zones they were replaced 

by prisoners of war. By June of 1942, Japanese 

prisoners were being interred at Camp 

Livingston. In 1943 German and Italian prisoners 

appeared in the fields as farm laborers. 

police to break up the ensuing riot. On January 

10, 1942, another riot broke out after black soldiers 

were involved in an altercation at the Ritz 

Theater. Military police were swamped by a 

crowd of black troops as they attempted 

to arrest those involved. The riot escalated as 

black civilians and city police joined in the fray. 

In the end over 3,000 people were involved in 

the Lee Street Riot. Vandalism and fighting 

continued through the night but by morning 

the riot had burned itself out. Racial tensions 

continued to mount after black soldiers were 

confined to the camps. On August 16, 1944, 

black troops armed with rifles and carbines 

mutinied and held several white officers as prisoners. 

Later courts-martial found 13 men 

guilty. The racial violence that erupted around 

 

Left: Bishop Charles P. Greco served 

as the Roman Catholic Bishop of the 

Diocese of Alexandria from 1946 

until his retirement in 1977. In 

addition to numerous parishes and 

schools, Bishop Greco was responsible 

for establishing St. Mary’s Training 

School for mentally handicapped 

children, Maryhill Seminary and 

Retreat Center as well as the 

St. Frances Cabrini Hospital 

in Alexandria. 

Below: Alexandria’s religious 

buildings, c. the 1920s. 

Fears and tensions came to a head in the previously 

quiet courthouse town in September 

1941. The town had dealt quietly with issues of 

overcrowding and ballooning inflation brought 

on by the army’s presence but Alexandria was 

unprepared for the social unrest caused by the 

presence of black troops in their segregated city. 

In September 1941 an angry crowd of black soldiers 

gathered at the corner of Eighth and Lee 

Street to protest the eviction of one of their number 

from a local bar. When a white city police 

officer attempted to restore order he was threatened. 

A shot was fired and a black soldier was 

wounded. Tear gas was used by Army military 

C h a p t e r V ✦ 4 3


central Louisiana were not isolated incidents. 

Similar disturbances and riots rocked Army 

installations in both the north and the south. 

The tension had called national attention to the 

injustices suffered by the local black population. 

In that same year, 1944, 17 blacks were 

registered to vote in Rapides Parish—the first to 

be allowed to do so in over twenty years. 

The population of Rapides Parish was roughly 

one-third black in 1945. Private black schools 

had been forced to close during the early days of 

the depression and the segregated public school 

offered little in terms of space or opportunity. In 

1948 Sam Lamotte, a Lecompte man, tried to 

file a school integration suit against the parish in 

an effort to get his daughter out of the all black 

 

Opposite: Alexandria’s public 

buildings, c. the 1920s. 

Above: Pineville institutions, 


C h a p t e r V ✦ 4 5


Opposite: Alexandria’s banking 

institutions, c. the 1920s. 

Left: Alexandria Hotels, c. the 1920s. 

Below: Homes along Third Street, 

Alexandria, c. the 1920s. 

C h a p t e r V ✦ 4 7

Above: Boy Scouts, Troop 12 from 

Calvary Baptist Church, parade along 

Third Street in downtown Alexandria. 

Right: Boy Scouts, Troop 12, 

the oldest Scout troop in Central 

Louisiana, chartered by Calvary 

Baptist Church of Alexandria. 

Below: Calvary Baptist Church, 

Peabody High School and into Alexandria’s 

all-white Bolton High. The Lamotte suit was 

never filed and it would take another twenty 

years before integration was introduced in 

the area. The end of the war found a majority 

of Alexandria’s citizens eager to return to 

their pre-war state. As Frederick Spletstoser 

writes, “In essence, Alexandria epitomized the 

character of its influential citizens. It exuded 

conservatism, and caution was its watchword.” 

Growth continued to change the contour of the 

downtown sanctuary, c. 1942. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE LOUISIANA 

MUSEUM COLLECTION. 


Left: Union Depot, Alexandria, 

c. 1930. 

Below: Alexandria fire department’s 

team of white mules ready for parade 

in 1957. 

C h a p t e r V ✦ 4 9

Top: A view of the 1910 city hall with 

the Hotel Bentley at the heart of 

downtown Alexandria, c. the 1950s. 

Middle: The grand lobby of the Hotel 

Bentley, downtown Alexandria, 

c. 1950. 

Right: Christmas decorations on the 

city hall square, Alexandria, c. 1950. 

land and its people slowly through the ’50s and 

’60s. The construction of roads outside of town 

by the Army Corps of Engineers in 

1943 and 1944 facilitated transportation 

and municipal growth but also 

contributed to the slow decline of 

the downtown district. In 1950 the 

Air Force announced plans to build a 

Tactical Air Command Base around 

the air strip out on the Boyce highway. 

This facility, England Air Base, 

which opened in 1953, grew to house 

over 3,500 military personnel and in 

1972 became the home of the legendary 

‘Flying Tigers’ formation, the 

23rd Tactical Fighter Wing. In 1950, Bishop 

Charles Greco, the 6th Bishop of Alexandria 


Above: An aerial view of downtown 

Alexandria, c. the 1940s. 

Left: Shopping in downtown 

Alexandria on the corner of Fourth 

and Murray Streets, c. 1950. 

C h a p t e r V ✦ 5 1

Above: Alexandria’s iconic city hall 

strung with lights for Christmas, 

c. 1955. 

Below: A 1940s postcard view of the 

Rock Garden in Alexandria’s 

City Park. 

(1946 to 1977), broke ground at the corner of Texas 

and Masonic Drive for a new Catholic hospital dedicated 

in honor of St. Frances Cabrini. A new Jewish 

temple was built and the congregation moved away 

from its 1908 home downtown in 1952. The 

Louisiana Baptist Building on McArthur Drive 

was completed in 1960. First United Methodist 

Church on Jackson Street was completed in 1968. 


C H A P T E R 

V I 

BUILDING THE FUTURE 

In 1963 a group of conservation-minded citizens banded together to save the former Kent 

Plantation House from demolition. Built by Pierre Baillio in 1796 the house had survived the fire 

of 1864 and had passed through a series of owners until it was acquired by the American Legion. 

In order to build a new hall the Legion needed to remove the old house or have it torn down. The 

Friends of Kent House organization secured a new site for the house and had it moved. Over the 

years the house was lovingly restored and other historic outbuildings were added to the complex. 

The result was a living history museum that faithfully preserved the antebellum agricultural reality 

of the area. The Kent Plantation House was added to the National Register on August 5, 1971. In 

1968 Congress allocated $1.58 billion for the funding of the Red River Waterway Project. The last 

steamboat to service Alexandria had left the river in 1906. The construction of five locks and dams 

together with the channeling of the river eased the difficulties of navigation and created a viable 

transportation route from the Mississippi all the way to Shreveport. In 1992 the Alexandria Levee 

Port was opened as part of the ongoing development. In 1980 the route for a new north-south 

interstate system, I-49, was approved and construction began on the project that would link 

Lafayette, Alexandria and Shreveport along a shared corridor. The last portion of the system through 

Alexandria was finally completed in 1996. In 1968 the trade area of a 50-mile radius around 

Alexandria and Pineville included a population of nearly 350,000. That demographic encouraged 

the establishment of new industries in the area like Proctor and Gamble, Dresser, Pineville Kraft and 

DuPont. These new plants created employment opportunities that had not existed since the decline 

of the timber boom. The new economic development together with mechanical improvements 

transformed the agricultural life of the region. Exclusive production of cotton and corn gave way to 

greater diversification in soybeans, wheat, milo and cattle. 

 

Alexandria International Airport. 

C h a p t e r V I ✦ 5 3

Above: Dr. and Mrs. Guy Hicks 

viewing plans for the new First United 

Methodist Church of Alexandria 

in 1965. 

Bottom, left: Louis Berry, a graduate 

of Howard University and the only 

black attorney in Alexandria in the 

1950s, fought for civil rights and 

equality throughout the 1960s. 

Bottom, right: New city hall erected 

opposite the Hotel Bentley under the 

direction of Mayor George Bowden. 

The hall and convention center were 

completed in 1963 and designed by 

the firm of Barron, Heinberg and 

Brocato, architects. 

School construction peaked during the ’60s 

beginning with the construction of the LSU-A 

campus on the grounds of the former Oakland 

Plantation 10 miles south of Alexandria in 1960 

and culminated with the opening of the new 

Alexandria Senior High School in the fall of 

1969. During the ’60s the Alexander Fulton 

Bridge over the Red was completed and a new 

Expressway provided a third link between 

Alexandria and Pineville. Construction began on 

a new civic center, the Rapides Parish Coliseum. 

Tragedy struck when the supports for the large 

domed ceiling gave way in 1964 killing one of 

the workers. The Coliseum was completed and 

has played host to a variety of performers including 

Elvis Presley who appeared in his last full 

concert in Alexandria on March 30, 1977. Under 

Mayor George Bowden, the old city hall was 

torn down and replaced by a new city hall and 

convention center designed by the firm of 

Barron, Heinburg and Brocato in 1963. The 

demographics of the city shifted after the 

destruction of the old city hall and many historic 

structures were shuttered and eventually lost as 

the commercial district moved out of downtown 

and into the suburbs. A new suburban mall was 

built at a cost of $15,000,000 on the site of a 

former pecan orchard on Masonic Drive and 

opened for business on August 1, 1973. 

Greater changes came and altered the local 

landscape after the passing of the Civil Rights 

Act. The battle for school integration was led by 

Louis Berry, a Howard University trained attorney 

and the city’s only black lawyer, who filed 

the initial 1961 suit on behalf of Virgie Lee 

Valley that eventually led to Judge Nauman 

Scott’s August 10, 1970 desegregation order 

mandating the integration of all public schools 

and school bus systems. In order to achieve a 

completely integrated school system in the 

parish forced busing necessitated the closing of 

many small outlying schools. The loss of these 

community centers in places like Forest Hill 

and Cheneyville caused great animosity and 

resentment. The new system allowed for the 

creation of a new magnet school, housed at 

Peabody High School, in 1975. The integration 

mandate would remain in place for decades, 

until 2006, as the system struggled to adjust. 

The parish itself faced the same long struggle 

to shake off vestiges of past injustice. Rapides 

Parish would not elect a black judge until 1992. 


Above: A view of downtown 

Alexandria. The old Rapides Parish 

Courthouse can be seen in the center 

of the photograph along the river. 

Left: Alexandria Genealogical Library, 

home of the Louisiana History 

Museum. Originally built as the 

Alexandria Public Library with funds 

from S. S. Bryan and the Carnegie 

Foundation in 1907, the building was 

placed on the National Register of 

Historic Places on January 19, 1989. 

C h a p t e r V I ✦ 5 5

Above: The Coughlin-Saunders 

Performing Arts Center, 

downtown Alexandria. 

Right: Mayor Ned Randolph shown 

being sworn in on the steps of the city 

hall. Mayor Randolph served the city 

as mayor for twenty years; from 1986 

to 2006. 

Below: Arna Bontemp House 

Museum, Alexandria. 

In 1974 the City of Alexandria voted for a 

change in its self-government under a new 

home-rule charter which called for a mayor 

and council to work together. 

This change helped to reign in 

the power of the incumbent 

mayor, John Snyder, whose 

outrageous antics, such as 

filling the municipal swimming 

pools with catfish, were 

fast becoming legend. In 1977 

the Alexandria Art Museum 

opened in the former Rapides 

Bank Building; the first step 

towards the establishment of 

a recognized arts district in 

the downtown area. The Arna 

Bontemp Museum, housed in 

the boyhood home of the 

famous poet of the Harlem 

renaissance, became the first 

African American museum 

in the state in the 1990s. In 

1980 the city’s population 

peaked at 51,565. On 

April 24, 1986, the city 

hosted a regional festival, 

‘Cenlabration’, to highlight 

the culture and diversity 

of the parish. In the 

September of that year, 

Ned Randolph was elected 

to his first term as mayor. 

