Museum aFrenchSettlementtimecapsule
Darlene Denstorff
Veterans Daycar show
rescheduled
First Baptist Church in Livingston has rescheduled itsLivingston Veterans Day Car Show to Nov.16.
Jambalaya, hamburgers, hot dogs and concessions will be sold and games and inflatables will be available for children
Preregistration is $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show.Registration beginsat 9:15 a.m. For information, visit fbclivingstonla.churchcenter.com/ calendar/event/168686185
Petvaccinesoffered
Aspay and neuter clinicfor dogs and cats is planned for Nov. 15-17 at the Light of the World Church, 25814 Aztec Drive, Denham Springs. Dog People of Livingston Parish and Kat VetSpay and Neuter Rescue is providing the services, including surgery,microchip and vaccines, for $100-$140 for dogs and $50 for cats. Vouchers for discounted services will be available to qualified pet owners thanks to Tangi Animal friends.
Christmasparadedates
Towns throughout Livingston Parish are planning Christmas parades on land and water
Here’salist of parades:
n Springfield ChristmasParade: Dec. 2
n Diversion Christmas Boat Parade: Dec. 7
n Albany Christmas Parade: Dec. 7
n Denham Springs Kiwanis Christmas Parade: Dec. 14
n Livingston ChristmasParade:Dec.14.
Christmasinthe Village
Denham Springs Christmas in the Village schedulekicks off at 6p.m. Nov.29with the Lighting ofOld City Hall and merchants open house from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Nov.30. The popular Chef’s Evening and wine Tasting is at 7p.m. Dec. 6. The Kiwanis Lighting of the Christmas Tree is at 6p.m. Dec. 12 and the KiwanisChristmas Parade is at 2p.m. on Dec. 14. The BatonRouge Symphony Orchestra will play in the historic district at 6p.m. Dec. 19 and a Christmas Alive show is at 6p.m. Dec. 22. For acomplete schedule, visitwww.cityofdensprings.com or www.denhamspringsantiquedistrict.com.
Business of theYearawards
The Livingston ParishChamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for Livingston Parish Business of the Year,
ä See AROUND, page 2G
Creole Houseexplores town’s history
BY VIC COUVILLION Contributing writer
To walkintothe Creole House Museum in French Settlementistoenter into atime capsule that reflects the long history of those who at onetimeoranother found their way into the southern portion of today’s Livingston Parish and established now thriving communities that manycall home.
The Creole House Museum is filled with avariety of pictures, maps, old newspaper clippings and documents and an array of itemsthatwerepartofthe daily lives oflocal residentsover many past decades. Thecollectionaffords visi-
torsthe opportunity to relateto, and get afeel for,whatlife was like in pioneer communitiesduring their formative years. Household furnishings, dishes andassociated cooking items, tools, implements and other relicsfromthe past makefor an interesting visit.
Membersofthe EdwardLivingston Historical Association gathered at the museum Nov.2totourthe museum and the nearby old St.Joseph Catholic Church.
The museum is housed in the Alexander Decaraux house built in 1898 by Alexander Lambert and Harris Lambert for Louisa Lambert, who was married to Decaraux. The house was made of cypress wood harvestedfrom the nearby cypress forests that were so much apart of thedevelopmentofFrench Settlement
ä See MUSEUM, page 2G
onceservedasthe
HONORING VETERANS
Members of the United StatesNavySubmarine
City of Walker Veterans DayparadeonNov.9
Blue Star Mother member Natalie Truax, right, throws candy to the crowd off her float.
Members of Walker High Marine Corps Junior ROTCon Saturday led the annual City of Walker Veterans Day parade. The parade featured veterans riding in floats, cars and motorcycles. After the parade, veterans were treated to afree meal.
Livingston volleyball teamsend season withouttriptofinals
yearhead coachJennifer Rivero
There are no LivingstonParish teams that made it to the LHSAA’s state championship tournament beingheld this week at the Cajundome in Lafayette, but it doesn’tmean there were no superlatives for the area’sfour squads. To start with, all four teams qualified forthe playoffs. Denham Springs and Doyle each won 20matches, always abenchmark for asuccessful season. There was also Walker,whichgot offtoapromising start underfirst-
Mostnotable, perhaps, was the finish thatDenham Springs put together.Afterdealing withinjuries late in theseason, the Yellow Jacketstooktothe road for afirstround playoff game. Playing as the No.22seed, Denham Springs ousted11th-seededBenton 3-0. Road wins in the playoffs are alwaysspecial,but for Denham Springs this one meant even more. It wasthe Jackets’ first playoff winsince 2006,an18-year gap, andearned them asecond-round match againstDistrict I-5 rival Dutchtown. Atalented Griffins squadproved to be too muchfor Denham
Springs, but therewas grit and determination even in the loss.
