20 hours Ago
Denham Springs Old City Hall on Friday, December 20, 2024 in Denham Springs, Louisiana. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON The Decareaux House, aka the Creole House Museum, on Friday, December 20, 2024 in French Settlement, Louisiana. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON The Luther V and Josie N.
Sexton House on Friday, December 20, 2024 in Springfield, Louisiana. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON The Decareaux House, aka the Creole House Museum, on Friday, December 20, 2024 in French Settlement, Louisiana. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON The Luther V and Josie N.
Sexton House on Friday, December 20, 2024 in Springfield, Louisiana. STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save If Louisiana residents or tourists are traveling to Baton Rouge or New Orleans, chances are they might drive through Livingston Parish — and pass a few culturally rich historic areas on the way as well. There are 15 nationally recognized historic sites that display Livingston Parish's historic roots from the Civil War to the country's largest rural Hungarian settlement to remnants of French Creole architecture, which can sometimes be unique to the Florida parishes.
Along with nationally recognized sites, there are nearly 30 historical markers scattered across the parish, something that Clark Forrest and his friends have spent more than 50 years working on. Forrest, the Edward Livingston Historical Society president, said he believes any recognition of the parish's history is well received by the community and is important to have. “I used to hear jokes that the parish had no history — I felt differently,” he said.
Here are the 15 places on the National Register of Historic Places: Decareaux House (Creole House Museum) in French Settlement The Decareaux House, aka the Creole House Museum, on Friday, December 20, 2024 in French Settlement, Louisiana. A family built this house in 1898, it was then later purchased to be used as the town hall for the Village of French Settlement. About a century later, it was bought and turned into the Creole House Museum which displays the culture and customs of people from French, Spanish and German origins.
The house was put on the national register in 1992 and can be visited by appointment through the French Settlement Historical Society. Carter Plantation (Carter House) near Springfield Thomas Freeman bought this property in 1817, making him the first African American man to own property in Livingston Parish. The location was used as a plantation, despite changes of ownership, until the Civil War.
Later in the war it even hosted soldiers. It was deemed a national site due to its longstanding history in 1979. Now, it can be found at the Carter Plantation Golf Resort.
Hungarian Settlement School near Albany Assistant director Victoria Mocsary finds on a map of Hungary where her grandparent were from during a tour at the Hungarian Settlement Museum in Hammond on Friday, November 8, 2024. This school building was the home of education for the Hungarian settlement just between Albany and Springfield. The building, which was nationally recognized in 2001, now preserves and showcases artifacts from the settlement and even connects residents to their Hungarian genealogy.
"If somebody comes in and says, 'I'd like to know something about my uncle or aunt,' and if we can, we have information on it, and then we can pull it up and show them," said Victoria Mocsary, the museum tour guide. Castleberry Boarding House in Port Vincent This boarding house is one of the few remaining pieces of history showing how the Village of Port Vincent used to serve a large role in the parish as a commercial hub and the parish seat. Before it became a boarding house, it was a store and the Livingston Parish Courthouse in the 19th century.
It was placed on the national list in 2001. Walker High School The original Walker High School was created as a community school in the early 1900s for children who were poor or had fewer options for education. The building was originally built to be a city hall and then a prison.
Walker outgrew the building by 1975 and moved the high school. The now-Walker Junior High School was placed on the national register in 2000. Old Livingston Parish Courthouse in Springfield Advocate staff photo by ROGER ZETTLER.
Photo shot on 03/12/08 People gather at the old Livingston Parish Courthouse in Springfield on Wednesday for a celebration of the 170th anniversary of the filing the articles of incorporation for the town. After a reenactment of the historic meeting on Mar. 12, 1838, the regular town meeting took place and Former Mayor Charles Martin filed a proclamation for the celebration.
This building was built in 1835 originally as a bank owned by a New Orleans company that was then turned into the parish courthouse when Springfield was the seat of the parish. After the seat was moved to Port Vincent, it was used as a voting precinct to a grocery store and now can be used for residency or events. It was nationally recognized in 1989.
Brown Hotel and Café in Denham Springs The Brown Hotel and Café served as a hub for social and business activity in Denham Springs for the first half of the 20th century, for a while, it was the only hotel in the growing area. The commercial building was placed on the register in 2015 and is now home to Crowder Antiques. Macedonia Baptist Church near Holden The church built in 1898 located in the middle of a pine forest down a dirt road is one of the few intact remainders of the 19th century in the parish.
The church was originally organized in 1856 and is the oldest Baptist church in the parish, and it was nationally listed in 1980. Old Denham Springs City Hall Denham Springs Old City Hall on Friday, December 20, 2024 in Denham Springs, Louisiana. The Old Denham Springs City Hall, built in the 1930s, exhibits historic character and represents the city’s “coming of age” by creating the first place for local government to convene.
It received its recognition in 1993. St. Margaret Catholic Church near Albany This church built in 1910 is in the heart of the historic Hungarian settlement in the parish.
Along with the Presbyterian church down the road, it is a focal point of community activities and heritage events. It was added to the national list in 1992. Luther V.
and Josie N. Settoon House in Springfield The Luther V and Josie N. Sexton House on Friday, December 20, 2024 in Springfield, Louisiana.
This Folk Victorian house was built in the late 19th century and displays unique architecture among neighboring Springfield homes. It was recognized in 2022, the most recent site to be recognized in the parish. Denham Springs Commercial Historic District These are a few blocks of historic commercial buildings in the heart of Denham Springs that reflect history from the early 20th century.
The former business-centric area was recognized in 2018. Adam Lobell House in French Settlement This cottage is a rare sight of French Creole-style architecture in the parish, which isn't typical for this Florida parish. It was added to the list in 1992.
Guitreau House (Belle Place) in French Settlement Similar to the Adam Lobell House, this 1910 cottage has a unique French Creole style. Cajun chef and humorist Justin Wilson once lived in it. The house joined the register in 1992.
Deslattes House (Brignac House) in French Settlement The early 20th-century home is best known for its architectural significance by not submitting to one certain style. It was added to the list in 2003..
