Recent Stories
Give Me Liberty – A brief history of the historic Liberty Theatre in downtown Eunice
The Liberty Theatre in Eunice, Louisiana, has a rich history spanning from its founding in 1920 to its closure in 1982 and subsequent revival in 1987. J. Claude Keller and A. F. McGee partnered to establish the theatre, aiming to create a premier…
The Show Must Go On: The Story of the Grand Opera House of the South
In the year 1901, David E. Lyons built a theatre in downtown Crowley. It is estimated that the entire 33,000 square foot building priced out at approximately 18,000 dollars. The original name for this theater is debated, but the terms, “the opera…
Setting Sights on the Rice
On Friday, January 31st, 1941, a new center of entertainment and community held its formal debut. Throughout the decades since its grand opening, the Rice Theater has hosted a variety of events from film screenings to Christmas celebrations,…
Slim's Y-Ki-Ki: Zydeco's Highs and Lows in Opelousas
In 2016, after an alleged 69 years of business, a dancehall once deemed the zydeco hotspot of the world, closed. Following a change in patrons’ behavior and attendance, St. Landry Parish’s weakening grasp on zydeco, and sharp increases in band…
Against The Grain: The Endurance Of The Conrad Rice Mill – The 112-year-old Conrad Rice Mill is the oldest operating rice mill in America.
Philip Amalus Conrad, a true entrepreneur, founded the Conrad Rice Mill and Planting Company in 1912. Following in his father's footsteps as a rice planter, Philip saw an opportunity for growth. Instead of shipping his rice to New Orleans, a…
Peddler to Pioneer: A Slovakian Immigrant's Journey to Church Point Wholesale – Supplying Church Point and the South with almost anything, 112 years and counting.
Ján Hvorecký was born to Andrej Hvorecký and Anne Pastorek on January 3, 1868. They resided in Bytča, Slovakia, an organized Jewish community with a population of 750 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At 18 years old, in 1885, Ján immigrated to the…
Featured Stories
Rip Van Winkle Gardens
Joseph Jefferson, a famed actor for his role in Rip Van Winkle, owned the Rip Van Winkle Gardens property. It was sold to Dr. Don Ray who renovated the gardens to its original beauty. He then sold it to Mike Richard, who is the current owner. The…
Lâche pas la Patate: The Quarter Pole Training Center – The Remnant
It was quiet at the Quarter Pole in Rayne on a cool and overcast Friday morning visit. Definitely a far cry from its former days of racing glory in the early 1970s, there were no enthusiastic crowds drinking beer and catching up on the weeks' news…
Yellow Bowl Restaurant – I'm on a seafood diet!
The Yellow Bowl was established in 1927 by a local woman, known as Mrs. Scanton, “as a bus stop for the Greyhound bus line” , formally known as Teche bus lines. However, this information is rivaled with the details found in Dennis Covington’s…
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Priests and Pirogues: A History of the Catholic Church in Acadiana
15 Locations ~ Curated by Sophia Verret, Nick DeLucia, Briley HigginbothamAcadiana Historical
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