Eventually serving for 20 

years, Mayor Randolph 

chose not to run for reelection 

in 2006 when he 

was succeeded by Mayor Jacques Roy. During 

those 20 years Mayor Randolph helped the city 

and parish through many difficult transitions 

including the closing of England Air Force 

Base in 1992. The development of the England 

Authority and the construction of a new airport 

facility in 1996 helped to bring hope out of 

a tremendous loss. The dedicated of the 

Alexandria Riverfront Center and the Riverfront 

Park helped to highlight the potential of the 

downtown area. In 2006 the Coughlin Saunders 

Performing Arts Center opened its doors. 

In 2007 Alexandria celebrated its 200th birthday. 

The year was marked with historical symposiums, 

art displays, commemorative cards detailing 

the area’s historical figures and sites, a Civil 

War encampment and a fireworks display over 

the river. In his bicentennial address Mayor Roy 

recalled the ‘infectious’ excitement that sparked 

the city’s growth around 1907 at the celebration 

of the city’s centennial: 

Today we share a similar excitement and 

enthusiasm…the unstoppable growth of our 

city have all coalesced to make us all, once 

again, look to Alexandria as a ‘future great’. We 

are not there yet, and the only way to achieve 

the lofty goals laid out ahead of us is by working 

as a community, inclusively, to build on our 

prior successes. 

If a stranger asks for Alexandria’s defining 

point or memorable mark, we often do not 

know what to say or where to point. In a town 

that has been built and rebuilt as often as ours, 


little material evidence remains to 

point to what we once were. 

Historians with long memories can 

point to what has been lost or 

carelessly destroyed. The little 

domed city hall on its grassy knoll, 

the faded splendor of the old 

Paramount movie palace, the 

majestic homes that once lined 

Bolton Avenue, the streetcar lines 

and the old train station with its 

ancient exotic trees are now only 

pictures on old souvenir post cards. 

For many we are only a stop 

along the I-49 corridor or the place 

of that memorable close call on the 

south traffic circle. Once the hub 

and heart of Louisiana’s railroads, 

Alexandria now stands on the edge 

of a new chapter in her long history—a 

chapter that can be written 

well only if it is based on what has 

passed before. Our story is one of 

struggle and survival. It is the story of black 

slaves yearning to be free and of war-weary veterans 

returning to face poverty, burnt-out homes 

and ruined fields. It is the story of Belgian farmers 

feeding the city with vegetables and flowers 

during the Depression. It is the story of Jewish 

 

Above: The completion of the last 

segments of I-49 through Alexandria 

in the mid 1990s helped to revitalize 

the local economy by linking 

Shreveport with Lafayette. 


Below: The River Oaks Arts Center in 

downtown Alexandria provides 

exhibition and studio space for 

local artists. 

C h a p t e r V I ✦ 5 7

Right: Fresh-laid bricks marking the 

intersection of Jackson and Third 

Streets in downtown Alexandria. 


Bottom, left: The dairy barn on the 

grounds of Central State Hospital 

overlooking Lake Buhlow. 


Bottom, right: Jackson Street Bridge 

spanning the Red River linking 

Alexandria and Pineville. 



merchants and downtown stores, of old churches, 

tower bells and synagogues. It is the story of 

Italians and Czechs finding new life in a strange 

land. It is the story of Syrian and Lebanese families 

sharing a culture and a hope with French 

and Irish, Spanish and German neighbors. 

Alexandria’s story is one of war brides who came 

from England and Germany on the arms of 

young men with strange accents and warm ways. 

It was here that Charles Page and Leo Ortego’s 

tinkerings became part of aviation history. It was 

here that Mark Clark’s famous circus wintered. 

Babe Ruth once played first base at Bringhurst 

Field. Jim Bowie lived here and killed the parish 

sheriff before leaving for Texas and the Alamo. 

Earl Long died here after a long and turbulent 

political career. Danny Kay partied at Herbie K’s. 

Eisenhower, Patton and Henry Kissinger were 

here. It was here that Robert MacGimsey, one of 

the world’s most famous whistlers, recorded the 

vanishing black spirituals for posterity. Elvis 

Presley filled the Rapides Parish Coliseum for 

his last full concert before his death. Rebecca 

Wells described us to literary and cinematic 

fame and Paul Harvey once came to tell ‘the rest’ 

of our story. 

But the rest and perhaps the best is still to be 

written and those who have lived and loved here 

will write it. It will be a southern story; an 

American tale. A story of men and women living 

along a timeless, red-colored river set amidst a 

patchwork sea of cotton and corn. There will be 

colorful, flower-filled springs and long, hot, 

dusty summers. Men will sit and drink strong 

coffee at Lea’s, Shipley’s and the Red Kettle discussing 

politics, the crops and the weather. The 

barbers at the Razor’s Edge will cut hair between 

the hours of ‘if and when’. The D.A.R. and the 

U.D.C., the Rotarians and the Optimists will listen 

to talks over fried chicken lunches with 

green beans and sweet iced tea. There will be 

Junior League Cotillions and Mardi Gras Balls. 

Lights on city hall will appear at Christmas time. 

People will curse under their breath at the South 

Traffic Circle and smile at ‘strangers’ trapped on 

the inside lane. Teenagers will play at life and 

love over B. J.’s Pizza and dream and wonder 

about the world outside. Some will go and some 

will stay but the memories of life here will 

remain. And sometimes people far away will 

wonder if Ethma Odom is still alive; if the water 

tower is still draped in Christmas lights and if 

Holsum Bakery still smells so sweet when you 

drive slowly past on a perfect autumn afternoon. 

 

Above: Water tower of the old Weiss 

and Goldring Department Store in 

downtown Alexandria. 


Left: Mrs. Ethma Odom, long-time 

host of KALB-TV’s Ethma Odom 

Show, with Loretta Young. 

C h a p t e r V I ✦ 5 9

Right: Native irises mark the coming 

of spring. 


Opposite: Sunset over 

Central Louisiana. 



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 R a p i d e s P a r i s h 

SPECIAL 

THANKS TO 

Doug Young Nursery ........................................................................6 2 

Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana 

and Mount Olivet Chapel and Cemetery ........................................6 5 

Cleco Corporation ...........................................................................6 6 

Snell’s Orthotics and Prosthetics .......................................................6 8 

Pentecostals of Alexandria ...............................................................7 0 

UTLX Manufacturing, LLC ...............................................................7 2 

Alexandria VA Medical Center ..........................................................7 4 

Kisatchie National Forest .................................................................7 6 

Renaissance Home for Youth .............................................................7 8 

Alexandria House of Flowers ............................................................7 9 

Flynn Building Specialties, Inc. .........................................................8 0 

Lea’s Lunchroom .............................................................................8 1 

Calvary Baptist Church....................................................................8 2 

Comfort Inn Hotel ...........................................................................8 3 

Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce ............................................8 4 

Loyd Hall Plantation .......................................................................8 5 

Historical Association of Central Louisiana .........................................8 6 

Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital ...................................................8 7 

City of Pineville .............................................................................8 8 

Heart of Louisiana Credit Union .......................................................8 9 

The Port of Alexandria ....................................................................9 0 

S. Holt Construction/Sibal Holt .........................................................9 1 

Leglue Physical Medicine Clinic ........................................................9 2 

E. L. Gremillion and Son, Inc. ..........................................................9 3 

GH Guesthouse 

Inn & Suites 

Alexandria Pawn and 

South Circle 

Jewelry & Loan 

S h a r i n g t h e H e r i t a g e ✦ 6 1

DOUG YOUNG 

NURSERY 

 

Above: Doug’s parents, Robert and 

Edith Young. 

Below: Doug and Marcia Young, 

c. 2009. 

Well-known as “The Liriope Place,” Doug 

Young Nursery is a wholesale grower offering 

a complete selection of ornamental plant 

materials with an emphasis on ground covers. 

Seasonal color, perennials, ornamental 

shrubbery and small trees are also available. The 

nursery’s primary market is comprised of other 

growers, re-wholesale nurseries, retail nurseries, 

and landscapers. It is also open to the public 

seven days a week. Homeowners are sold to 

on a self-service basis and are encouraged to 

stay as long as they like. Maps of the nursery are 

provided to help them with their purchases. 

Nearly half of the income at the primary nursery 

is from drive-in business. Customers come 

regularly from as far away as Arkansas, Florida, 

Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma. 

Doug Young Nursery, commonly referred to 

as DYN, was founded in April of 1976 by Doug 

and Marcia Young. The couple married in 1965 

and have three children; Bobby, Kevin and 

Samantha. Following college, Doug and Marcia 

worked for the Louisiana Department of Social 

Services, so the nursery actually began as a parttime 

endeavor fulfilling a longing Doug had to 

re-involve himself in the industry. He was raised 

on a thirty acre row-crop nursery, which was 

established in 1942 by his parents, Robert and 

Edith Young. Robert Young Nursery started with 

about thirty acres, but by the time Doug was in 

high school in 1957, the acreage had increased 

to almost 300 acres. In 1978, Marcia quit her 

job and came home to raise the children and see 

to the nursery. Doug once quipped, “What does 

it take to start a small nursery in a production 

area such as Forest Hill? You have it folks! A 

compact tractor and a wife who will work…and, 

of course, an acre or two.” 

Most nurserymen found themselves modifying 

and creating tools to make their work easier. 

During the 1980s, Doug developed the “Butler 

Trailer,” designed by Doug and built by his 

friend Jimmie Butler who owned a local business, 

Butler Fabrication. It is still a vital tool 

used in the nursery business, solely for the 

delivery of nursery plants, both on a local and 

national level. 


Above: Aerial photo of Doug Young 

Nursery, 2008. 

Below: Doug Young family, 2000. 


Above: Robert Young, (second from 

right) with sons (left to right): Don, 

David, Doug and Stanley in 1994. 

Below: Doug Young in Jeep with 

sidekick for sixteen years, Roscoe, 

around 2006. 

Doug continued his job with the State of 

Louisiana before retiring after thirty years and 

two hours as a probation officer in February of 

1997. Doug remained active in the community 

and in his beloved family business until his 

death on December 20, 2009. He was wellregarded 

throughout the industry and especially 

within his family and the community in which 

he lived and worked. He was often characterized 

as “a man with the big heart.” Doug was memorialized 

as not only a successful nurseryman and 

businessman, but as a devoted family man who 

loved work and loved life. One columnist wrote, 

“Doug will be sadly missed by his family and 

friends, and the employees of the DYN companies, 

who knew and appreciated the effort he 

made to reward them for not only their labor, 

but also for their loyalty. He touched the lives of 

so many in the local communities 

and throughout 

the region with his love for 

helping out others.” 

Today, the Young Family 

Nurseries are comprised of 

nearly 400 acres of container-grown 

plants on eight 

properties. The main 145 

plus acre property is located 

in Forest Hill and is 

open to the public year 

around. Upon entering the nursery, the homeowner 

is given a map and a catalog. If a visitor 

has minimal plant knowledge, the nursery tends 

to be a fun experience. For the professional, 

DYN has a complete selection of plant material 

for the wholesale nursery trade. 

In 2005, Doug wrote of the unique history of 

the Nursery over the past thirty years, “Until the 

death of the oil industry in 1983, eighty percent 

of our market was Greater Houston. In the 

1980s we also lost a crippling amount in East 

Texas to bankruptcies and bad debts. Then the 

arctic blast of Christmas of ’89 nearly finished us 

off. Therefore, the business you see has been 

mostly built since 1990.” The two major Young 

family nursery properties, which are located in 

the Forest Hill area, are the main facility of Doug 

Young Nursery (over 145 acres) and Young 

Hollow Nursery, Inc. (over 180 acres). Other 

properties include The Liriope Factory, Inc. and 

Rio Verde Nursery, which are both eighty acre 

facilities south of Glenmora, The Whaley Place 

Nursery in Forest Hill, Bobby Young Plants in 

Forest Hill, and a growing facility for grasses 

in Costa Rica named Liriope de Costa Rica. 

Another Young family nursery is owned and 

operated by Stanley Young, Doug’s older brother. 

His business, Forest Hill Plant Farm, currently 

has over sixty acres of plants in production. 

Today, the DYN companies have grown from 

a small family farm to a multimillion dollar 

enterprise, which is still owned and managed by 

the Young family. 

