CHS Students in 1910

 Here is a group picture of the students attending Covington High School in 1910, some 116 years ago. 

Click on the image to make it larger. 

Sunken Civil War Gunboats Near Covington

Somewhere in the Bogue Falaya River near Covington are the wrecks of three Confederate gunboats. They were the Carondelet, Bienville and the Oregon. The first two boats were built at a  New Orleans shipyard on Bayou St. John, but the Oregon was built in New York a few years earlier. All three were used for a while in the New Orleans area during the early days of the Civil War.

The Bienville and the Carondelet were small paddle-wheelers mounting a few heavy guns that became ready for service in March 1862. The Oregon was a small army gunboat. They all helped evacuate Confederate troops from the New Orleans to Mandeville when Union forces began to overrun New Orleans. They carried some 1500 soldiers out of New Orleans, and after that the boats were taken up the Tchefuncte River and the Bogue Falaya River, all their guns and armor were removed and the ships themselves were scuttled so they wouldn't fall into Yankee hands. 

Here is a map of the river made a few years after the Civil War showing where the boats were laid to rest. Over the years many Civil War historians have visited the sites and rescued whatever items of historical interest they could find. 

Map showing locations of the wreckage of the Carondelet and the Bienville

Click on the maps to make them larger. 

The Bienville was described as a sidewheel steamer, built in March of 1861 and sunk on April 21, 1862. The Carondelet was built in 1862 and scuttled on April 4, 1862. 

A map showing the location of the wreckage of the Oregon, just upstream of where the Abita River branches off from the Bogue Falaya.

The Oregon, also a sidewheel steamer, was built in 1846 at New York City and sunk in 1862.It was described as weighing 532 tons, 216 feet long and 26 feet wide. The information for this posting came from several Civil War websites. 

The above maps were made in 1871 by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

Links of Interest:

McGlothlin Searched For Artifacts

Tammany's Ties To The World's First Submarine

Life on Turnpike Road - Late 1800's

Miss Frances Williams

 Covington High art teacher Frances Williams was a student favorite. She promoted art throughout the community. The 1965 Covington High yearbook was dedicated to her. 

Click on the images to make them larger. 

Seventh Graders Back in 1941

 Seventh grade students at Covington Elementary School posed for this picture in 1941. Lots of names. Click on the image to make it larger. 

Middle Road School Students

 This picture shows several students from the Middle Road School, which was located between Lee Road and Folsom, back in the mid-1930's. Click on the image to make it larger. 

Covington City Officials - 1910

 A hundred and fifteen years ago, in 1910, this group of men were city officials in Covington. Click on the image to make it larger. 

History Chart

 In May of 2022 the St. Tammany Parish Government released this chart detailing the historical timeline of the parish. It was part of the "New Directions 2040" study document. Click on the image to make it larger. 

Smith Chevrolet

 Here's a photo of the crew at Smith Chevrolet Company in Covington in 1931. Click on the image to make it larger. 

  The Smith Chevrolet Company in Covington was established in 1926, and adopted its new name in 1928. 

Click on the advertisements to make them larger. 

Advertisement from 1977

For more information:

Arthur Chevrolet's Gravesite is in Slidell

Lacombe Seniors Choose Mardi Gras Royalty- 1976

 In 1976 the Senior Citizens Club of Lacombe elected their own Mardi Gras royalty. Here's a picture of the group. Click on the image to make it larger. 

American Legion in 1972

 The American Legion Post in Covington has, over the years, distinguished itself as an outstanding organization that contributes much to the community. It was one of the first American Legion Posts established in the United Statess. Here is an article from 1973. Click on the images to make them larger. 

Links of Interest:

American Legion Rededicates Building

Veterans Appreciation Reception - 2023

Roxy Remembered

American Legion Auxiliary

Memorial Day Ceremonies 

Memorial Day Ceremonies in Front of the Old Boston Street Courthouse

Veterans Day 1973 

Veterans Day 2019 

Veterans Day 1983 

Hadden Hall Memories

Banana Split Bonanza

Legion Post Hosts Model Train Club

Snow in Covington 1914

 It snowed in Covington on Mardi Gras Day in 1914, and many of the female residents went wild. 

St. Tammany Farmer February 28, 1914

Click on the above to make it more readable. 

Text from the article above:

ST. TAMMANY SITS WINTER IN THE LAP OF SPRING

THE LADIES GO SNOW-BALLING AND INVADE BANKS, 

BARBER SHOPS, OFFICES.

PROMINENT MEN GET FACES WASHED

Trees Break Under Their Burden of Ice and Snow and Ground Covered Two Inches Deep.

      Covington was deserted Mardi Gras Day. Many went to New Or leans on the Monday morning train and more went Tuesday, while the steamer Josie took a number over, in spite of the cold and threatening weather. It was quite rough on the lake, and it is said that some "cast their bread upon the waters;" that is, if they had eaten bread for breakfast. Many of the stores closed in the afternoon, and the only sign of life was the masked procession enjoyed by a few of the youngsters. who never forget that a good time is coming to them on Mardi Gras.

     "Early to bed" was the slogan most of the older folks, and those who also added ''early to rise" to the motto looked out upon trees bending under an accumulation of sleet and icicles, to be in turn weighed snow snow that fell in large flakes and soon covered houses, trees and streets  with a blanket of downy white two —or three inches thick. 

    The trees bent and creaked under the unaccustomed weight, and some of the shivering boughs broke and crashed to the ground. Chickens stood on one foot and pecked in amazement at the flakes, as if they thought it might be some new kind of chicken feed, evidently without much relish for the innovation. 

     But there were some human beings that had passed the age of chickens that found more delight in utilizing this scarce material. They bundled themselves up and went on the streets looking for victims to appease their appetite for emulating the pastime of the "snow girl" of the North.

