Historic Businesses of Acadiana: Past and Present
Tour Description
Highlighting historic businesses is crucial because they embody resilience and innovation, offering inspirational stories that demonstrate how they’ve weathered challenges over time. These businesses are more than just economic entities; they become integral to the community's identity, often shaping local culture and traditions. By preserving and sharing their legacies, we honor their contributions and provide valuable lessons for future generations, reinforcing the importance of longevity and community roots in business success.
Locations for Tour
Keeping Acadiana Beefed Up, The Story of Prejean's Wholesale Meats
It is no secret that in Acadiana, meat is everywhere. Every true Cajun/Creole loves filling their stomach with rice and gravy, fricassee, gumbo, or any other stew. This is thanks in part to Prejean's Meat distribution in Carencro.
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Lifetimes of Lumber: The Story of St. Landry Lumber Co.
St. Landry Lumber Co. is one of the oldest businesses in the Opelousas area. The oldest transactions can be dated to the 1890s. The story of its early owners quickly grows murky though, as the Opelousas Daily World says O.L. Guidry and his business…
From Wrought to Rot: The Story of J.B. Sandoz
In the early 1870s, a Quebec-born blacksmith named Joseph Jobin took on an apprentice in Opelousas, Louisiana. The apprentice's name was Jacques B. Sandoz. In 1877, Jobin passed away and left his blacksmithing shop to J. B. Sandoz. J.B married…
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…
Rich History at the Royal Tavern – Twenty years of Roy Gathe's legacy, the Royal Tavern
Decades ago, music and dance were the epitome of South Louisiana’s nightlife. People from various parishes would travel miles to go to the ultimate hub of music and dance, the Louisiana Danchall. While the total number of dancehalls that have existed…
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…
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,…
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…
Generations of Banking in the Heart of Acadiana – The Bank of Abbeville and Trust Company
Abbeville, Louisiana, is renowned for its rich history as an agricultural community along the Vermilion River. The city was founded by the French Catholic priest Père Antoine Desiré Megrét in 1843. As the town’s population grew and its economy…
The Veranda Hotel's Journey Through Fires, Violence, and Modernization – The Evolution of Abbeville's Historic Landmark
Construction of the Veranda Hotel began in 1845 as a courthouse by Catholic priest and founder of Abbeville, Père Antoine Désiré Mégret. The hotel underwent a tumultuous journey of evolution and transformation, marked by fires, acts of violence, and…
Forging A Legacy – The Enduring Spirit of Sam Guarino & Son Inc.
Sam Guarino & Son Inc., a historic blacksmith shop in Abbeville, Louisiana, traces its roots back to the early 20th century. Founded by Sicilian immigrant Salvadore "Sam" Guarino, the business initially operated as a blacksmith shop, serving the…
Deep Roots and Sweet Cane – Exploring the Tradition and Resilience of Domingues Farms
Sugar cane production is a vital part of the history and economy of South Louisiana. Sugar cane has been grown in Louisiana since its introduction by Jesuit priests in the mid-eighteenth century. Étienne deBoré introduced a variety of cane, which…
Beyond Hammers and Nails: The Long Legacy of Theo. Daigle & Bros. Hardware Store – Supplying Church Point with the tools to build a town, 114 years and counting.
Our story starts with Joseph Ernest Daigle and his wife, Maria Madeleine Breaux Daigle, whose 12 children nearly had a monopoly over Church Point. One son, Theodore Daigle, was born in 1875, and after receiving his education in town, dabbled…
Chocolate Soldier Chronicles: From Church Point to Hanley's Bottling Works – Supplying Church Point with delicious refreshments, from 1906 to 1978.
Our story starts off once more with the Daigle family of Church Point. In 1902, Ernestine Daigle, daughter of Joseph Ernest and Maria Madeleine Breaux Daigle, married Pierre Guidry, son of Thelismar and Marie Hermina Daigle Guidry. Marie…
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…
Grit and Tin: Cajun Sharecroppers and the Prairie Hayes Cotton Gin – Supplying rural farmers with the means to gin their cotton from the 1930s until the 1970s.
Sometime in the early 1880s, the first cotton gin in Church Point was built by Valentin Breaux and in 1890, his competitor Homer Barrouse opened another. The ginning business was dominated by Joseph Ernest Daigle, who opened multiple gins under…
Greig's West Main Grocery – Greig's little store was a gatekeeper of the growing city of New Iberia for nearly 50 years.
Raymond August Greig was born in St. Martinville, Louisiana, on November 28, 1914. Raymond was a bright boy but never received more than an 8th-grade education. Ray met Carrie Leigh Broussard at a county fair. They wed on November 30, 1935, before…
A Survey of Success: The Fenstermaker Story
Charles Howard Fenstermaker Jr. studied civil engineering at Louisiana State University from 1934-38. He fought in World War 2 at the Western Front, including the Battle of Anzio, and returned home in 1945. He worked as a surveyor for Texaco before…
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…
A Lost Paradise: Rousseau's Catahoula Inn – The Tragic Story of a Forgotten Getaway
Gaston L. Rousseau was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, on November 7, 1881. In 1908, Gaston moved to Springfield, Illinois, where he lived for ten years. There, he met Lena Hogan of Illinois. The couple married in New Orleans in 1918. Within two…