Doug was always well-known for his 

dedication to many community and charitable 

organizations. They remain an important 

company legacy today. These organizations 

include, but are not limited to, St. Jude 

Children’s Research Hospital, the Alexandria 

Zoological Park, CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini 

Hospital, and Forest Hill Elementary School. 

For more information about Doug Young 

Nursery and other Young family nurseries, visit 

the companies online at: 

• www.dougyoungnursery.com 

• www.younghollownursery.com 

• www.liriopefactory.com 

• www.rioverdenursery.net 

• www.groupplantsales.com 

• www.bobbyyoungplants.com 

• www.liriopecostarica.com 


EPISCOPAL 

DIOCESE OF 

WESTERN 

LOUISIANA AND 

MOUNT OLIVET 

CHAPEL AND 

CEMETERY 

An unwavering and powerful call to mission has 

remained the historic vision of Mount Olivet 

Chapel, as well as the Episcopal Diocese of Western 

Louisiana, since the chapel was first conceived by a 

group of women from St. James Episcopal Church 

in Alexandria in the mid-nineteenth century. 

The construction of Mount Olivet originally 

began in 1857, purportedly the inspiration of 

the wife of the Reverend Amos D. McCoy, 

rector of St. James Episcopal Church in 

Alexandria. Noted church architect Richard 

Upjohn was its designer, and its construction 

was supervised by Charles Schraeder, a native 

of Germany. 

In 1859, on the eve of the Civil War, the 

newly completed chapel was dedicated by the 

Right Reverend Leonidas Polk, the first 

Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana. Bishop Polk later 

became General Polk, well-known as the 

“Fighting Bishop of the Confederate Army,” and 

died in a skirmish near the end of the war. 

Many Confederate dead were laid to rest in 

the cemetery that grew up around Mount 

Olivet, which functioned as a mission of St. 

James well into the twentieth century. 

In 1972, St. James deeded historic Mount 

Olivet Chapel and parish house to the Diocese 

of Louisiana and as a part of the work involved 

in the division of the diocese in 1979, title to 

the property was transferred to the Episcopal 

Diocese of Western Louisiana. 

In December of 2005, Mount Olivet Chapel 

was in an advanced stage of deterioration and 

ranked by the State of Louisiana as one of its 

most endangered historic sites. During a meeting 

of the Diocesan Council of the Episcopal 

Diocese of Western Louisiana, Bishop D. Bruce 

MacPherson announced that he had received a 

gift of $1 million to fund the restoration and 

renovation of the Mount Olivet Chapel and 

Diocesan House from an anonymous donor. 

Plans to renovate the landmark structure were 

announced in January of 2006 and Bishop 

MacPherson formed a committee to guide the 

highly anticipated restoration. By the end of 

2006 all the interior furnishings of the chapel 

were removed and placed in storage. In the 

spring of 2007 the landscaping around the structure 

was removed to provide access for the contractor. 

In late July work again started when all 

the stained glass windows were removed so that 

they could be restored. In the spring of 2008 the 

project received a boost when Robert Ratcliff of 

Ratcliff Construction agreed to tackle the renovation, 

which was completed in April of 2009. 

Today, the historic wood frame chapel is considered 

one of the finest examples of Carpenter 

Gothic design and architecture to survive the 

Civil War era and sits in an historic cemetery in 

Pineville, Louisiana, and its parish house now 

serves as the Diocesan House of the Episcopal 

Diocese of Western Louisiana. 


CLECO 

CORPORATION 

Bottom, left: When it was built in 

1939, Cleco’s Rea Station was the first 

major generating facility and one of 

the largest natural-gas burning plants 

in the country. 

Bottom, right: Cleco and mutual 

assistance crews gather at the Buhlow 

staging area in Pineville, Louisiana, 

to repair damage sustained from 

Hurricane Gustav in September 2008. 

What began in 1935 as Louisiana Ice & 

Electric Company has become an energy services 

company that provides power to more than 

279,000 Louisiana customers. Though Cleco has 

grown and changed over more than seventy-five 

years, the company’s commitment to its customers 

and communities has remained the same. 

Each decade has brought its own challenges 

to the company. Cleco was able to navigate 

through the economic depression of the 1930s 

to open its first generating plant, Rea Station, 

in 1939. During the early 1940s, employees 

got involved in the war effort by purchasing 

Defense Savings Stamps and War Bonds. 

The company continued to expand as 

demand for electricity increased. Coughlin 

Power Station was completed in 1948. The 

1950s brought more customers and demand 

for electricity and Cleco constructed ninety 

miles of transmission lines to form a 

backbone through the center of its service 

territory. Teche Power Station was added in 

1953. During that decade, Hugh Coughlin, 

then the company’s president, created the 

Coughlin Saunders Foundation as a charitable 

institution with friend Rife Saunders. 

The foundation still serves communities in 

central Louisiana. 

Cleco worked with other investor-owned 

utilities in the 1960s to connect Louisiana to 

the national transmission grid. As the company 

has grown, its focus has always remained on 

its customers. After Hurricane Hilda hit the 

gulf coast in 1964, Cleco helped customers 

in south Louisiana keep food from spoiling 

by allowing them to bring their refrigerators 

to Teche Power Station while crews worked to 

restore power. 

The 1970s proved to be another economically 

challenging decade. As inflation and unemployment 

grew, Cleco employees worked to teach customers 

how to lower their bills by conserving 

electricity. Cleco launched Budget Pay, a levelized 

billing plan that is still offered to customers. 

During the decade of the 1980s, Cleco 

increased its generating capacity by adding a 

second unit to Rodemacher Power Station and 

completing construction of Dolet Hills Power 

Station, the state’s only lignite-fueled generation 

facility. Cleco also completed its largest 

transmission project to date and worked 

diligently to clear the rights of way under and 

around both transmission and distribution 

lines. While improving service and reliability 

during this decade, the company also 

successfully lowered customers’ costs. 

In the 1990s, Cleco became one of the first 

companies in the United States to protect its 

system with the installation of a completely 

electronic relay system. A new customer 

information program allowed customer service 

employees to provide better service both in the 

local offices and over the phone. Both projects 

were completed in 1993. In 1995 a group of 

employees came together to staff Cleco’s twentyfour 

hour call center, allowing customers to do 

business with Cleco at their convenience. 

The first decade of 2000 was the decade 

of hurricanes, starting with Hurricane Lili in 

2002. Back-to-back restoration efforts after 

Katrina and Rita in 2005, and Gustav and Ike 

in 2008 tested employees’ tenacity, and they 

passed with flying colors. Cleco employees won 

national recognition for outstanding storm 

response in the company’s service territory 

following each hurricane. 


Much has changed since 

1935, but some things 

have remained the same. 

Through hurricanes and ice 

storms, expansion and tough 

economic times, the company 

has continued to bring 

its customers safe, reliable 

electric service. 

Cleco’s story is one of 

innovative employees and 

visionary leadership. Cleco 

Corporation is located at 

2030 Donahue Ferry Road in 

Pineville, Louisiana, and on the 

Internet at www.cleco.com. 

 

Above: Cleco’s Brame Energy Center 

is located on a 6,000-acre site in Lena 

near Boyce, Louisiana. It is comprised 

of three power generation units: 

Nesbitt Unit 1, Rodemacher Unit 2 

and Madison Unit 3. 

Left: Cleco President and CEO Mike 

Madison visits the trading floor of the 

New York Stock Exchange before he 

and a group of Cleco employees ring 

The Closing Bell on April 16, 2010. 

Below: In 1986, Cleco opened its 

headquarters in Pineville. 

On the heels of these back-to-back 

hurricanes, Cleco began planning for the 

largest generation project in its history to 

date. To stabilize fuel costs for customers, 

a solid-fuel generating unit that uses 

petroleum coke was constructed at 

Cleco’s Rodemacher Power Station, 

which is now called the Brame Energy 

Center. This new unit can also use biomass 

and this helps prepare the company 

for any future renewable mandates. In 

2009, Cleco began working on a major 

transmission construction project in the 

Acadiana area to help ensure reliability 

for customers in that area and beyond. 


SNELL’S 

ORTHOTICS AND 

PROSTHETICS 

 

Above: Snell’s facility. 

Below: Snell’s formed their “one legged 

baseball team” shown in this 

photograph taken June 17, 1939. 

For over a century, Snell’s Orthotics and 

Prosthetics has been creating the very best in 

orthotics (braces) and prosthetics (artificial 

limbs) for individuals suffering from limb 

weakness, deformity, discomfort brought on by 

disease processes, as well as creating prostheses 

for those with limb loss. Its practice extends 

from conventional prosthetics and orthotics 

to “bionic limbs” and functional electrical 

stimulating foot orthotics. 

Snell’s Orthotics-Prosthetics was established 

first in Memphis in 1911 as Snell’s Limbs and 

Braces, Inc., by the current owner’s grandfather, 

R. W. (Pop) Snell. According to family history, 

Pop was a very colorful character. He started out 

making walking canes as a very young man, 

then working for a medical supply company 

making his rounds on horseback. From his travels, 

he saw a great deal of need for prosthetics 

and orthotics. Having had woodcarving experience 

from a job as a younger 

man, he put those skills to use 

in establishing his prosthetics 

and orthotics business. 

Pop Snell expanded the operation 

to Arkansas, Tennessee, 

Kentucky, Mississippi and 

Louisiana by sending his sons 

to open up new markets. Jim 

(J. D.) Snell, the middle of Pop’s 

three sons, came to Shreveport 

in 1939. He stood six foot eight 

inches and according to a colorful 

retrospective written by 

Charlie Davis, the man who 

served as his company’s office 

manager for forty-nine years, 

“Big Jim” arrived in Shreveport 


with $300 in his pocket. From that start, he 

built a practice that now includes two facilities 

in Shreveport, one in Alexandria and one 

in Monroe. 

Today, J. D.’s son, W. Clint Snell, CPO and 

president, leads the company as a thirdgeneration 

practitioner with forty-two years of 

experience in orthotics and prosthetics. He 

assumed full ownership of the business 

in 1976, and is well-known throughout 

North Louisiana and highly respected in the 

prosthetics and orthotics field for his expertise 

and his commitment to orthotics and 

prosthetics education. He conducts classes at 

colleges and medical schools in Louisiana and 

provides in-service training and lectures on 

orthotics and prosthetics patient management to 

the Louisiana medical community. He maintains 

ongoing patient care in addition to directing the 

management and long-range planning and 

policymaking of Snell’s Orthotics-Prosthetics. 

Clint’s son, Chris Snell, represents the fourth 

generation in the Snell family to work for 

the company. 

Jerry Finley, the manager of the Alexandria 

office from 1956-1991, worked 

directly for Jim Snell in the early days. 

He got his start after a fortuitous 

meeting between his mother-in-law 

and a family friend suggested he 

contact Snell’s partner, D. C. McGraw 

for an interview in Shreveport. He was 

hired, trained, and four years later 

opened the Alexandria office of Snell’s. 

Finley recalls, “When I started polio 

had hit. I would spend days at the 

polio center measuring kids, then half 

the night making braces. The first time 

I went to the Center, the nurse asked me if I 

had been there before. When I told her no, 

she told me to roll up my sleeve and gave me 

the vaccine.” 

Indeed, Snell’s has woven itself into much of 

the historic fabric of America through its 

work in the field. Snell’s has provided orthotics 

and prosthetics for the veterans of World War I 

and II, as well as the Korean, Vietnam, Gulf, 

Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. 

Despite the difficult times of the Great 

Depression, when many patients could not 

afford to pay for prostheses and orthoses and 

no government funding was available, the Snell 

business managed to survive. In 1948 Snell 

developed a process for making leg braces from 

aluminum that was heat treated after shaping, 

with steel bushings at the knee and ankle joints. 

The idea was so revolutionary that it took 

years before the industry was convinced that 

aluminum could be effectively used to create 

lightweight leg braces. 

The polio epidemic of 1951 and 1952 

required 24/7 service from employees to meet 

the tremendously increased need for braces. 

Snell’s rose to the occasion and at the peak of 

the epidemic was supplying the orthotic 

requirements for all of north Louisiana by 

attending clinics throughout the area. 

