Monday, May 5, 2025

ChefSoiree in 1996

 Twenty-nine years ago, in 1996, I set up a video camera at the front entrance of the Bogue Falaya Park in Covington to show the large number of people coming to the ChefSoiree event. The date was March 25, 1996.

The purpose of the video was to see how many people stopped to pick up one of my cartoon maps of the event, and then opened it up to see where their favorite restaurant booths were located and see what they were serving. 

The 1996 ChefSoiree

The rest of the video comes in two parts, and they are long. You may wish to get a cup of coffee before viewing. You can enlarge the view after starting the video by clicking on the YouTube logo at the bottom of the frame.


Chefsoiree 1996 
Part One
Click on the center triangle to view the video


Chefsoiree 1996 
Part Two



Sunday, April 27, 2025

Health Resort Town Proposed - 1902

 In 1902 the widespread reputation of Covington and Abita Springs as being healthy places to live prompted the building of an entirely new town southeast of Covington, this to be billed nationwide as a major health resort... 


Click on the images to make them larger and more readable. 

A number of log cabins and other cottages were to be built. That new town was called "St. Tammany." The train track from Florenville to Abita Springs ran just north of it. 


Special "excursion" trains were scheduled to bring people from New Orleans to see the property. 


The development was to include a first class restaurant, flower gardens, vegetable gardens, and a dairy. 



Six hundred and fifty people took the excursion train for teachers from New Orleans


Flowing water wells and rice growing were in the plans. 


New Train Depot Built for New Community


Maps


A 1935 topographical map showing the "St. Tammany" community north of Lacombe, just south of the road that goes between Abita Springs and Hickory/Pearl River


The St. Tammany community today (Google Maps)

The St. Tammany community will soon become the southern end of the four lane highway between Bogalusa and Interstate 12. 


Blackwell Family Reunion

 It became a family tradition for years and years: the annual reunion of the Blackwell family of St. Tammany Parish. Click on the images to make them larger and more readable. 








The Covington community especially appreciated the work of Woodrow "Chink" Blackwell. 





Joe Blackwell was police chief in the Village of Sun


Frank Blackwell was an alderman in the Village of Sun


 In the 1880's Blackwell's Mill was a polling place in Ward Two. In 1881, Step Blackwell was an overseer on a construction project on improvements being made to the Franklinton road.

Saturday, April 26, 2025

Antiques & Uniques 2025

 The Antiques & Uniques Festival for 2025 was held at the Covington Trailhead on Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, with dozens of vendors participating and hundreds of area residents crowding their tents. Here are some photographs. Click on the images to make them larger. 











The festival is an annual event sponsored by the Covington Heritage Foundation. 





Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Covington City Accomplishments 1962

 In 1962 Mayor Menetre, in running for re-election, ran a couple of full page ads in the newspaper telling of the many accomplishments achieved by the city in the past decade. Here are some photographs and captions from that advertisement. Click on the images to make them larger. 










See also these LINKS OF INTEREST