I get such pleasure from hearing from so many of you who read my weekly articles and enjoy them each week. Mr. Robert Gendron from LaPlace, after reading one of my articles, called me and said he had a few items he wanted to give to the museum.

I went to see Mr. Gendron, and

he had two Paul Jones whiskey bottles he had found many years ago while walking the lake shore by Frenier. These whiskey bottles are dated about 1860 and are in fine condition.

Last weekend he and his daughter took a road trip to the museum to see all my collections. He also brought with him a few more things he said he had found and wanted to give the museum. Some of the items were a straight-blade razor, shaving mug and brush that were used years ago. In the bottom of the mug was soap, and you had to wet the soap and then use the brush to make lather. You then put the lather on your face and used the razor to shave. Most barber shops had a straight razor, and it was sharpened using a long leather strap. By running the razor back and forth across the strap you could get a sharp edge on the razor for the next shave. Mr. Gendron also had several other razors that used double-edge blades that were made of metal and were very old. In today’s world, a man has a can of shaving cream and a disposable or electric razor. The items are now on display at the museum.

If it wouldn’t be for people like Mr. Gendron, a lot of the antique items would be lost forever. It has always been said that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so next time you want to clean out grandma’s house, your house or garage, don’t throw away those old items. Give me a call, and I will gladly display them in my museum for everyone to see and enjoy.

Louisiana Treasures Museum is located on Highway 22 West of Ponchatoula. For more information of hours of operation call Wayne Norwood at 225-294-8352. Tours are available upon request.

Wayne Norwood is a lieutenant with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Department and owner and operator of the Louisiana Treasures Museum.