Today, Snell’s includes 29 employees and its 

home office remains in Shreveport at 1833 Line 

Avenue, 318-424-4167, and a branch office at 

8730 Youree Drive, Building A. The company is 

also located in Alexandria at 1404 Jackson 

Street, 318-443-6391, where Randy Miller, CO 

and manager, has worked since 1979; and in 

Monroe at 211 Hall Street, 318-388-3126. Visit 

Snell’s online at www.snellsoandp.com. 

 

Left: Jerry Finley, who managed the 

Alexandria office from 1956-1991 is 

shown visiting with Randy Miller, who 

manages the office today. 

Below: Snell’s employees at their 

annual Snell’s Stars meeting. The 

meeting is held each spring for the 

purpose of education, team building 

and fellowship among employees. 


PENTECOSTALS 

OF ALEXANDRIA 

 

Above: First Pentecostal Church 

around 1950. 

Bottom right: Bishop G. A. and Vesta 

Mangun in the 1940s. 

What first began as a small congregation nestled 

within the heart of flourishing Alexandria, 

Louisiana, nearly a century ago has grown 

beyond the wildest dreams of its founders. The 

church was originally pastored by Reverend 

L. L. Hall and, in 1933, by Reverend A. T. Morgan 

as the group of seventeen moved throughout the 

city meeting in various gathering places. Later a 

property was purchased at Sixteenth and Day 

Streets, where Reverend Morgan and his family 

utilized the existing house as their parsonage. 

Then affiliated with Pentecostal Church, Inc., 

the visionary congregation began immediately to 

construct a building facing Sixteenth Street. By 

January of 1937 church membership had grown 

to fifty members. 

As the church grew, Reverend Morgan began 

reaching out to the outlying communities and 

under his leadership, the Alexandria church was 

instrumental in establishing Pentecostal churches 

in these communities. 

With the outreach and growth of the church 

came a need for help, which came in the form of 

two young ministers—Reverend A. L. Clanton, 

who was remembered for his musical abilities, 

and Reverend Chester Miliam, who assisted greatly 

in the youth department. Reverend Clanton left 

for a time but eventually returned to fill the role 

of pastor and stayed until 1948. Reverend W. R. 

Pardue served as interim pastor for the couple of 

years that followed Reverend Clanton’s departure. 

By this time, the Alexandria church had become 

affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church. 

Reverend Gerald Archie Mangun, a young 

minister who had preached during a revival in 

March of 1950 was called to pastor the church. 

A native of Plymouth, Indiana, he and his wife 

and young son moved into the old parsonage on 

Sixteenth Street. Brother Mangun was described 

by many as the “fireman” preacher because of his 

quick response to any call of distress day or 

night, while Mrs. Mangun was talented musically 

and an extraordinary help-mate to her husband. 

A tent revival held not long after the Manguns 

arrived saw many people added to the church. 

Sunday school enrollment increased, so a bus 

was purchased to help bring young people to the 

church. Mrs. Mangun quickly took these new 

converts under her care, forming a choir and 

teaching a Sunday school class. 


The “Echoes of Faith” radio broadcast began 

in 1952 and aired each Sunday morning at 

8:00 a.m. The popular program featured a trio 

singing old and new hymns, followed by the 

preaching of Reverend Mangun. Nearly sixty years 

later, in 2011, church services are now streamed 

live via the Internet to a world audience. 

Growth continued and so did the expansion 

of the church. In 1954 a new parsonage was 

built by Reverend G. A. Mangun on Prospect 

Street and made way for the old parsonage to be 

torn down and the property utilized to expand 

the church building. By the late 1950s, the congregation 

had grown to almost 400 people. 

In 1968 a lot on Rapides Avenue was purchased 

and the Greater First Pentecostal Church 

was erected at a cost of over a half million 

dollars. The building included colonial architecture 

and the grand auditorium and balcony 

seated 1,300. 

Reverend G. A. Mangun continued to pastor 

the church until his son; Reverend Anthony 

Mangun began as senior pastor on January 1, 

1981. At the same time a new building was 

completed across the street from the earlier location 

and included room for 3,000 guests. 

During this period of transition and growth the 

Greater First Pentecostal Church officially 

became Pentecostals of Alexandria. 

In 1994, Mrs. Mickey Mangun and the choir 

sang for William Jefferson Clinton’s presidential 

inauguration in Washington, D.C. In March of 

1996, President Clinton joined state and church 

officials for a special visit to attend the church’s 

annual landmark performance of “The Messiah.” 

At the end of the first decade of the twentyfirst 

century, the legacy of Bishop and Mrs. G. A. 

Mangun remains profoundly felt across the area 

and around the world. It is a legacy energized 

today by Pastor Anthony Mangun and Mickey, and 

under their leadership the church continues to 

enjoy unimaginable growth and accomplishments. 

 

Left: Bishop G. A. and Vesta Mangun, 

2000. 

Below: The Pentecostals of Alexandria 

Church, 2010. 


UTLX 

MANUFACTURING, 

LLC 

Built in 2004 as a state-of-the-art tank 

car manufacturing facility, Alexandria’s UTLX 

Manufacturing plant produces cars to ship 

ingredients commonly used in many of today’s 

most popular consumer products. Regarded as 

the most automated inline tank car manufacturing 

facility in the world, UTLX is unique among 

its peers in the industry, designing and manufacturing, 

managing, maintaining and repairing, 

providing and installing interior coatings and 

linings, remarketing and, eventually, recycling 

its cars. 

The plant’s historic roots can be traced a 

century and half before to August 27, 1859, the 

day Colonel Edwin Drake brought in the first 

drilled oil well at Titusville, Pennsylvania. 

In 1869, John D. Rockefeller recognized the 

economies of tank car transportation and 

secured the cars of the Star Tank Line for the 

exclusive use in his petroleum products company. 

By 1878, Standard Oil’s Tank Car Trust had 

acquired 3,000 of the 3,200 cars in existence; 

including a small rail line handling oil shipments 

into Chicago called the Union Tank Line. 

In 1880, Standard’s entire fleet was placed 

under the name Union Tank Line and the cars 

were re-stenciled with reporting marks that are 

still in use today. To sidestep antitrust litigation 

against Standard Oil, Rockefeller had the Union 

Tank Line incorporated and July 14, 1891, is 

acknowledged as the birthday of the Union 

Tank Line Company. 

In 1919, to avoid the inference that it operated 

a railroad line, the company’s name was changed 

to Union Tank Car Company and it became a 

full-fledged builder of tank cars when it purchased 

its tank supplier, Phoenix-Graver, in 1957. 

Union Tank Car cold forms its tank heads. 

Cold forming provides greater dimensions stability 

over hot forming. Union Tank Car owns 

two of the largest presses in the world. The 

Hokkai head press, which is housed at the 

Alexandria facility was built in 1968 stands four 

stories high and has a capacity of 8,000 tons. 

Union Tank Car’s second head press, which 

is housed at its other tank car manufacturing 

plant in Houston, Texas, was built in 1982, by 

Siempelkamp and has a capacity of 10,000 tons. 


Some Union Tank Car built cars are sold, but 

most are leased under a contract that provides for 

periodic maintenance and running repairs, payment 

of state property taxes and administration 

record-keeping. Union Tank Car’s customers— 

chemical and food processing giants of the 

Fortune 500—depend on UTLX facilities and 

people for their tank car support. 

In 2004, Union Tank Car Company embarked 

on its largest project with the construction of the 

UTLX manufacturing plant that would fully 

employ Inline manufacturing processes. Tanks 

are moved to each operation via battery-powered 

carts, mimicking an automotive assembly plant 

with multiple assembly lines that produce a finished 

tank car every sixty-five minutes. The facility 

produced its first tank car in June 2006 and is 

capable of producing seventy cars per week on a 

two shift operation. 

The Alexandria facility is the larger of Union 

Tank Car’s two manufacturing facilities. Everything 

from popular soft drinks or the latest shampoos to 

the dashboards of automobiles probably includes 

ingredients that are shipped in its tank cars. Each 

tank car is designed for the chemical characteristics 

of a specific bulk liquid product. The product’s 

weight dictates the car’s capacity from about 

14,000 gallons for a heavy product like sulfuric 

acid up to 34,000 gallons for liquefied petroleum 

gas so that the total weight of the loaded car is no 

more than 286,000 pounds on the rail. 

Although they look alike, tank cars are very 

specialized; a car for liquefied gas is built of 

thicker steel to contain higher pressures, while 

one for a viscous product that solidifies carries 

heating coils under its insulated steel jacket. 

Even cars built for the same product often are 

equipped with special features and are quite 

different. Some cars are super-insulated, almost 

like thermos bottles on wheels, to keep their 

contents at controlled temperatures for days. 

And, inside and hidden from view, many cars 

are coated to protect their contents from 

contamination from the tank material or vice 

versa. On the outside, tank cars can be painted 

a variety of colors, but most are shiny black and 

are decaled in yellow with Union Tank Car’s 

identifying reporting mark, “UTLX.” 

 

Above: The Alexandria facility as it 

stands today. With the main vessel 

building being 300 feet wide and over 

2,000 feet long, this building can 

house 13 1/2 football fields. 


ALEXANDRIA 

VA MEDICAL 

CENTER 

 

Above: The front gate of the new 

Veteran’s Hospital welcomed veterans 

of Central Louisiana. 

Below: On December 6, 1929, the 

419 bed Veteran’s Hospital opened in 

Pineville, Louisiana. It was a general 

medical and surgical hospital staffed 

with 231 employees and 16 new 

and 21 old buildings valued with 

equipment at $1.87 million. 

For over 150 years the site of the Alexandria 

VA Medical Center has been associated with 

the military history of Louisiana and the 

United States. The Louisiana Legislature of 

1852 provided that “a seminary of learning be 

established in Rapides Parish, within four miles 

of the town of Alexandria, on the north side 

of Red River.” A 438 acre site was chosen 

and approved on March 31, 1853. In 1855 an 

additional eighty acres were purchased. 

William Tecumseh Sherman was selected as 

college president on August 2, 1859 and the 

Louisiana Seminary opened on January 2, 1860. 

On March 7, 1860, the Legislature gave a 

military status to the school, adding “Military 

Academy” to its title, and authorized the 

conferring of the commission of Colonel on 

Sherman and of other commissions on the 

professors. The students were styled as cadets. 

As Sherman foresaw, Lincoln’s election as 

president led to secession, and on March 14, 

1860, a state arsenal was created at the school, 

with Sherman named as superintendent. On 

the night of January 9, 1861, State Troops 

seized the U.S. Army Barracks and Arsenal 

at Baton Rouge and much of the munitions sent 

to Sherman at the Central State Arsenal in 

Alexandria. By strange coincidence these buildings 

at Baton Rouge that were seized were later 

to become the home of the Seminary, now 

Louisiana State University. 

On January 18, 1861, Sherman resigned, 

maintaining his allegiance to the United States 

Constitution. The student body was disbanded 

on April 23, 1863 when General Nathaniel P. 

Banks and his federal troops came down the Red 

River Valley. During the war, the buildings were 

damaged by fire but were repaired in the fall of 

1865 and the school reopened on October 2, 

1865. On October 15, 1869, the main building 

of the school was destroyed by fire and the 

University was lost to Rapides Parish and the 

site near Alexandria began rapidly to return to 

its original condition of “old fields and forest.” 

The ruins stood abandoned until 1904 when 

the General Assembly authorized the sale or 

lease of the historic old site. In June 1905 

General D. T. Stafford of Rapides Parish, 

Adjutant General of the State, 

ordered the Louisiana militia 

(National Guard) into a camp of 

instruction on the old school site 

for two weeks in July and Camp 

Stafford was founded. 

On June 7, 1918, the Federal 

Government was granted the use of 

Camp Stafford for military purposes 

throughout the period of the 

war. It was operated as an Army 

Base Hospital for Camp Beauregard 

until 1919. Control of the hospital 

was then assumed by the U.S. 

Public Health Service and was 

operated as a tuberculosis hospital. 

It was transferred to the Veterans 

Bureau on April 29, 1922. 


