Parish Celebrated 100th Anniversary in 1911

 Souvenirs from the 1911 celebration of St. Tammany Parish's 100th Anniversary were recently found in papers stored in the attic at the Rutland Street home of the late Oliver Hebert. New owners purchased the property in December and found a treasure trove of materials chronicling local and family events across several decades.

Two of those treasures were souvenir napkins distributed during the 100th year festivities. Here are photographs of the two napkins.

Click on the images to make them larger. 

A close up view. 

The napkins were keepsakes apparently distributed at an event held in the pavilion in Bogue Falaya Park on April 24, 1911, making them 114 years old today. 

Click on the above image to make it larger and more readable. 

The Hebert home has recently been extensively renovated and is now available for overnight accomodations. It is called "Oliver and Cecile's" in  honor of the former occupants of the house. Oliver Hebert was the pharmacist at Hebert's Drugs at the corner of North New Hampshire Street and Boston Street. 

Links of Interest: 

Hebert's Drugs

Small Town Drug Store - Oliver Hebert

Bogue Falaya Park Dance Rules - 1913

 In 1913 a "dance hop" was held at Bogue Falaya Park in Covington for the entertainment of the Tulane University Football Squad and its friends. There were some rules about what kind of dancing would be allowed, however. Here is the leaflet announcing the complimentary dance event.

Click on the image to make it larger and more readable. 

Text from the above program:

Hop Complimentary to the 1913-14 football squad of Tulane University at the Bogue Falaya Pavilion, Covington, La. Tuesday evening, Sept. 23, 1913 at eight thirty o'clock.

Extract from an ordinance of the Police Jury of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana:

Section I. Be it ordained by the Police Jury of St. Tammany, La., That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to dance the "Turkey Trot," "One Step," "Tango," "Bunny Hug or any immoral or suggestive dance in any public place in the Parish of St. Tammany, LA.

Section 2. Be it further ordained, etc., That any person or persons found guilty of violating the provisions of this ordinance shall be fined in a sum not to exceed $50.00 or imprisonment, not to exceed 30 days in the parish jail, or both, at the discretion of the judge.

For the foregoing reason:

Turkeys, please don't trot.

Chickens, please taboo the tango and one-step.

Rabbits, please put the gree gree sign on that Hug Stuff. 

                                            The Committee

Here is one attendee's "Dance Card," with a list of dances to be played and the people she planned to dance with. 

Links of interest:

Bogue Falaya Park

Bogue Falaya Park Pavilion

Sign Dedication at the Park Entrance

Everybody In Town Helped Rebuild Park

The Bogue Falaya Park Playground Build

Red Cross Aids Transients - 1936

 In the mid-1940's the Covington Chapter of the American Red Cross kept a copy of the organization's "Aid To Transients" Guideline, a booklet published in 1936 telling of the various forms of aid that were available to people without means passing through the city.

After World War II, this was especially important as many of those travellers were service men and women trying to re-establish into society. At certain times of year, there would be a number of individuals and families crossing the country looking for work or just trying to get to relatives on the other side of the continent. 

Here is that Red Cross Booklet. Click on the images to make them larger. 

Here is the letterhead from the local Red Cross Chapter with names of those involved.

Causeway Celebrates Opening Ceremony 1956

 In 1956 the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was opened to traffic for the first time, along with a motorcade and grand opening ceremonies. Here is the program for that long-awaited event. Click on the images to make them larger. 

First Year of Causeway Report

A booklet was produced by the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission in 1956 to describe the past year's work on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and its approaches. Here is that booklet. Click on the images to make them larger. 

Such a bridge between Mandeville and New Orleans had been dreamed about for decades, with all kinds of ideas thrown about to make it happen. In the early 1950's, however, came the combination of new bridge engineering techniques, substantial political will, and a cadre of residential developers seeking new customers. When, in 1956, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opened, some thought it was a marvelous milestone for the area, others thought it could become a worrisome millstone.

Links to other Causeway Posts:

Planning To Build The Causeway Started Early

One Early Effort To Build A Bridge Over the Lake

Causeway Underway 1956

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

1st Ride Across Causeway Was Thrill of a Lifetime

Most Talkative Bridge In The World

Women Organize Medical Auxiliary 1937

The St. Tammany Parish Women's Auxiliary to the St. Tammany Parish Medical Society was organized on November 18, 1937. Here are the handwritten minutes to that meeting. 

Click on the images to make them larger. 

Here is the group pictured in April of 1959

Taxi Services

 Over the years several taxi services have helped Covington area residents get from one place to another. Some of the many taxi cab companies that have served Covington over the years included Holden's, Schech, Hyatt's, LeBlanc's, Ralph's and Rick's. In 1931, it was Harry Kron. 

Taxi service was important throughout the community, especially in 1946 when the city police had to use a taxi to get to scenes of reported crime. The city didn't have a police car of its own at that time. 

In 1950 trip prices were raised 50 cents, and in 1959 the prices were raised once again. 

Discounts were offered to senior citizens, however. 

Jim Frederick's taxi service operated out of his business on Columbia Street and charged the following rates in the early 1940's.