Life On A Farm- Mid-1800's

 Published in 1922, this article in the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper detailed life on a farm in the 1800's with a trip into Covington every three months for supplies. 

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Garbage Dumps Were Big Problem

 Back in the mid-1970's, attention began to be focused on the problem of garbage disposal throughout the parish. Up until then, it was common behavior for residents (or someone paid by the residents) to pick up the garbage, take it to an end-of-the-road garbage dump, and deposit it there to be forgotten about. Over time several of those neighborhood garbage dumps became official parish "landfill garbage dumps," and the parish did what it could with the sparse equipment it had to keep them pushed down, levelled out and somewhat covered with dirt. 

They then were called sanitary landfills. Some of the landfill dumps were reaching full capacity. 

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It was an ongoing task to use parish road equipment on dump maintenance and that helped somewhat, but it often created more problems than it solved. Some of those problems included vandals and garbage pickers, people who climbed through the garbage to see if they could find anything of value. 

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The City of Covington had a large city dump north of the city off of La. 25, and each Ward had its own garbage dump, more often than not in a low-lying area that needed to be "filled."

New federal environmental guidelines came along, particularly for low-lying wetlands, and government attention became laser-focused on doing something. It took a while to figure out what that "something" was.

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I remember going as a newspaper reporter to several police jury meetings, public hearings, and presentations by environmentalists and their lawyers about what shoudl be done, what had to be done, and possible ways to do it. Eventually, some research was done on what other parishes/counties were doing with their garbage, and St. Tammany had a number of interesting discussions about which one was the best. 

One of the more interesting proposals was presented by an out-of-state garbage disposal company that would put a bunch of dumpsters at key locations throughout the parish, then residents would bring their own garbage to the dumpsters and put them in. The company would make the rounds once or twice a week to empty the dumpsters. It sounded like a great plan and the police jury was definitely interested and leaning towards that solution. 

The company, during its presentation to the police jury, mentioned several counties and cities where it had provided the service and said they were all very happy with the operation.

Being the skeptic I was at the time, I left the police jury meeting, went back to the office, and began making several long distance calls to the actual county that had been mentioned during the meeting. I may have contacted the wrong individuals, I explained to them who I was and why I was checking on the performance of that particular company in their particular county. It was a simple question: we are thinking about hiring this company, and are they doing a good job?

Two hours later, I wrote my story. The counties that the company had bragged about were not always that satisfied with the way things actually turned out. Several of the people I talked to were not happy at all. So it pays to check up on promises and performances, especially when tons of garbage are involved. 

News Clippings from the 1970's

Thomas Wharton Collins Overview

 Local history researcher Jack Terry gave a presentation at the Covington Branch of the St. Tammany Parish Library Saturday, talking about his efforts to uncover more of the history of Thomas Wharton Collins, the father of John Wharton Collins, the founder of Covington. 

Terry outlined his many avenues of research, delving into genealogical records from Pennsylvania and Canada, tracking down the various members of the Collins family, and clearing up some possible historical inaccuracies. 

He detailed the charges against Thomas Wharton Collins during the American Revolution, (which accused him of being a British sympathizer) but showed how he was later cleared of those charges. 

Some of the statements in a Covington history put together years ago by local attorney the late Adrian Schwarz were called into question. Terry asserted that some of the history cited about Thomas Wharton Collins' family may have been merged with popular accounts published in magazines and in family stories down through the years. 

Some of those in attendance

Troop L Special Task Force - 1977

 In 1977, Troop L State Police announced a new effort to crack down on fatal traffic accidents. 

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Happy Fourth of July

 If you find fireworks too noisy, enjoy some of these flowerworks. 

Boom!

Bloom!

Sparkle blossoms

Police Jury Photo 1968

 In 1968 the St. Tammany Parish Police Jury posed for a group photograph on the front steps of the courthouse in Covington. Click on the image to make it larger. 

St. Paul's Wolves 1970

 In 1970, this was the football team at St. Paul's High School in Covington. 

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Community Historical Highlights

A presentation of the historical highlights of several St. Tammany communities was given at a Covington Chamber of Commerce Auxiliary meeting back in September of 1968. Here is the newspaper article sharing the interesting insights shared by members of the each town's pioneer families. 

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Wallace Laird

     One of the first people I met when I began my newspaper career in St. Tammany Parish (back in 1972) was Wallace Laird, Chief Deputy for the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office. 

He was always willing to fill in the details of some article I was writing on deadline, and pictures of him were featured in the news media on a regular basis, due to his line of work.

I was sad to hear this week that he died on June 29, 2026. According to his obituary Wallace was born on December 30, 1938, in Folsom, Louisiana, to Joseph Samuel Laird and Lilda Bryant Laird . He was raised on his family’s farm in Folsom, and his name appeared frequently  in local newspapers with him showing beef and dairy cattle at area livestock shows.

Wallace Laird

He attended Covington High School before continuing his education at Southeastern Louisiana University. Married in 1960 to Sylvia Sydney “Sue” Champagne Laird, their partnership spanned 65 years. He was active with the National Guard and the Covington Jaycees. In 1961, Laird began what would become an extraordinary and distinguished career in law enforcement when he was hired by Sheriff Red Erwin as a deputy with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.

This marked the beginning of more than 44 years of dedicated service to the people of St. Tammany Parish — a career defined by leadership, integrity, and  commitment to protecting and serving his community.

When George Broom was elected Sheriff in 1964, Wallace was appointed head of the Criminal Division and later promoted to Chief Deputy, a position he proudly held for the remainder of his career. 

He would go on to serve under Sheriff Pat Canulette and later Sheriff Jack Strain.

In 1962, Wallace became one of the first K-9 officers in the parish, embracing the innovation in law enforcement. His dog's name was "Bolt." Laird also attended Louisiana State University’s School of Criminology and the LSU Law Enforcement Institute.

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In 1968, at only 29 years old, Wallace was selected to attend the FBI National Academy in Washington, D.C. — becoming the first officer from St. Tammany Parish ever chosen and the youngest graduate in his class of more than one hundred officers.

In 1972 he was honored for his efforts in Litter Clean Up Programs.

His impact reached far beyond Louisiana. In 1987, Wallace was appointed to the Executive Board of Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC), a national organization created to support law enforcement collaboration against organized criminal activity. In 1989, he was elected Chairman, helping lead efforts during a critical era when organized crime groups posed major threats throughout the Southeast.

In 1992, Wallace was elected as the first voting deputy in the State of Louisiana to be elected to serve on the Louisiana Sheriff’s Pension Fund Board. He faithfully served in this role for three years, helping represent and protect the interests of law enforcement officers throughout the state.

From left to right: Sheriff George Broom, Deputies Tom Davis, George Duck, John Galloway and Chief Deputy Wallace Laird.

Over the course of his career, Wallace witnessed tremendous change in law enforcement. He built lifelong friendships and helped countless people in times of need.

Laird was a longtime member of Red Bluff Baptist Church, where he served through his gift of  music. Blessed with an extraordinary singing voice, he was a proud member of the church choir and quartet. He was a lifelong sports enthusiast who proudly supported the LSU Tigers and the Covington High Lions.

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Other Articles of Interest:

The History of the Sheriff's Office

Sheriff's Dept. Establishes K-9 Corps in 1962

Sheriff's Horse Posse

Cavendish Portrays McGruff, The Crime Dog