The State donated the site to the Federal 

Government as a permanent Veterans Hospital on 

April 17, 1928. On May 1, 1928, the hospital was 

closed for the construction of a 419 bed hospital. 

On January 31, 1930, the new Veteran’s 

Hospital opened as a General Medical and 

Surgical Hospital. Colonel J. Baldwin McComb, 

great nephew of William Tecumseh Sherman, 

was designated as Medical Officer-in-Charge. 

Today, the Alexandria VA Medical Center 

(VAMC) continues its historic service to the 

country as a specialty referral facility providing 

comprehensive acute and extended care on a 

primary and second basis in medicine, surgery, 

and psychiatry for veterans in twenty-three of 

Louisiana’s sixty-four parishes. Ambulatory care 

services, including mental health, are available 

at the medical center and the CBOCs. Extended 

care is provided in the 138 bed Community 

Living Center, which includes a 12 bed 

Alzheimer’s and 4 bed palliative care units. 

Alexandria’s VAMC employs 1,282 staff, 

including 113 physicians and 366 nurses 

(registered and licensed practical nurses) and 

cares for approximately 28,000 Veterans. The 

annual operating budget for the facility is 

$155,403,431 in 2011. 

The Center also serves patients in Community 

Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located in 

Fort Polk, Jennings, Lafayette and Natchitoches, 

Louisiana. The Alexandria VAMC and its CBOCs 

are also very involved in community activities in 

addition to Veteran Service Organization events. 

For more information about the historic 

Alexandria VAMC please visit them online at 

www.alexandria.va.gov. 

 

Above: The Alexandria VA Medical 

Center is on the National Register of 

Historic Places and features beautiful, 

mature grounds as well as buildings in 

the French Colonial architecture style. 

Below: Each year the community 

celebrates and remembers the 

sacrifices of this great nation’s 

Veterans at Veterans Day activities. 


KISATCHIE 

NATIONAL 

FOREST 

Come visit Louisiana’s only national forest. 

Kisatchie National Forest has more than 

604,000 acres spread across seven parishes in 

Louisiana, and divided into five managed units 

called Ranger Districts. Hidden in the bayous 

beneath the bald cypress groves and old growth 

pine lies a world of natural beauty, excitement, 

learning, recreation, resources and wildlife in 

their purest form. 

The name Kisatchie was derived from a tribe 

of Kichai Indians of the Caddoan Confederacy, 

who called themselves “Kitsatchie.” In the late 

1800s virgin forests covered eighty-five percent 

of Louisiana. Not only was most of the land 

in timber, much of it was in pure stands of 

magnificent yellow pine. The quality, volume 

and level terrain represented a lumberman’s 

dream. And they reaped that dream in the short 

span of roughly twenty-five years. 

Those outstanding forests enabled Louisiana 

to lead the nation in lumber production in 

1914 and ranked second for several years. But 

that fast cut-out-and-get-out practice left 

Louisiana a blackened stump-waste just as the 

Great Depression gripped the nation. Devoid of 

resources or hope, few people saw any future 

for Louisiana in timber. 

The Great Depression affected people of 

Louisiana long before the fateful “Black 

Tuesday” of October 29, 1929. The economic 

woes came several years before 1929 when 

the majority of large sawmills started closing 

their doors. The largest sawmill west of the 

Mississippi River, the Gulf Lumber Company, 

cut its last timber in 1927 due to the economic 

ills of the country. 

Fortunately for Louisiana, the Forest Service 

was able to acquire some of the Gulf Lumber 

Company and others lands. But as records of 

the supervisor’s office show, there were 

over seventy-eight large abandoned mills in 

western and north central Louisiana scattered 

throughout twenty-six pine parishes. During its 

first thirty years, the Kisatchie acquired land 

in only five of those parishes: Vernon, Rapides, 

Grant, Natchitoches and Winn. Even at 

bargain offers of less than two dollar per 

acre, the federal government was limited in its 

purchases. The depressed economy was also 

pinching federal budgets and funds were not 

always available. 

Today, bird watching, sightseeing, scenic 

drives, overlooks, wilderness areas and scenic 

rivers and other areas of interest abound throughout 

the forest. There are numerous trails throughout 

the forest that are marked as multiuse trails. 

Distances vary from half mile to nearly thirty 

miles. Most traverse across rolling hill terrain 

with many scenic areas scattered throughout. The 

streams and tributaries are not drinkable, so 

visitors are cautioned to bring plenty of water. 

The Calcasieu, Kisatchie, and Catahoula Districts 

have off-highway vehicle trails. The Kisatchie 

District’s Sandstone Trail is seasonally closed from 

January 1-April 30 of each year for repairs. 

The forest’s outstanding variety of interpretive 

areas includes the Vernon Unit’s Fullerton 

Mill Trail and Ol Sarge Trail in the Calcasieu 

Ranger District; the Butterfly Garden, Iatt Lake 

Observation Pier and Stuart Lake Nature Trail 

in the Catahoula District; and Longleaf Vista 

and Longleaf Vista Interpretive Trail in the 

Kisatchie District. 


The Kisatchie National Forest wildlife program 

involves management of various kinds for 

rare species (endangered, threatened, sensitive 

and conservation species), game species, and 

non-game species. Rare species work is focused 

primarily on the red-cockaded woodpecker 

through annual surveys, habitat work, population 

augmentation and monitoring of populations 

and habitat. Game species across the 

forest include whitetail deer, wild turkey, quail, 

dove, woodcock, squirrel and other species. 

Two National Wildlife Management Preserves 

are located in the forest in the Catahoula/Winn 

and Kisatchie Ranger Districts. Forest Program 

activities include cooperative work with the 

Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries 

and wildlife cooperators (such as the National 

Wild Turkey Federation and Quail Unlimited), 

staffing deer check stations on the wildlife 

preserves, wildlife seedings, prescribed burning 

for wildlife, and monitoring habitat conditions 

and trends. 

Non-Game species and wildlife abound on 

the forest. Salamanders, frogs, turtles, snakes, 

bats, coyotes, foxes, otters and other animals can 

be seen in the forest. Diligent wildlife watchers 

may also catch a glimpse of a Louisiana black 

bear, bobcat, wild boar or even herds of escaped 

horses on the forest. The diversity of upland, 

riparian and aquatic habitats in the forest makes 

it an ideal location to view a wide diversity of 

wildlife across the forest. Program work for 

non-game species includes bird and animal 

surveys, habitat assessments, and cooperative 

work with the State of Louisiana. 

The Kisatchie National Forest is truly a 

premier location for birdwatchers. Well over a 

hundred bird species occupy the forest during 

all seasons of the year. The forest is alive with 

the sights and sounds of birds. Amateur and 

professional birdwatchers can spend many days 

adding to their life list of observed species. 

For more information, visit the Kisatchie 

National Forest online at www.fs.usda.gov. 

 

Sunset in the Kisatchie 

National Forest. 



RENAISSANCE 

HOME FOR 

YOUTH 

In 2010, Renaissance Home for Youth 

included dedicated board members: 

Chairman Robbie LaBorde; Mary 

“Charli” Bravinder, Detective Dwayne 

K. Brevelle, Brad Colwell, Brandi 

Craft, Honorable W. Ross Foote, 

Dr. Raymond Franklin, John Hall, 

Brooks Harris, Corey Lair, Larry 

Spottsville; and Executive Director 

Angela Chustz. 

“We can make a difference” has 

long been the rallying cry of the 

dedicated staff and board members 

of Rapides Parish’s innovative 

Renaissance Home for Youth, a community 

based home for children in 

support of juvenile justice and 

operated by the Board of Directors 

and Advisors of the Community 

Receiving Home, Inc. A nonprofit 

corporation comprised of concerned 

citizens, judges and law enforcement 

officials who donate their 

time, Renaissance operates twentyfour 

hours a day and is opened 365 

days a year. 

The facility, licensed by the 

Louisiana Department of Social 

Services and accredited by the 

American Correctional Association, 

receives youth from Rapides Parish 

on a priority basis and regionally 

on a space available basis with 

daily fees. Funding is provided by a 

Rapides Parish millage as well as tax deductible 

contributions, state per diem and grants. 

Renaissance Home for Youth was originally 

organized in 1972 as a nonprofit corporation to 

provide an alternative to boys and girls who 

deserved a second chance, but were often sentenced 

to adult jails and reform schools. Three 

visionary leaders—Dr. Glenn Bryant, minister; 

Honorable George M. Foote, City of Alexandria 

Judge; and Honorable Guy E. Humphries, Jr., 

9th JDC Judge—joined together to spearhead 

the creation of a unique, community-based 

“receiving home” for youth. The organization’s 

first board of directors included Dr. Sarah 

Frances Anders, Richard Burgess, Reverend R. K. 

Friedrich, Howard Joffrion, Monsignor Frederick 

Lyons, Dr. Ronald Pryer, and John C. Wagnon. 

Robert Tillie retired in 2006 as executive 

director of Renaissance. He began his career at 

Renaissance in September of 1972 and provided 

the leadership that helped develop and sustain 

such a successful community-based facility for 

youth in need. 

Land was secured from the abandoned 

Central Louisiana State Hospital vegetable 

farm, and an old “potato shed” was renovated 

with donated funds and help from civic clubs. 

A grant was approved by the Red River Delta 

and the Louisiana Commission on Law 

Enforcement to open the facility in March of 

1973 with room for twelve boys. 

A capital expansion plan was soon implemented 

to include a renovated secure detention center 

(1976); the first girls’ facility (1977); a juvenile 

detention center/administration complex (1985); 

a shelter care facility, the “Hathorn Center” (1986); 

a one room schoolhouse (2000); a covered basketball 

court (2004); Renaissance Education Center 

(2008); and maintenance building (2010). 

Renaissance provides a wide range of “continuum 

of care” for boys and girls in need of 

protection and correction. Detention is “secure” 

care for juveniles accused of delinquent acts 

until their trial and placement. Shelter Care is a 

safe haven for abused, neglected, runaway and 

“throwaway” kids. Group Home is a long term 

treatment and rehabilitation for children who 

deserve a second chance. Aftercare is a followup 

on each child to keep them on track. 

Today, Renaissance has recorded over 12,000 

client admissions and its focus remains community-based 

for its children. For more information 

about Renaissance Home for Youth, visit 

the facility online at www.renaissancehome.org. 


ALEXANDRIA 

HOUSE OF 

FLOWERS 

Co-owned by Larry and Pat Clark and their 

daughter and son-in-law, Amber and Mike 

Broussard, Alexandria House of Flowers is 

well-known in the area for providing fresh, 

same day delivery for every occasion. The 

store specializes in fresh flowers as well as 

permanent silk arrangements and offers a 

wide variety of plants and balloons, and is 

the only local florist open seven days a week 

with a live person answering phones twentyfour 

hours a day. 

The company’s founder, Peggy Clark, loved 

flowers and grew up in a family with an 

entrepreneurial spirit—her father David was 

the founder of a furniture company and her 

brother was a business owner. Though at the 

time she was a single mother serving as 

a mail carrier for the United States Postal 

Service, Peggy decided to open her first 

flower shop in 1970 and worked the business 

in the afternoons and evenings. She later 

moved the store into a former tavern, where 

its headquarters remain today at 2203 

Rapides Avenue. 

In 1997, Peggy opened her second location 

at 4002 Jackson Street and in 2000 opened 

for business at 3402 Highway 28 East in 

Pineville. Peggy’s brother Larry bought the 

thriving shops in 2007, and Peggy remained 

in close contact with the business until her 

passing on December 20, 2009. 

Today, House of Flowers continues to flourish 

in the area and is located at 2203 Rapides 

Avenue, 4002 Jackson Street in Alexandria, 

3402 Highway 28 East in Pineville, and 

online at www.AlexandriaHouseofFlowers.com. 

Ranked by Teleflora among the top one percent 

of florists in America in 2008 and 2009, the 

shops include sixteen dedicated employees, 

some of whom have been with the shop for 

more than fifteen years, who prepare the 

finest in floral arrangements, which are timely 

delivered among five drivers and three vans. 