      There were in the bunch Mrs. B. B. Warren, Mrs. T. M. Burns, Mrs. Wallace Poole, Mrs. Lionel Adams, Mrs. A. R. Smith, Mrs. A. V. Smith, Miss Gabrielle Boudousquie, Miss Cecile Warren, Misses Anna and Ruth Frederick, and what they didn't do to those who were unfortunate enough to present themselves as subjects for disaster isn't worth recording.

     Judge T. M. Burns, who thought he was playing Foxy Grandpa, slipped into a barber's chair and was just getting ready to be lathered with soap--well, he was lathered with snow, instead. Ask him what a snow man feels like. And not even money could save E. V. Richard from a like experience for they went into the bank after him. He's shivering yet. Don't ask him anything. But you might ask D. J. Sanders whether he put any more coal in the stove after the ladies left. 

      Oh, but there were lot of others who dare not laugh. For instance there were Emile Frederick, A. Frederick, W. A. White, Dr. Grimmer, Dr. Fisher, Whit Riggs, A.C.  McCormack, P. T. Theriot, Oliver Hebert, and even the manager of the Farmer, E. D. Kentzel, who ought to know better came in for his share of the frost of the cake. The editor had just stepped through a snowbank into a hidden lake and was warming his feet and cussing his luck, when the manager came in and told him all about how he had snowed under a band of defenseless women who wanted to wash his face. We listened. and were glad we had stepped into the lake.

End of article

Home of John Dutsch

 The John Dutsch home was built in 1901 on 26th Avenue in Covington. It was demolished in 1972. Mrs. Dutsch is shown in the center with her daughter Josephine as left and Ida Dutsch at right. 

Click on the image to make it larger. 

Abney Elementary Student Chorus 2013

This group photograph shows the Abney Elementary Student Chorus of 2013 with Schools Superintendent Trey Folse. Click on the image to make it larger. 

This group photograph shows the Abney Elementary Dance Team of 2013 with Schools Superintendent Trey Folse. Click on the image to make it larger. 

First Dial Telephone in Covington

 It may not seem like it now, but it was big news when Covington first got telephone service where you could dial the number yourself, instead of going through an operator. Today we have push button cellphones, and dial telephones are a thing of the past. But not long ago, rotary dial telephone service was a long-awaited miracle. 

A big new building was built to hold all the direct dialing equipment, dial telephones were delivered and installed throughout town, and even a new printed telephone book directory had to be printed up with detailed instructions on how to dial calls yourself. 

All this happened in 1963, some sixty-two years ago. 

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

Text from the above article

Cutover From Flash To Dial To Be Ready After 1 A.M.

     Dial telephones in Covington will be ready for use immediately after 1:00 a.m. Sunday, June 2. It marks conversion of the Covington system from the current flash type, where operators are the intermediary, to the ultra-modern dial system that eliminates 0perators for local calls and many long distance calls.

    There will be an official 'launching" of the system at the new dial headquarters on Massachusetts and E. Rutland streets at 7:00 p.m. Saturday. Mayor Ernie Menetre will place the first local call from the office to Mrs. Menetre at home.

     To pave the way for dial telephoning, a team of 15 Southern Bell workers have distributed booklets to every subscriber in the area explaining use of dial equipment. During the past six weeks these workers have personally called at all homes and offices to present customers with the information booklet. It contains all answers to questions about the new method of telephoning. It's title is "Spin the Dial and Span the Nation".

    This week more than 5,800 new dial telephone directories were mailed to phone subscribers. The numbers for exchanges in Covington, Madisonville, Mandeville and Lacombe will be in use after Sunday. The 5,800 directories represent an increase of 600 telephones over October, 1962, when 5,210 books were mailed.

     In the entire area. including Covington, Madisonville, Mandeville and Lacombe, there are more than 7,800 phone directories for dial service. Dialing may be used for all local calls and most long distance calls. However, the customer must dial "operator" to place collect or credit card long distance calls,  those for the numbers not known.

     Operators will be at the new equipment office, completed at cost of $1,500,000.

Customers dialing for information and to report trouble will reach personnel at the new building. To start long distance out of the area, first dial No. 1. This puts the caller into the proper 1,1 channel. Next, dial the area code number, followed by the 7-digit party number.

Within the area, in dialing distance, it is not necessary to the area number.

     For 4-party and 8-party lines the procedure on dialing is different. Consult the booklet. Those who did not receive a booklet may get one at the main office in Covington.

End of article

Here's a photo of Mayor Menetre making the first dial telephone call. 

A special building on Rutland Street had to be built to handle all the dialing and automatic switching equipment. It was a $1.5 million investment. 

Before direct dial service could begin, new phone directories had to be printed up and distributed. 

Phone operators in 1952: the way it used to be

------------------------------

However, it wasn't too much longer after the introduction of dial phones that the "touch tone" phone was announced. The very next year in fact. 

Links of Interest:

Phone Company Building

Phone Lines Told The Growth Story

Earthquake Relief - 1972

 When a large earthquake hit Nicaragua in 1972, Covington residents rushed to gather supplies.

Click on the images to make them larger. 

U.S.190 Overpass 1973

 Fifty-three  years ago I took this photograph of concrete bridge beams that had been put in place where Interstate 12 would cross U.S. 190 north of Mandeville. This was a huge project , completing the interstate highway through St. Tammany Parish, and helped save the parish money since it became a major route for commuters coming in from the east and west subdivisions that were along La. 59 and La. 21.

A little further down Howard Estes took this aerial photo of the bridge being built over the Tchefuncte River.

Additional Information:

Interstate 12 Joins St. Tammany Together