History

Restore Grand Isle Purchased Historic Oleander Hotel

GRAND ISLE, La. (press release) — Restore Grand Isle officially purchased the historic Oleander Hotel from the Augustin family on Thursday, May 21, during a closing held at Grand Isle Town Hall, securing the future of one of the island’s…

Living History

Wandering through Maison Olivier, the circa 1815 Raised Creole Cottage-style plantation house at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historical Site, it’s easy to get the feeling you might bump into a member of the Olivier family. The home is decorated and staged…

Baton Rouge’s Female-Led Oxbow Rum Fuels Local Spirits

On the edge of Baton Rouge, near the Mississippi River, lies Oxbow Rum Distillery. Founded in 2017, Oxbow has a spirit-filled mission: “to serve as stewards of our land and sugarcane by creating premium American rum, amplifying the stories of…

Grand Isle's Oleander Hotel Receives Donation for Restoration

GRAND ISLE, La (press release) – The Karen B. Yoh Foundation donated $50,000 to Grand Isle's Oleander Hotel restoration project, bringing the total funds raised to $343,000 of the organization’s $400,000 goal. “We’re deeply grateful for the Karen B. Yoh…

Remembering Rita, “The Other” Hurricane

By Autumn of 2005 the subtle suggestions of a changing season were being felt, not in a big way like in places where the leaves turn orange but in subtle ways: the cane fields being harvested; an occasional chill; embers…

Meandering Through Opelousas’ Spiritual Trail

Each of our journeys contains three parts. First comes the anticipation. For days, months or years, we look forward to our departure. Then, finally, that day arrives. We travel, some of us, to leave…

Jefferson Parish: The Bicentennial

If I would tell you that Jefferson Parish is the second most populous parish in Louisiana, that might not be a surprise. The assumption would be that neighboring parish, Orleans, is the largest. Ah, but here is where the assumptions…

Exploring Mansfield State Historic Site

On the surface, the land along the 3/4th mile Battlefield Trail at Mansfield State Historic Site appears familiar to anyone who has spent time in the Louisiana outdoors. Wind whispers through long needles of loblolly pines, and you turn at…

Of Literary Lions

  Among the various Tennessee Williams festivals held annually, the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival (TWFest; March 20-24) remains the oldest, liveliest and most diverse gathering since its 1986 inception. Headquartered in the famously haunted, elegant Hotel Monteleone…

Freedom Summer

  Sixty years ago this month, hundreds of African Americans supported by pastors and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) entered the Forrest County Courthouse in Hattiesburg to register to vote. Later that summer of 1964 the protest evolved into…

Holding Down the Fort

(Left) This plaque on the grounds of Fort Jackson commemorates Louisiana’s first Mardi Gras. Across the Mississippi River from what later became Fort Jackson, Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville camped with his party on March 3, 1699,…

Full Disclosure

    There is something about this magazine that we have not said much about; perhaps it was because of shyness or maybe uncertainty about the protocol of the media talking about itself. But then came the inner realization; first…

Seismic Rescue

At a Glance Location Iberia Parish Flora Rip Van Winkle Gardens consists of approximately 15 acres of semi-tropical gardens that include irises, magnolias, camellias, azaleas, hibiscus, and…

Oyster Patter

During the year after the 2010 BP oil spill, much of the Gulf of Mexico’s sea life was scarce — including oysters. It wasn’t until the following February that I saw servable raw oysters again. The occasion was a debutante…

Bicentenaire de la paroisse Lafayette

On April 27, 1928, at a recording studio in New Orleans performers gathered for what would be an historic session. Joe Falcon and his future wife Cléoma Breaux immortalized a song that would become an anthem for a culture. He…

Raising Cane

Location Pointe Coupée Parish Parish seat New Roads   From Easter until sugarcane harvest, the 19th-century bell in front of the Alma General Store in Lakeland rings twice each day. The first bell, at 7 a.m., signals the start…