House of Flowers remains a generous 

supporter of local charities, schools and 

churches in the area. In 2009, the company 

donated over $18,000 to local charities and 

nonprofit organizations. 


FLYNN BUILDING 

SPECIALTIES, 

INC. 

 

Above: When the company moved to 

the site in the early 1950s, the T.P.A. 

(Travelers Protection Association) 

Hotel was being converted into a 

warehouse after fire had destroyed 

much of the historic 1907 hotel’s 

upper floors. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JOE DELLMON 

COLLECTION, NSU ARCHIVES. 

Below: Flynn Building 

Specialities, 2011. 

Flynn Building Specialities, Inc. was founded 

in 1925 by F. A. (Pop) Flynn, after he moved his 

family from Chicago. As a traveling salesman for 

a large hardware wholesaler, he was given the 

task of calling on lumberyards and hardware 

stores across central and southwest Louisiana. 

Starting his own business in the garage 

behind the family home, which was located 

next to the old Palace Grocery Store on Monroe 

Street, the company moved to Rapides Avenue, 

and then in the early 1950s, they relocated to 

140 Wheelock, its present location. 

After World War II, Flynn and his three 

sons, Frank, Jerry and Sydney, expanded the 

family business by opening a second office in 

Lafayette. Sydney relocated with his family to 

operate the new branch. Upon Flynn’s death, 

the company was separated into two separate 

concerns. Today, Flynn Building Specialties of 

Lafayette is managed by Flynn’s grandsons Tim 

and Kyle Flynn. 

When Frank, passed away, Jerry became 

the business’ owner and manager. He managed 

the company until his retirement at 

age eighty-nine. Jerry enjoys watching any 

LSU sporting event and is an avid fan of 

Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. 

Today, Flynn Building Specialities is 

managed by Jerry’s son, John R. Flynn, 

and grandson, David Flynn (fourth generation). 

The company sells and installs 

Raynor Garage Doors, commercial rolling 

steel doors, toilet partitions and accessories, 

basketball backstops, commercial 

door hardware such as hinges, door locks 

and closers, CECO brand doors and frames, 

and hundreds of related items. 

After the destruction of homes and businesses 

across southwest and western Louisiana by 

Hurricane Rita in 2005, Flynn Building began 

replacing damaged rolling doors at Fort Polk 

Army Base, which grew into a $463,000 project. 

The project eventually culminated in Raynor 

awarding its prestigious “Sales Achievement 

Award” to the company. After successfully 

completing the project at Fort Polk, the company 

supplied products for jobs in Washington, 

D.C. as well as Fort Shafter in Hawaii. 

Flynn Building Specialties has continued its 

steady growth in the construction industry by 

its ability to deal with the ever-changing nature 

of the industry and offering installation on 

many of the items they sell. The unofficial 

motto of the company remains to “treat every 

customer as a friend, and to treat them as you 

would like to be treated, fairly and honestly.” 


LEA’S 

LUNCHROOM 

Lea’s Lunchroom was established in 

Cheneyville, Louisiana, by Lea Johnson in 1928. 

It has been a traditional place to stop not only 

for Louisiana residents but for visitors from 

all over the world. Since moving to Lecompte, 

Louisiana, in 1951, Lea’s has been featured on 

numerous television shows, including the 

Johnny Carson Show, Chef John Folse’s show, in 

magazines, newspapers, and tour guides across 

the United States. 

Lea’s began serving only popcorn and coffee at 

a gas station in Cheneyville with mysterious customers, 

Bonnie and Clyde as occasional guests. 

Lea’s manager for the cafe was a seventeen year old 

red headed girl named Georgie, who Lea married 

in 1939. It was Georgie’s idea to increase the menu 

to include her mother’s pies and dough baked 

hams. Only two or three pies were sold a week. 

Lea’s was a popular place for LSU students to 

stop when hitchhiking from Shreveport to Baton 

Rouge during the Depression. There were many 

times when they did not have money and were 

fed, anyway. Some students spent the night 

when they were too tired to go on. 

Lea’s has never been just a cafe. It is a three 

and four generation tradition to plan a trip 

around stopping for favorite pie, country meals, 

and ham sandwiches, visiting with friends who 

also have the same idea. Friends have reconnected 

who have not seen each other for years. 

Lea’s built Lecompte’s local library after the 

town was named “The Pie Capital of Louisiana” 

by state legislators in 2002. The library, which 

was donated to Rapides Parish, is known as 

the library that pies built and is appropriately 

named the Georgie G. Johnson Library. 

Lea’s has expanded four times over the years, 

but still has the same friendly, country atmosphere 

as 1928, serving local produce and not having a 

menu. When asked what kind of restaurant Lea’s is 

today, you might say it is like eating at your grandmother’s 

house in the south with rice and gravy, 

fresh vegetables, cornbread, fried chicken and, of 

course, eight kinds of pie including lemon, chocolate, 

coconut, banana, peach, cherry, apple, and 

pecan with seasonal dewberry, blackberry, blueberry, 

pumpkin, mincemeat, and sweet potato. 

Lea’s is in the Louisiana Restaurant Hall of 

Fame, so a visit to Louisiana is a must for old 

and new customers alike. 


CALVARY BAPTIST 

CHURCH 

 

Below: Former building at the corner 

of Bolton Avenue and Jackson Street. 

Bottom: The present location at 

5011 Jackson Street. 

Calvary Baptist Church was organized in the 

Rapides Theater building Sunday, February 6, 

1921, with Dr. A. J. Barton as pastor. The church 

met in the theater until June 19 of that same year 

when they moved into a board and canvas building 

they called the “tabernacle” on the corner of 

Jackson Street and Bolton Avenue. It was not 

until April 1925 that the congregation entered 

their first real building located at the same 

site. This would be the home for Calvary for 

sixty-seven years. In February 1982, Calvary 

Baptist Church moved the church to her present 

location at 5011 Jackson Street. 

During her first ninety years Calvary has been 

privileged to have nine pastors: Dr. A. J. Barton 

1921-1924; W. P. Price, 1924-1926; Frederick 

E. Smith, 1926-1928; L. G. Cleverdon, 1929-1930; 

E. E. Colvin, 1930-1937; Charles R. Shirar, 

1938-1951; Troy V. Wheeler, 1951-1970; 

John G. Alley, 1971-1999; and Dr. B. David Brooks, 

1999-present. 

Calvary’s mission is as clear today as when 

the church was first begun: to lead all people to 

become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. 

During the formative years of the church her 

strong character was revealed when Dr. Barton 

personally signed the note for the first piece of 

property the church ever owned. In addition, 

members of the congregation mortgaged their 

own homes to see that the financial needs of the 

church were met. 

Throughout history Calvary Baptist Church 

has been a church of unity. Members have differing 

views on subjects important to the 

church; however, when it “comes down to it,” 

the Calvary family always binds their hearts, 

energy and resources together in unity. 

Calvary has been adventurous in missions 

and in starting new churches. The most recent 

adventure began August 22, 2010, when 

Calvary Woodworth was started. The former 

First Baptist Church, Woodworth, voted to 

merge with Calvary and begin this new work. 

Current pastor, Dr. Brooks, spoke at the 

ninetieth anniversary celebration. He shared 

one word he believed summarized the spirit of 

this great church. His word was “gutsy.” 

“Calvary has been gutsy in her very beginning 

in the theater building. Gutsy in building 

a facility during the 

Great Depression. Gutsy 

in moving the church to 

a brand new location. 

Gutsy in launching a 

Day Care program. Gutsy 

in her daring approach 

to world-wide missions. 

Gutsy in keeping the 

church positioned to 

share the Good News. 

Gutsy in starting a new 

church in Woodworth. 

Gutsy, gutsy, gutsy! Keep 

it up. It honors God 

when we launch out into 

unchartered waters.” 


COMFORT INN 

HOTEL 

Located at 2001 North Bolton Avenue in 

Alexandria, Comfort Inn is among the area’s 

most trusted destinations for travelers to this 

historic Louisiana city. Its ideal location and 

many amenities draw guests to the area to 

visit nearby attractions such as the Alexandria 

Zoological Park, Alexandria African American 

Heritage Memorial Park, Louisiana College, the 

historic Kent Plantation House and Alexandria 

Mall. The Alexandria International Airport is 

only five miles from the hotel. 

Additional area attractions include the 

Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria 

Genealogical Library, Paragon Casino, Procter 

and Gamble and CHRISTUS St. Frances 

Cabrini Hospital. There are a variety of restaurants 

nearby including Applebee’s, Cajun 

Landing, Chili’s, and IHOP. 

Guests of Comfort Inn are invited to enjoy 

its many amenities, including free high-speed 

Internet access in all rooms, free breakfast 

with hot waffles, free local calls, free Wall 

Street Journal, seasonal outdoor pool and an 

exercise room. 

Business travelers will appreciate conveniences 

such as access to fax and copy services, 

and a meeting room that can accommodate up 

to forty people for most events and functions. 

All spacious guest rooms include refrigerators, 

microwaves, irons, ironing boards, hair 

dryers, coffee makers, and free HBO, and ESPN 

1 and 2. Smoking rooms can be requested. 

Whether traveling to Alexandria for business 

or pleasure, the Comfort Inn Hotel is the perfect 

place for any guest. 

For more information about Comfort Inn 

Hotels, visit online at www.comfortinn.com. 


CENTRAL 

LOUISIANA 

CHAMBER OF 

COMMERCE 

Above: October 2008, President Bush 

meets at Chamber office with selected 

area small business representatives. 

Below: Chamber has historically 

emphasized visible celebrations of 

business openings and expansions. 

Founded in 1914, the (now) Central 

Louisiana Chamber of Commerce has from 

inception occupied a position of economic, 

social and political leadership throughout the 

multi-parish region. It immediately cemented its 

active heritage by proposing to relocate the state 

capital from Baton Rouge to Alexandria. Though 

denied, the stage was set for unrelenting visibility, 

to include having provided some of 

Louisiana’s most colorful governors. 

The hallmarks of the region have included 

continuous attention to expansion and improvements 

to the highway, aviation, rail and Red 

River means of transportation. Engagement in 

levels of education, healthcare, agriculture, forest 

products, government and the military 

remain prominent. 

The Chamber led the campaigns to establish a 

large Veteran’s Hospital and permanent National 

Guard facilities in the area and convert a closing 

U.S. Air Force Base to community uses. 

It shone during the historic Mississippi River 

(and tributaries) floods of 1927 via involving 

itself in all areas of humanitarian concerns, 

business protection and recovery and 

maintenance of community functioning. This 

laid the groundwork for continued area postdisaster 

growth and expansion. 

In the 1930s it began the concerted and 

still-continuing efforts to improve commercial 

aviation in Central Louisiana and making 

Louisiana more business-friendly mainly 

through modifying existing laws. 

They have unceasingly taken the initiative to 

broaden the local industrial and commercial base; 

aggressively recruited outside businesses while 

fostering growth and expansion of existing ones; 

financed advanced community capital planning, 

zoning and land use projects; and created and 

supported numerous local development boards. 

The crowning achievement was fostering community 

assumption of the former England Air 

Force Base upon the Base Realignment and 

Closure Commission closure decision. 

The Chamber has been a consistent leader in 

exploring innovative means to further develop 

the current and future workforce of the region to 

accommodate the scope of now and future local 

business needs of all description. The Chamber 

has a historic legacy of “stepping up” when the 

occasion warranted. 

It has achieved occasional national attention 

with development projects such as England, 

the recent $100 million Union Tank Car manufacturing 

facility and the pinnacle event being 

the visit to the Chamber offices by President 

George W. Bush, who held a private “State 

of the Economy” session with several local 

small businesspersons. 

Though the precise emphasis on ever-differing 

community needs has varied widely with 

time and circumstance, the unrelenting overall 

focus of effort has been the strengthening and 

growth of the entire region. 


LOYD HALL 

PLANTATION 

There are many different stories on the 

history of Loyd Hall. After attempting to put 

the pieces together the following seems 

to be perhaps the way Loyd Hall came 

into existence. All of the permanent land 

records were destroyed when Alexandria 

burned to the ground during the Civil War. 