“It’sa bummer thatyou have to play someone from your district, but that’show theseedings happen,” Denham Springs coach Pam Dubuy said. “Weknow Dutchtown is agood team. At least it was the second round and not the first.” Doyle’sseason was highlighted by an undefeated run through IV-7, the first ever for aTigers program now in its fourth year Doyle earned ashare of thedistrictchampionship theprevious twoyears, but this was itsfirst outright title The high points include three wins over rivalSt. Thomas Aqui-
nas, one in tournament play and twice in district play.For the playoffs, Doyle opened with ahome win over Fischer before losing its second round match at Newman 25-10, 25-21,and 25-10.
“I don’tthink we’ve ever scored thatmany points in the second round,”Doyle coach Ashlie Byrnessaid. “I always tell the girls every year, ‘As long as we’re betterthan yesterday then we’re doing something right,’ and that applies to being better than last season, as well.” Walker made the Division Iplayoffs as the No.23seed after sitting out lastseason. After afirst-round loss, the Wildcats finished 18-14, a
marked improvement from going 12-21 ayear ago. At Springfield, the Bulldogs won two more games than they did last season before exiting in the first round of the Division IV playoffs. After earning ashare of the district title last season, they were third this year,but only saw their district record fall off by one game. All in all, there wasgood competition and good results for Livingston volleyball. Charles Salzercovers Livingston sports forthe LivingstonTangipahoa Advocate. Email livingston@theadvocate.com.
Glenn Ellis rides hisrestored 1948 Simplexmotorcycle during the annual parade.
PHOTOSBYDAVID NORMAND
Veterans group throwcandytothe crowd during the annual
Members of the Louisiana TwirlForcemarchduring the annual parade.
PHOTO BY VIC COUVILLION
The Decaraux house, built in 1898, houses the Creole House Museum in French Settlement. The house has been on the National Register of HistoricPlaces since1992 and
town hall for French Settlement untila newmunicipal buildingwas built in front of the museum.
two,membersofthe Edward Livingston Historical Association, were participating in avisit to the museum on Nov. 2.
MUSEUM
Continued from page1G
and other nearby communities. The house has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1992 and once served as the town hall for French Settlement until anew building was built. FrenchSettlement traces its early founding back to 1800 when French, German and Italianpioneers settled inthe area. The village became acenter of commerce that served farmers, cypress sawmills, trappers and others. Situated on the Amite River,the town was a regular stop for steamboats that served various settlements that sprang up along the river’scourse Themuseumismaintained by the French Settlement Historical Society Inc. and members of the organization have made preservation of the Decaraux house amission for anumber of years. Dale Aydell, amember of the society’sboard of directors, ledatour of the house for the visiting membersofthe Edward Livingston Historical Association
Aydell, who has amassed adeep knowledge and appreciationfor the history of his community, pointedout early in the tour the important role water traffic on the Amite River played for the early residents of French Settlement. With alack of well-developed roads, steamboats were the major means of transportation between the rural communities of early Livingston Parish with New Orleans. The boats brought finished goods from New Orleans and returned with farm produce, lumber and other products from the frontier The steamboats also car-
AROUND
Continued from page1G
ried passengers toand from small communities such as French Settlement, and Aydell saidrecordsexist of rural families goingbyboat to New Orleans for avariety of reasons. Apicture of one of the early steamboats that servedthe village is ondisplay at themuseum
Aydell said the museum’s holdings were collected over the years by local and area residents whohad preserved many of the interesting pieces in the large collection.
“The residents of this area were very interested in having aplace where our history could be told and over the years they were more than willing to share some of theold treasures that had been collected. What you see here is acollectionthat helps tell the story ofthe peoplewho werebornand spent of much of their lives here,” he said.
The main Decaraux house wasthe living quarters of theoriginal family andadjacenttothe mainhouse and to the rear was the kitchen area.
Aydellpointed out that kitchens were frequently quartered in asecondbuilding to keepthe cookingarea from overheating the rest of thehouse. Besides, withfire beingathreat where cooking was conducted on wood burning stoves andfireplaces, aseparate kitchen was seen as asafety measure.
