By Nina M. Hoffpauir
In 1896, the body of Martin Begnaud, lacerated over fifty times was found in a back room of his shop, bound and gagged. Murder no doubt, and murder for money highly suspected. With thousands of dollars missing from his shop, the hunt was on to find…

By Nina M. Hoffpauir
“O.K., Father who am I to suffer for today?” were the words of Charlene Richard, a 12-year old girl from Church Point, Louisiana. A seemingly normal young lady who would find herself stricken with acute lymphatic leukemia. For most, the painful…

By Nina M. Hoffpauir
Near the banks of Bayou Bourbeuax, amongst the fields of Sunset, stands a 12-room mansion at the heart of what used to be a 3,000-acre cotton plantation. Construction of the mansion began in 1831 by a man named Hypolite Chretien II and the mansion,…

By Nina M. Hoffpauir
To those who live along coastal Louisiana, the story is a familiar one: a story of piracy and treasure. The pirate is popularized by the idea that he is the source of buried treasure along the Louisiana coast and within the Louisiana bayous. When…

By Nina M. Hoffpauir
1909 marks the beginning of a fearful time for many negro families in southern Louisiana. This was the time of a murder rampage where families of five were targeted and slaughtered in the middle of the night. The weapon was always the same: an axe.…

By Nicholas DeLucia
The St. Jacques de Cabahannoce Catholic Church was established in 1757. The original location of the church is now in the Mississippi river, and the actual church structure that was moved numerous times has been swept away by the Mississippi river…

By Brennon Rami
J.C. Reinhardt, a graduate from The University of Iowa, who was hired in 1931 came to Lafayette, Louisiana and totally changed the dynamics of local sports. He was brought in to be the head basketball coach, freshman football coach, tennis coach,…

By Hannah Bryan
Ambassador Caffery Boulevard was named in honor after an important man Jefferson Caffery. Caffery was born in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1886. He went to The Southwestern Industrial Institute which is now known as The University of Louisiana at…

By Amber Delahoussaye
Every town has their fair share of urban legends, and this little town is no exception. In Broussard, Louisiana you can find the infamous Mary Jane’s Bridge. On small road called Bayou Tortue off of Highway 90, this tee-tiny bridge can be…

By Amber Delahoussaye
The Eagan Hotel and The Grand Opera House, located next to each other proudly in Crowley Louisiana, both have some quirks that add character to the Cajun area. Both locations were owned by the same individual and he had never allowed a group inside…

By Amber Delahoussaye
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…

By Amber Delahoussaye
In the beautiful city of Lake Charles, lies the Calcasieu Courthouse. To any tourist passing by, it is just a regular court. But, when the history of this noteworthy monument is applied, you will understand the peculiarity of it. Annie Beatrice…

By Briley Higginbotham
The expansive, star-studded church that towers over downtown Abbeville is integral to the very existence of the city. Abbe Megret, the pastor of St. John the Evangelist at the time, established St. Mary Magdalen parish in 1842 in an effort to remove…

By Briley Higginbotham
Situated in the quiet beauty of Grand Coteau is a historic school which attracts talented female scholars both from Louisiana and around the world. Established by the Religious of the Sacred Heart in the early 1800s, the Academy has remained in…

By Brennon Rami
So I know you are probably wondering what so special about 421 Carmel Drive. Well it’s not about the street but what is on the street. Located at that address is a building that was once Holy Rosary Institute. Before coming to Lafayette, the Holy…

By Alyssa Dottery
In Manchac Swamp, in Louisiana St. John parish, the Rougarou is a popular folklore similar to bigfoot. However, it’s a man who shapeshifts and looks tall and animal like. “It is most often described as having a human body with the head of a wolf or…

By Alyssa Dottery
In Acadiana’s St. John parish, Julia Brown was a Hoodoo priestesses lived in a very small town called Frenier surrounded by Manchac Swamp. “In the town Julia was known for her charms and her curses, as well as for singing eerie songs with her guitar…

By Alyssa Dottery
The National Hansen’s Disease Museum in Carville, a small town in Plaquemine, is like no other because it seeks to inform their viewers of a tragic illness which resulted in a quarantine of the people who suffered from it. This museum was once the…

By Briley Higginbotham
In the wake of the Civil War, a 4,000-square-mile parish named St. Francis de Sales formed in western Louisiana (Oubre 40). In 1869, St. Francis de Sales became an established parish by the archbishop; in 1881, the parish constructed a new church and…

By Rachel Blomquist
LOCATION: LAFAYETTE, LAFAYETTE PARISH, LA COORDINATES: 30.225685, -92.018216 (433 JEFFERSON ST.) STATUS: REPLACED Like in many towns anywhere in the world, buildings can take on different faces throughout their lives. Lafayette is no…

By Sophia Verret
One could say that Washington, Louisiana was the first Opelousas. This town was a large trading destination during the 18th century. People that resided in this town decided that it would be the “Post of Opelousas.” Priests would travel by boat to…

By Rusty Chastant
Many of us have older relatives, perhaps a grandfather, a dad, or a great uncle who fought overseas during WWII, but many of us are unaware that at the time the US was housing over 425,000 enemy POWs (mostly Germans, but also Italians and a few…

By Rusty Chastant
Considered to be one of the most famous paintings by the celebrated Cajun painter, George Rodgrigue, the Aioli Dinner features a group of men sitting around a large table set for a meal under the shade of a large live oak tree in the early…

By Nicholas DeLucia
St. Gabriel church is a roman catholic church located in the St. Gabriel perish. This church was built in 1769 by Father Dagobert. This church is considered to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, standing wooden churches in the region. St.…

By Ryan LeBlanc
The Uncle Sam Plantation is a demolished plantation in Convent, Louisiana. The plantation was one of the most extensive sugar cane plantations in its time. Uncle Sam Plantation was originally known as Constancia Plantation prior to 1864. It was…

By Kristen Angelle Harrison
The small town of New Iberia, Louisiana has a unique secret that thrives inside this local high school. Over 170 years ago Mount Carmel Academy opened its doors! The academy was originally for girls and helping with their development. The historic…

By Sophia Verret
Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church was founded by the Acadian exiles in 1765 when they arrived in St. Martinville. This church was officially blessed as a new church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The number of parishioners that this church…

By Brennon Rami
Joseph Bloch was born in France in 1833. He moved to the Americas and Louisiana when he was 21. Bloch owned a mercantile business in Ascension parish before moving to Opelousas. Bloch’s store was located on the northwest corner of Main and Bellevue…