The Wellswood Plantation sits across Bayou 

Boeuf from Loyd Hall. The Wells family was 

from England and knew the Lloyd family who 

owned Lloyds of London, which is a very large 

company even today. William Lloyd was not a 

“team” player and was given a lump sum of 

money to leave England never to return and 

also to change his last name. He made contact 

with the Wells and since their background was 

in law they advised him to drop one 

“L” from his name—hence Loyd Hall. Records 

indicate that the mansion with three story 

construction may have been started by the 

Wells family, may have been sold to Loyd and 

he finished the project along with about two 

dozen slaves purchased from the Wells family. 

The home was first occupied in 1820. 

The home has sixteen inches of solid slavemade 

brick on the outside of the building 

extending forty-two feet in the air. The interior 

walls are twelve inches of solid brick with 

plaster on the walls. The molding in the parlor 

downstairs was added in the 1850s and still is 

so beautiful. The home has eight fireplaces 

and every one is still completely functional and 

used. It was taken over by Union soldiers 

during the Civil War. 

The Fitzgerald family purchased Loyd Hall 

Plantation in the late 1940s and kept it until 

2007 when they sold the mansion and the bed 

and breakfast cottages to Michael and Jennifer 

Jenkins. Currently, there are five outside 

cottages and two large luxury suites for guests. 

Loyd Hall Plantation located in the heart of a 

640 acre working farm surrounded by stately 

oaks, sugar cane and pasture land, it is listed on 

the Historic National Register. The plantation 

provides its visitors with a sense of inspiration 

and appreciation of the timeless charm that 

only the south can bring, making it the place in 

Central Louisiana for weddings. 

For additional information on Loyd Hall to 

include reservations for overnight stays, small 

or large parties or weddings, please visit 

www.loydhall.com or call 318-776-5641. 


HISTORICAL 

ASSOCIATION 

OF CENTRAL 

LOUISIANA 

Right: Bennettville Plantation Store. 

Below: The Historical Association of 

Central Louisiana facilitated the 

rescue of Conerly House, c. 1870. 

The Historical Association of Central Louisiana 

(HACL) was organized in 1975 by Elizabeth 

McLundie Bolton (1918-1987), known as “Peggy” 

to her family and numerous friends. For many 

years Bolton was a civic and cultural leader on the 

local, state, and national levels; she addressed and 

promoted the cultivation and preservation of 

art, architecture, and history in Central Louisiana 

and beyond. Bolton was the first president of 

HACL, followed by a succession of other capable 

leaders: Dr. Philip Tapley, Judge Rae Swent, 

Dr. George Hearn, Dr. St. John “Rudy” Chilton, 

Oberia Price, Michael Jeansonne, and, presently, 

Charles K. Charrier. During its early formative 

years, HACL helped initiate work on a Historic 

Preservation Ordinance for Alexandria and began 

sponsoring tours of historic sites and buildings in 

Central Louisiana. 

Oberia Price (1925-2009) became a powerful 

preservation force in Central Louisiana in 

the 1990s. After her term as HACL president, 

she served as an influential member of 

the HACL Board of Directors, addressing 

preservation and historic issues 

until her death. Price worked tirelessly 

with legislators to establish the Fort 

Randolph Museum and the Fort 

Randolph State Park at the site of the 

historic Civil War Forts Randolph and 

Buhlow in Pineville, Louisiana. 

One of the major objectives of HACL 

over the years was to preserve historic 

sites and properties, beginning with the 

attempts by HACL to preserve the landmark 

Texas and Pacific Railroad Station on 

Jackson Street in Alexandria from the path of 

I-49 in the late 1970s. Although the station was 

not preserved, its significant architectural elements 

were incorporated into the construction of 

the A-Trans Bus Terminal at the foot of Murray 

Street. However, HACL has been successful in 

recent years in advancing the 

preservation of the Bennettville 

Plantation House and Store on 

the old Baton Rouge Highway 

and the Conerly Plantation 

House, which was relocated to 

the corner of Jackson and 

Chester Streets and now serves 

as a physician’s office-complex. 

In addition, HACL assisted in 

the establishment of the Alexandria Garden 

District as a National Register Historic District. 

But HACL’s purposes include much more 

than preservation of historic architecture. HACL 

strives to reach its goals through bringing 

together people interested in encouraging and 

stimulating awareness of Central Louisiana’s 

history and heritage; through providing printed 

information and public programs on local history; 

promoting discovery, collection, and preservation 

of materials which reveal and showcase 

Central Louisiana history; encouraging and 

seeking private and public ownership and 

management of historic properties within 

Central Louisiana, especially those which are 

threatened by destruction or neglect, and the 

restoration of such properties; sponsoring tours 

that promote the tourism-potential of Central 

Louisiana; and cooperating with other groups 

of historical interest in Central Louisiana, 

the State of Louisiana, and the nation. 

In honor of Bolton, HACL holds an annual 

“Peggy Bolton Lecture,” open to the public, to 

help educate the public about the history and 

historical architecture of Central Louisiana. 

HACL occasionally holds its own tours—open 

to the public—of historic homes and properties 

and holds social events at these places in order 

to spotlight them. 

The board of the Historical Association meets 

bimonthly to discuss matters and issues that 

reflect the goals of the organization. HACL memberships 

are renewed yearly, and an annual 

meeting is held every spring, to which members 

are invited. Membership forms and brochures 

may be obtained from the Historical Association 

of Central Louisiana, P. O. Box 1007, Alexandria, 

Louisiana 71309 or by calling 318-448-3952. 


CENTRAL 

LOUISIANA 

SURGICAL 

HOSPITAL 

Providing high quality surgical services within 

an environment that promotes improved 

comfort, safety, and satisfaction to the patients 

and physicians they serve, Central Louisiana 

Surgical Hospital offers outstanding, specialized 

care for patients with specific, noncritical and 

non-emergent surgical admissions. 

The surgical hospital offers procedures for 

specialties including ENT, gastroenterology, 

general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, 

oral surgery, orthopedics, pain management, 

plastic surgery, podiatry and urology. 

In addition to surgical services, Central 

Louisiana Surgical Hospital contains an imaging 

department comprised of MRI, CT, general radiology 

and ultrasound, as well as laboratory, 

pharmacy and dietary services. 

The facility provides a full time staff of registered 

nurses, licensed practical nurses, technicians 

and other ancillary personnel for 

patient care in the perioperative setting. In 

addition, the facility has available necessary 

equipment and trained personnel for handling 

unforeseeable emergencies. 

Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital is welldefined 

by a dedicated framework of principles 

that have guided the company and made it 

among the best and first choices of patients 

across the area. These values also demonstrate 

the basis of decision making to the hospital’s 

employees and customers. They include a commitment 

to excellence and the provision of a 

quality focused and patient-focused environment; 

promoting a coordinated approach to care 

with direct physician involvement and an 

empowered staff; maintaining the highest level 

of personal and professional conduct, and 

always acting in an ethical and honest manner, 

with fairness and consistency in all relationships; 

remaining the leader and standard for 

high quality surgical care by empowering its 

employees and physicians to bring value and 

quality of care to all patients; having the highest 

standards of service and performance, and 

exceeding the expectations of all those with 

whom they work. 

The ultimate goal of the facility is to assist 

patients throughout their stay to a successful 

recovery, by providing a setting and care that is 

a more effective delivery of healthcare. This is 

accomplished by providing a comfortable 

home-like setting, in which a caring professional 

staff works to insure the highest level of 

patient care in a more cost-effective setting. 

Family support and involvement is promoted 

and encourage as well. 

Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital is located 

at 651 North Bolton Avenue in Alexandria and 

online at www.clshospital.com. 


CITY OF 

PINEVILLE 

The City of Pineville is a 

family friendly community 

located in the heart of 

Louisiana. Its unique history 

can still be seen through 

downtown Pineville with 

buildings built before the 

turn of the century and 

cemeteries that date back to 

the 1700s. 

At the same time, newer 

contemporary developments 

show this historic city’s 

tremendous pride in their 

future. Pineville is also 

proud to have been named 

“State’s Cleanest City” by the 

Louisiana Garden Club Federation in 2003, 

2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011. 

In 1906, Louisiana College opened on eightyone 

acres in downtown Pineville. Serving over 

2,000 students, Louisiana College is consistently 

ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of 

“America’s Best Colleges.” 

The city’s landmark locations include Camp 

Beauregard, operated by the Louisiana Army 

National Guard, as well the headquarters 

for the 225th Engineer Brigade, the largest 

Engineer units in the U.S. Army. Pineville 

is also the home of two unique museums 

including the Louisiana Military Maneuvers 

Museum, which offers insight into the huge 

maneuvers that prepared the United States 

for World War II, and the “Old Town Hall 

Museum,” located in the old Pineville City Hall 

and the only museum in Louisiana dedicated 

solely to municipal government. 

Fort Randolph and Buhlow State Historic 

Site is on the Red River in downtown Pineville 

and includes a visitor center with exhibits 

on the Civil War Red River Campaign and 

an elevated boardwalk around the original 

earthen-fort areas. 

Central Louisiana State Hospital, Pinecrest 

Supports and Services Center, Huey P. Long 

Medical Center, and the Veterans Administration 

Medical Center are all located in Pineville. 

The city is also home to several large nongovernment 

employers including CLECO 

(Central Louisiana Electric Company) 

Proctor & Gamble Manufacturing Co., 

Crest Operations LLC, and Dresser 

Industrial Valve, Inc. 

Pineville is also well-known for its 

outstanding outdoor locations, including 

the picturesque Buhlow Lake Recreational 

Area, which includes one of the fastest 

lakes in the world for boat racing. The 

Pineville Ward 9 Sportsplex is located on 

165 acres and is home to World Series 

baseball and softball tournaments, as well 

as statewide soccer and football games. 

For more information about the City of 

Pineville, visit www.pineville.net to find 

a city “Open for Business,” committed 

to economic development and strongly 

committed to the future. 


“Treating members like family” is the 

mission statement that member-owned Heart 

of Louisiana Credit Union is dedicated to by 

improving its member’s lives through excellent 

service, affordable lending rates, competitive 

savings rates, and people who care about their 

needs. The company remains diligent in its 

primary focus of providing each and every 

member with the highest quality, most 

innovative products and trustworthy services 

available in the market today. 

Founded in 1955 as Alexandria USDA 

Federal Credit Union, Fritz Olander, Chief 

Operating Officer of Forestry Service, started 

the credit union out of a desk drawer at the 

Alexandria USDA building. Chief Operating 

Officer of FHA Fritz Spencer deposited the 

first five dollars. Menard Brouillette borrowed 

it, while Sam Curcio, the first paid employee 

of the credit union, enthusiastically motivated 

the initial growth of the credit union by 

encouraging his coworkers to make a loan 

with the credit union instead of using 

their savings. 

Its original field of membership consisted of 

employees of the United States Department of 

Agriculture working in Louisiana under the 

supervision of the USDA offices in Alexandria 

and Pineville. Since that time the credit union 

has taken in additional groups as well as 

being able to offer membership to anyone who 

resides, works, worships, or attends school in 

the parishes of Rapides, Winn, Grant, Allen, 

Natchitoches, LaSalle, Catahoula, Concordia, 

Evangeline, or Avoyelles. 

The name was changed to Heart of Louisiana 

Credit Union in 2007 and merged with St. Rita 

Credit Union in 2008. 

Today, Heart of Louisiana Credit Union 

holds $78 million in assets, employs forty-two 

people and includes over 13,000 members. 

Headquartered at 303 Edgewood Drive in 

Pineville, the credit union also includes two 

locations in Alexandria at 3616 Commerce 

Street and 4407 Coliseum Boulevard. 

For more information about Heart of 

Louisiana Credit Union, the credit union with 

heart, visit them online at www.heartcu.org. 

HEART OF 

LOUISIANA 

CREDIT UNION 

 

Heart of Louisiana Credit Union 

at Pineville. 


THE PORT OF 

ALEXANDRIA 

The Port of Alexandria is located off US I-49 

at Mile 90 on the Red River and provides 

immediate access to Union Pacific and KCS 

Railroads, Interstate 49, U.S. Highways 71,165 

and 167 and Louisiana Highways 1 and 28. 

