Keeping history alive

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Do you recall me writing in previous articles, if you want to find out something, just head off to Wal-Mart? Well, I have been trying to find some old pictures of the towns of Ruddock, Napton, Wagram and Frenier.

Last week while in Wal-Mart, Mrs. Motcheak from LaPlace started talking with me about the weekly articles I write in L’Observateur and about my museum. While talking with her, I told her I was trying to find old photographs of these towns, and she said that she might be able to help me with that request. The next day, I received a phone call from Mrs. Rose Marie Perilloux of LaPlace saying she had old pictures of some homes that were located in the towns.

One photograph she had was about one foot square and was one of the houses that were located in one of these towns on Lake Pontchartrain. It was a two story home built on cypress pilings. Almost all the homes in this area were built the same way.

I have written about the importance of keeping records of buildings and other landmarks so that years from now we would have some valuable information and knowledge of our past.

Mrs. Perilloux had a photo album of homes in St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Charles Parish and St. James Parish. These were homes built from the late 1700s through the 1800s. They were all catalogued or recorded properly. Mrs. Perilloux is a member of the German-Acadian Coast Historical and Genealogical Society Inc. This society keeps records on old homes, stores and residences from the 1800s. They also host a website, www.gachgs.

com. If you have any questions about the society or have any information, please give them a call.

I would like to commend Mrs. Perilloux and the German-Acadian Coast Historic Society for keeping the records of the old homes and old stores or

the history would be lost forever.

Louisiana Treasures Museum is currently seeking anyone with photographs of the towns of Ruddock, Napton and Frenier. We have collections of artifacts from this area and would like to add the photos to the collection. Please contact Wayne Norwood, 225-294-8352, if you have any old photos that you would like to have as a part of history and the collection. Tours of museum 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.