Among the museum’scollection are family histories, yearbooks and otherprinted material thattell stories about individuals who played arole in thedevelopment of French Settlement. Of special interest is adedicated areathat tells the story of Miller X.Aydell, the first Livingston Parish resident to be killed in WorldWar II.
DaleAydellexplained that
Women’sLeadership, Livingston Future 5and Community Impact Awards. These awards highlight outstandingbusinesses andindividuals that follow best practices andpositivelyimpact both the economy and community of Livingston Parish. Nomination forms must besubmittedby midnight Nov.14. All nominees willbeasked to complete an application process in order to move forward. Judging for awardsisdonebyan out-of-state independentpanel.Winners for all award categories will be announced Jan. 16 at the Livingston Parish Chamber’s annual meeting and AwardsLuncheon on
and Lorraine Faust look over
past.The kitchen displayispartofthe
materials, tools, implements, clothing and other reminders
years of development of the community
Miller Aydell was serving in the boiler room below deep in thebowelsofthe of the U.S.S. Arizona battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He went down with the doomed warship. Twoother residents of French Settlement lost their lives in combat in World War II, Aydell said.
The museum also serves as arepository for artifacts that might otherwise have been lost or destroyed. Aydell pointed out aside altar from aCatholic church that was going to discarded but was saved by apatron of the museum. The altar also includes items that were used during liturgical services.
The Decaraux House is filledwith many treasures that tell the story of how ancestors of today’sresidents lived and coped in aworld that was largely devoid of the many modern convinces enjoyed. It is alivinghistory book that preserves an important time in the history of Livingston Parish.
Themuseum, on La.16in the heart of French Settlement,can be visitedbyappointment for tours and reservations can be made by contacting Kim Aydell, president of the French SettlementHistorical Society by calling (225) 975-0530.
Jan.16, 2025. For more information or to nominatea business or individual, visit the Livingston Parish Chamber website at www.livingstonparishchamber.org/events. ChristmasCrusade
Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office has announced the dates for its annual Sheriff Jason Ard’sChristmas Crusade.
Deputies will begin collecting donations across the parish beginning Nov.20and familiesinneed of assistance with Christmas gifts can apply beginning Dec. 2. Toys will be delivered Dec. 20.
Send news andevents for Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes to livingston@theadvocate.com by 4p.m.Friday or call (225) 388-0731.
THE LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA ADVOCATE 10291Hwy.190,Walker, LA 70785orP.O.Box 309, Walker,LA70785.(225) 388-0215 PUBLISHEDEVERY WEDNESDAY Onlineatwww.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/livingston_tangipahoa/
EDITOR
Darlene T. Denstorff ddenstorff@theadvocate.com
OFFICE:(225) 388-0215 CELL:(225) 603-1998
:(504) 615-1166 Justin.lewis@theadvocate.com
(225) 388-0128 EMAIL: weeklylegals@theadvocate.com
PHOTO BY VIC COUVILLION
Jim
common kitchen itemsthat were used by residents of the French Settlement area in years
Creole House Museum that is the repositoryofa wide variety of pictures,printed
of what life was like in southernLivingston Parish during earlier
PatBezet, left, and CarolLamm examine an antique treadle sewing machine that is partofthe collection of historically significant items included in the Creole House Museum in French Settlement. The
One of the manyitemsinthe Creole HouseMuseum in French Settlement is amodel of the Decaraux house that is the home of the museum. The model accuratelyportrays the house that was build in 1898 andistypical of the cypress houses built in the area during the late 19thcentury.
PROVIDED PHOTO
U.S. Sen. BillCassidyspeakswithveterans andtheir families in Denham Springs at aVeterans Appreciation Dayevent on Nov. 2.
Cassidyhonorsveterans in Denham Springs
Community news report
On Nov.2,U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy honored veterans and their families in Denham Springs at aVeterans Appreciation Day event.
He thanked veterans for their service and committed to doing everything he cantoget them thehealth care and support they need, anews release said.
“Denham Springs and Livingston Parish honored Gold Star families, Blue Star families, and our veterans,” Cassidy said.
“It was amoving ceremony.Mycommitment to these
families and these veterans is to make sure that our VA worksfor them as they have worked for us.”
Attendees included American Legion members, the Blue Star Mothers of Louisiana, andLouisiana Women Veterans. Cassidywas welcomed by Stan McCurdy,the organizer of theevent and a GoldStar Father “I appreciate Senator Cassidy takingthe time tomeet with theveteranswho came to our event and listen to theirconcerns,” McCurdy said. “His respect and support for veteransand our community meansa lot.”