Alexandria International Airport is located 

approximately three miles away. 

The Alexandria Regional Port was created 

by Act No. 481 of the 1990 regular session of 

the Louisiana Legislature and is governed by a 

board of commissioners consisting of eight 

members who serve for a four-year term. In 

2011, Port Commissioners included Kenneth 

Bonnette, Byron Salazar, Johnie Varnado, Sammy 

Bonnette, Basil Smith, and Norman Welch. 

Members of the Port Staff include Executive 

Director John Marzullo, Administrative Assistant 

Phyllis Jones, Administrative Assistant and 

Warehouseman Randy Humphries. 

The port’s primary cargo is barge-only 

inbound for items such as fertilizer, military 

cargo, aggregates, citric acid, equipment, and 

bio-fuels, while outbound items include 

military cargo, citric acid, and bio-fuels. 

From 2005 to 2010, the port recorded an 

overall annual tonnage of 2.017 million. 

Other port area services include Terral River 

Services Inc., with 3,000 and 5,000 ton 

domes and a 13,000 ton warehouse with a 

conveyor from barge to storage facility; 

Consolidated Energy, with two 2.5 million 

gallon tanks, one 60,000 gallon tank, and a 

truck station; a POL waterfront facility and a 

60,000 square foot warehouse with a 40,000 

ton overhead crane. 


Sibal Holt opened S. Holt Construction on 

January 6, 2006 after retiring as president of 

the Louisiana AFL-CIO. In an effort to reinvent 

herself, she decided to utilize her years of experience 

working closely with the business trades 

and establish herself in construction. After 

passing the contractor’s exam, her first project 

was for Reverend Joe Green in September 2006. 

Reverend Green, Willie Spears, Dr. Velva Boles 

and Sibal wrote a proposal to the state to build 

twenty homes in the lower Third Street area of 

Alexandria. The $3.2 million project was funded 

and S. Holt Construction was able to obtain 

grants of $90,000 for twenty families. The 

homes, initially appraised at $160,000, could 

be purchased for $55,000. At the time, it was 

the only program in the nation for this kind of 

assistance to low income families. 

Early on in the business, Sibal faced her 

fair share of challenges. The primary issue was 

establishing herself as a credible contractor and 

construction manager. However, she rose to 

the challenge so completely that today, S. Holt 

Construction is a commercial construction 

company, contractor licensed, bonded 

and insured. 

The company is located at 1429 Third Street 

and handles large residential projects as well 

as renovations, in which S. Holt Construction 

works with clients to redesign, or rehabilitate, 

their present home or facility. 

In addition to the company’s involvement 

with the Third Street Community Improvements 

Projects, S. Holt Construction is a member of 

the Chamber of Commerce, the Homebuilder 

Association, the Better Business Bureau, and 

the Central Louisiana Business League. The 

company also supports the Arna Bontemps 

African American Museum, Boys and Girls Club, 

United Seek and Save, and the MS Foundation. 

More information is available on the Internet 

at www.sholtconstructionllc.com. 

S. HOLT 

CONSTRUCTION/ 

SIBAL HOLT 

 

The Red River passing under the 

Jackson Street Bridge at Alexandria. 



LEGLUE 

PHYSICAL 

MEDICINE 

CLINIC 

Leglue Physical Medicine Clinic has provided 

wholesome healthcare to the Alexandria 

area since 1998, and offers a variety of 

treatment options including medical acupuncture, 

cosmetic acupuncture and physical 

therapy. The clinic staff provides the highest 

degree of healthcare and is dedicated to the 

“patient first.” 

A graduate of Louisiana State University 

Medical Center-Shreveport, Gerald J. Leglue, 

Jr., MD, L.Ac completed his internship in 

Internal Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in 

New York City. He then moved to California 

and at the University of California, Los Angeles, 

Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital 

completed his residency program in Physical 

Medicine and Rehabilitation. He entered into 

a fellowship trained in adult TBI at Ranchos Los 

Amigos Medical Center in Downy, California, 

an affiliate hospital of the University of 

Southern California. 

In 2008, Dr. Leglue, through The David 

Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, studied 

Medical Acupuncture. In 2009, he traveled to 

Beijing, China to become skilled in Cosmetic 

Acupuncture & Weight Loss. 

Alfonso Betonio, P.T. graduated with a B.S. 

in Biology from Velez College, Philippines. 

He completed his studies at Southwestern 

University, Philippines, with a B.S. in Physical 

Therapy. Al has been part of Dr. Leglue’s team 

since the clinic opened in 1998. 

Stephen M. Maks, ACA, RN, a retired United 

States Army officer, worked in Army hospitals, 

medical centers and medical units throughout 

the United States, Europe and the Middle 

East. He is a graduate in Masters Level Oriental 

Medicine from Midwest Center for the Study 

of Oriental Medicine. Steve is an independent 

contractor who owns his own company, 

Atlantic Acupuncture. Since 1998, Steve has 

provided acupuncture services to Dr. Leglue’s 

patients, under the direction of Dr. Leglue. 

The mission of Leglue Physical Medicine 

Clinic is to provide Central Louisiana comprehensive 

multispecialty medical services in a 

personalized manner. Now Board Certified in 

Medical Acupuncture and Physical Medicine 

and Rehabilitation, Dr. Leglue strives to position 

his clinic as the leading provider of care in 

the local medical community, offering traditional 

and alternative medicine that is both unique 

and effective. 

For more information about Leglue Physical 

Medicine Clinic, please visit them online at 

www.legluephysicalmedicine.com. 

 

Dr. Jerry Leglue with his wife 

Katherine and their daughter Faith. 


Founded in 1942 by Euell (E. L.) Gremillion, 

E. L. Gremillion and Son, Inc. provides the 

sales and servicing of fire extinguishers, 

pre-engineered fire suppressions systems, and 

DOT hydrostatic testing. 

The company was purchased by Richard 

Cosenza in 1973 and has been led by Mark 

Cosenza since 2007. Cosenza has received several 

community commendations and is active in 

local churches and school organizations. He has 

served as the past president of the Alexandria 

Metro Rotary Club and is a participant and 

supporter of Fit Families for Cenla, LOPA, Race 

for the Cure, the Salvation Army, and Rapides 

Parish Firefighters. Today, the company remains 

at 620 Twelfth Street in Alexandria and includes 

seven employees serving over 5,000 customers 

and operating in approximately forty parishes 

throughout Louisiana. 

For more information, visit E. L. Gremillion 

and Son, Inc., visit www.elgremillion.com on 

the Internet. 

E. L. GREMILLION 

AND SON, INC. 

 

The coming of the railroads to central 

Louisiana in the 1880s helped propel 

the area out of the economic 

depression brought about 

by Reconstruction. 



The old Union Train Depot in Alexandria was torn down to make way for I-49 construction in the mid 1990s. Architectural elements of the English Jacobean-styled building were 

later incorporated into the new city bus depot at the foot of the Murray Street bridge. 


SPONSORS 

Alexandria House of Flowers........................................................................................................................................................79 

Alexandria Pawn and South Circle Jewelry & Loan.......................................................................................................................61 

Alexandria VA Medical Center ......................................................................................................................................................74 

Calvary Baptist Church.................................................................................................................................................................82 

Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce.....................................................................................................................................84 

Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital ..............................................................................................................................................87 

City of Pineville............................................................................................................................................................................88 

Cleco Corporation........................................................................................................................................................................66 

Comfort Inn Hotel........................................................................................................................................................................83 

Doug Young Nursery ....................................................................................................................................................................62 

E. L. Gremillion and Son, Inc. ......................................................................................................................................................93 

Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana and Mount Olivet Chapel and Cemetery.........................................................................65 

Flynn Building Specialties, Inc. ....................................................................................................................................................80 

GH Guesthouse Inn & Suites .......................................................................................................................................................61 

Heart of Louisiana Credit Union...................................................................................................................................................89 

Historical Association of Central Louisiana ...................................................................................................................................86 

Kisatchie National Forest..............................................................................................................................................................76 

Lea’s Lunchroom ..........................................................................................................................................................................81 

Leglue Physical Medicine Clinic ...................................................................................................................................................94 

Loyd Hall Plantation.....................................................................................................................................................................85 

Pentecostals of Alexandria ............................................................................................................................................................70 

Renaissance Home for Youth ........................................................................................................................................................78 

S. Holt Construction/Sibal Holt ....................................................................................................................................................91 

Snell’s Orthotics and Prosthetics ...................................................................................................................................................68 

The Port of Alexandria .................................................................................................................................................................90 

UTLX Manufacturing, LLC ...........................................................................................................................................................72 

S p o n s o r s ✦ 9 5

For more information about the following publications or about publishing your own book, please call 

Historical Publishing Network at 800-749-9790 or visit www.lammertinc.com. 

Albemarle & Charlottesville: 

An Illustrated History of the First 150 Years 

Black Gold: The Story of Texas Oil & Gas 

Garland: A Contemporary History 

Historic Abilene: An Illustrated History 

Historic Alamance County: An Illustrated History 

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: An Illustrated History 

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: An Illustrated History 

Historic Gregg County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Hampton Roads: Where America Began 

Historic Hancock County: An Illustrated History 

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 Kern County: 

An Illustrated History of Bakersfield and Kern County 

Historic Lafayette: 

An Illustrated History of Lafayette & Lafayette Parish 

Historic Laredo: 

An Illustrated History of 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: 

An Illustrated History of Montgomery County, Texas 

Historic Ocala: The Story of Ocala & Marion County 

Historic Oklahoma: An Illustrated History 

Historic Oklahoma County: An Illustrated History 

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: An Illustrated History 

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: An Illustrated History 

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 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 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: An Illustrated History 

Historic Wilmington & The Lower Cape Fear: 

An Illustrated History 

Historic York County: An Illustrated History 

Iron, Wood & Water: An Illustrated History of Lake Oswego 

Jefferson Parish: Rich Heritage, Promising Future 

Miami’s Historic Neighborhoods: A History of Community 

Old Orange County Courthouse: A Centennial History 

Plano: An Illustrated Chronicle 

The New Frontier: 

A Contemporary History of Fort Worth & Tarrant County 

Rich With Opportunity: Images of Beaumont and Jefferson County 

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 


$34.95 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Fr. Chad Partain, a native son of Rapides Parish, was born in Alexandria on 

April 22, 1976 to Sam and Jeanette Partain, Jr. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout 

while serving as a member of Troop 12 at Calvary Baptist Church. Fr. Partain 

graduated from Alexandria Senior High School in 1994 after having served as 

student body president and was the recipient of the Calderwood-Bolton Award for 

Best All Around Senior Boy. Fr. Partain began his seminary training at St. Joseph’s 

Seminary College in Covington. He earned a Ph.B degree in Thomistic philosophy 

as a Basselin Scholar from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. 

He earned his Master in Divinity degree from Notre Dame Seminary in New 

Orleans and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Alexandria on May 31, 2003. 

Fr. Partain is the pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Mansura, 

Louisiana, and serves as the chancellor of the Diocese of Alexandria. He is the 

author of several books on church and regional history including a biography of 

Bishop Auguste Marie Martin, the first Bishop of Natchitoches. He is also a 

published poet and painter, an avid gardener and musician playing the viola and 

the violin. Fr. Partain is an active scoutmaster for BSA Troop 94 in Mansura and 

serves on various boards and committees throughout central Louisiana including 

the Historical Association of Central Louisiana. Fr. Partain is a 4th degree member 

of the Knights of Columbus and a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy 

Sepulchre in Jerusalem. 

FATHER CHAD PARTAIN 

ABOUT THE FRONT COVER 

The painting of a riverboat on 

the Red River was done by Lloyd 

Hawthorne and was originally commissioned 

by the Tudor Family. 

Thanks to the Alexandria Museum 

of Art and to the Tudor Family for 

permission to use the painting as 

the cover of this book. 

ABOUT THE BACK COVER 

Downtown Alexandria, original 

painting used with permission by 

Dr. David Holcombe. 

ISBN: 9781935377665

In the Heart of Louisiana - An Illustrated History of Rapides Parish

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