In the June 21, 1963, issue of the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper an article appeared entitled "Reminiscenses of Grandpa." It told about the recollections of Covington's past that were shared by Louis Wehrli shortly before he died in 1946 at the age of 84. These are the stories told to his grand-daughter Elsie Galatas.
He entertained his grand-daughter with numerous anecdotes, some of them humorous, of the "pre-railroad days" in Covington.
Wehrli was born in New Orleans in 1863, and he came to Covington as a child. His mother had been born in France and moved here as a young woman. His wife, Eugenie Cahier Wehrli, was born in Covington. Her mother and grandmother had both lived in Covington for many years.
When Grandpa was a boy (as well as he can remember) the total population of Covington was about 600, and there were very few exceptions to the general conditions he describes here.
There were no conveniences. People were poor as Grandpa says, "There were only three men in the community who owned horses." The farmers brought their produce into town by ox team twelve miles a day being the average speed for the teams.
Ox Lots
The squares in old Covington have alleys through them which were for parking the ox teams at night to keep them off the streets. Half way up the alleys, in the center of each block, were wide spaces for lots to accomodate these wagons and oxen. They were dedicated to the town by Thomas Jefferson.
Today, these lots are fenced in and used by adjoining property owners, who have no title to them.
Shoes
The farmers traded their vegetables, sugar cane, cotton, eggs, chickens, and so forth for shoes, medicine, cloth, and whatever they needed. Grandpa tells me that the shoes worn by the well dressed miss of Covington in those days were very unlike our smart, comfortable ones.
During the week, she wore compen shoes valued at 75 cents a pair, and for Sunday wear, she had the pebble grain shoes valued at $1 a pair. Her cotton hose never cost more than ten cents a pair. The women folk took great pride in their shoes; they were a thrifty lot, these Covingtonians of old.
As an example, the women started off to a country dance, walking of course, but on the way they removed their shoes and hose, putting them on again when they reached their destination. Why? To make them last longer.
Fire and Water
There were no cook stoves, just open fire places. Matches were unheard of. Dishes were metal and drinking cups were made from tin cans. There were no water-works or cisterns. Water for drinking and household use was hauled in from the rivers and creek. The weekly washing was done on the banks of the river with soap made from a preparation of oak ashes, lye, and hog grease. Half barrels were used as bath-tubs.
Our modern woman smokes cigarettes, the very few Covington women of eighty years ago who did smoke used jug pipes. They cultivated the habit because at one time or other, they might have had a toothache and pipe smoking was a cure for such an ailment. Then the toothache was too servere, the patient was taken to the storekeeper or the barber, who pulled the tooth and in return for his services was given a sack of potatoes or perhaps a pig or some other article.
Doctor Sobers Up
There was one country doctor and he, most of the time, was under the influence of liquor. Many times, when called in to see a patient, he first had to be put to bed in order that he might sleep off his drunk before administering to the patient's needs. He, too, traded his professional services for whatever he might need. In cases of severe cuts, where there was a profusion of blood, cob-webs were used to stop the bleeding.
Oyster Shucks
Grandpa tells the tale of the farmer who had never seen an oyster, so on one of those rare occasions when an oyster boat came to town, he decided to trade some of his farm produce for a sack of oysters. Proudly displaying them to some of the townsmen, who knew he had never seen one before, one of the men, a practical joker, said, "You know, Tom, these oysters should be gutted. Having no ice to keep them fresh they will spoil. How about letting us gut them for you?"
Ignorant as he was, Tom consented and the result, he went home with a sack of shells and his friends had a delicious oyster supper.
Mail Survives The Creek
The mail in those days reached Mandeville twice a week by boat, and was brought to Covington on horseback. There were no bridges at that time, and when the mail man reached the small stream known as Pontchatalowa, which crosses the Mandeville highway, he and the horse swam across and then proceeded with the mail to Covington.
Icy Story
Ice in the summertime was unheard of, so upon the arrival of the first block of ice during the month of August, the inhabitants were understandably excited. A crowd gathered around the ice, and in walked one of the town's prominent citizens. He could hardly believe his eyes when he beheld ice in the month of August. "It can't be," he said. After being half-way convinced that it was really ice, he asked permission to take a piece home to show his wife.
After careflully wrapping it in a sack and paper, he started on his rather long journey home. Reaching the house, he called his wife to come quickly to see th wonder of wonders - ice in the summertime. After he removed the rather burdensome wrapping, he found to his dismay that the ice had disappeared. "Well, I'll be damned," he said. "I told those fellas that wasn't ice. I knew it all the time."
The proprietor of the first bakery shop loved whiskey and would very often partake too freely, causing the townspeople find themselves very often without bread.
Grandpa remembers the time when Covington had a Negro judge named Dupart and two Negroes, Jim Taylor and Sam Porter, on the Town Council.
Trade Center Before Railroads
Covington soon became the gateway for all the cotton, corn, wool, hides, and lumber from as far north as Tennessee. These products came down our same old Military Road by ox team. The Covington merchants would send this produce to New Orleans by boat. Freight kept a large fleet of schooners and steamboats busy between Covington and New Orleans until the coming of the railroad, which soon captured the freight that had been hauled to Covington from the upper country by ox teams. After this, Covington as a trading and transportation point vanished.
Grandpa tells a very amusing story about the first railroad. Whenever the train pulled into town the people almost went wild with excitement. One old farmer wh ohad not yet seen a train walked leisurely down the track, leading his oxen, when suddenly the train appeared, not very far behind him.
He was warned to get off the track because of the approaching train. "Well," he replied, "Let it go around the block like I do."
The coming of the railroad meant the appearance of money, and the old custom of trading something you had for something you needed practically disappeared.
The structure at that time was 110 years old, meaning it was built in 1864, according to local records. The bank wanted to use the location occupied by the house as a parking lot and drive through window facility.
Dr. Howard Nichols, president of the St. Tammany Parish Historical Society, reported that the society itself had considered moving the house which could then be used as a headquarters for the group, as well as a museum. The project was beyond the resources of the society, however, as determined by the board of directors. The group did pass a resolution to the City of Covington recommending that the city move the structure back onto the ox lot directly behind it so it could be stored until moved somewhere else.
Either that, or it could be set up permanently in the ox lot and used as a tourist attraction, the historical society suggested. It was hoped the project would capture the interest of the local committee planning a celebration of the American Bicentennial in 1976, Dr. Nichols stated.
No one stepped up to take advantage of the bank's offer, however, and the building was dismantled shortly afterwards.