PROVIDED PHOTO BY RANDYBERGERON
The SoutheasternChannel recently formed anew underwriting partnershipwithTangipahoa Parish Tourism Fom left are Tangipahoa Tourism Graphic Designer Craig Price, Tangipahoa Tourism ExecutiveDirector CarlaTate
SoutheasternStudent News Director Stephen Dottolo, and Southeastern Channel Student Entertainment Director Isabella Laitano.
Southeastern partners with Tangipahoa tourism to spread word aboutarea
Community news report
The Southeastern Channel have joined forces with Tangipahoa Parish Tourism to promote tourism in the parish.
“This represents aunique opportunity to both enhance our overall mission to promote Tangipahoa Parishas an exciting tourist destination and provide support to avery talented group of aspiring media professionals,” said Tangipahoa Tourism Executive DirectorCarla Tate.“Since the channel itself functions as anear-constant source of information documenting the history and culture of our community, helpingstaff and students meet their goal of producing quality local programming is definitely agood fit for our organization.”
Since 2003, hundreds of lectures,forums anddocumentaries detailing all as-
pects of life in the Florida parishes have originated from theSoutheastern Channel studios, according toanews release.
“This emphasis on preserving the cultural heritage of our area is something that we intend to continue and even expand into the foreseeablefuture,” said Director of Student ProgrammingJohn Zaffuto.
“The kind of support providedbyTangipahoaParish Tourism makes that jobjust alittle bit easier.”
In addition to Spectrum cable channel199, the Southeastern Channel’slive 24/7 broadcast and selected on-demand content can be accessed on Roku, Apple TV,Amazon Fire TV,as well as the Spectrum App. The Southeastern Channel can also be viewed at thesoutheasternchannel.com and through its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts.
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Volunteergroup donatesdictionariestostudents
Community news report
Each year during the fall, members of the Wednesday Volunteers for Family and Community visits to two elementary schools in Tangipahoa Parish to present student dictionaries to the third grade students and their teachers.
MembersofWednesdayVolunteer for Family and Community
to Eastside Elementary. Gathering
Desselles.
Club members purchase the dictionaries each year through anonprofit national organization called theDictionary Project. The WVFC conducts various raffles and fundraisers earlier in the year to raise funds for the purchase of dictionaries as well as to support their other volunteer projects. Occasionally, they will receive adonation from adonor to put toward the purchase of the dictionaries.
Red RibbonWeekkicks off at Woodland Park
Woodland Park Magnet School recently launched Red Ribbon Week with a display of school spirit Students donned their favorite red attire to raise awareness about the importance of making healthy choices and staying drug-free. Throughout the week, activities and events were planned to engage students in discussions about the impact of drugsand the importance of livinga healthy lifestyle. With a commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment, Woodland Parkisexcited to encourage positivechoices among its students, anews release said.
Powering Progress
WVFC President Donna Bouterie and Vice President Pam Villagran cochaired theproject this year.Bouterie and committee member Ethel Gilless met at Villagran’shome on Sept. 27 to label the dictionaries. The labels read “This dictionary was donated by Wednesday Volunteers for Family and Community to assist you in becoming an active reader,askillfulwriter, anda creative thinker.”
On Oct. 9, Bouterie and Ethel Gilless delivered dictionariestothe third graders and their teachers at Midway Elementary
School, and Villagran along with helpfrom members Jamie McDonald, Sharon Miano, Julie Desselles, and friend Gail Calderone delivered dictionaries to the third graders and their teachers at Eastside Magnet Elementary Before handing out the dictionaries to the students, the women gave a short presentation on how to access information in the dictionaries. Atotal of 230 dictionaries were distributed by WVFC members. WVFC is partofthe parish-wide organization, Tangipahoa Volunteers for Family and Community
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PROVIDED PHOTO
recently donated dictionaries
are, from left, Gail Calderone, Sharon Miano, Corbin Robertson, Christian Franklin,Ziah Head, Jamie McDonald,Pam Villagran, Kenzie Garland andJulie
Taking partinRed Ribbon Week activities areWoodland Park Magnet School students, from left, Kyri Anderson, Cyrus Jackson, Anna Turbeville and Ja’cianah Edmon.
Woodland Park Magnet School’sLanden Allen and Roger Nunez celebrateduring RedRibbonWeek.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Taking partinRed Ribbon Week at Woodland Park Magnet School are, from left,Reece Jackson, Axel Cartagena, CranyiaClines, Chrisy Hernandez,Elijah Layhue and Tre’laya Matthews.