Day 12 - Tour of Alexandria/Pineville, Louisiana

Submitted by: Kathy Michaud #13

                                                        

   

Bus tour of Alexandria/Pineville LA.  Shirley Ingram was our guide. Alexandria population is approximately 50,000, Pineville 15,000. The main industry is the military, then agriculture. There were many sawmill millionaires in this area in1800s. Where we camped in the Indian Creek Recreation Area had been clear cut. State forest started in 1920s as a show forest – 8,000 acres in the forest of which 2,000 acres is recreation area. Lumber is harvested every year.

Kent Plantation House is the oldest standing structure in central LA, a French/Spanish colonial. French settler Pierre Baillio II over-saw its construction of hand-hewn cypress, handmade bricks and bousillage (clay river dirt, animal hair and Spanish moss) for walls. The French Creole architectural design was changed to Greek Revival in the front by a new owner.  Kent was one of the few plantations not burned during the Civil War -- the owner was friends with William Tecumseh Sherman. The plantation depicts central LA from 1795-1855 with slave cabins, barn and other dependencies.

Silver Dollar Pawn Store – ‘Cajun Pawn Stars’Jimmy Deramus talked about this location which was just designated a museum. He has 6 warehouses of stuff. This location had many musical instruments, movie props/memorabilia, jewelry, the Martin Luther King hearse Jimmy had restored, guns, and hundreds of one-of-a-kind items. Tammi and her mom, Peggy, talked about museum, had their pictures taken and signed autographs.

Our group had a delicious lunch at SC – Southern Creations in Pineville just across the bridge over the Red River.

LA Maneuvers & Military Museum -- Richard Moran was our guide for the museum at Camp Beauregard, the National Guard headquarters. The museum is a recreation of WWII barracks for 150-200 men built in 1995. He talked about many aspects concerning WWII military planning. In 1940-41 the military established 5 major training camps in this area where approximately 500,000 military personnel were trained. They chose this area because of the challenging terrain and weather and land was available. Camp Claiborne is the largest where the 101^st Airborne started.

Forts Randolph and Buhlow State Historic Site – These forts were constructed at the site of Bailey’s Dam in 1864 to prevent another Union Red River expedition. The museum explained how the Union gunboats had been trapped on the Red River by low water and rapids. Joseph Bailey from Wisconsin figured out a way to build a dam to allow the gunboats to continue on the Red River south of Alexandria.

There was a demonstration and tasting of black pot cooking (peach cobbler) and musket firing.

Loyd Hall Plantation, Cheneyville LA – We were greeted at this plantation with mimosas, a tour and then dinner. 

The plantation is nearly 200 years old and is now a 640 acre working farm, sugar cane. Originally owned by a relative in the family of Lloyd’s of London. He was not to associate himself with Lloyd’s, hence the different spelling. During the Civil War he was a double spy and was later hung in his own front yard. The house was used for many functions through the decades, dance hall among them, and fell into disrepair for over a decade before restoration.  This property is now a B&B with pool and special event venue. There are outbuildings, old cars and farm tools displayed.