From a wide variety of places, 14 more sites have been placed in the endangered list. The above is the Istre Cemetery Grave Houses.
From rural schools to civil rights history, the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation added 14 new sites to Louisiana’s Most Endangered Places List. The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation is an organization that advocates and identifies historic sites in Louisiana and established a list of the most endangered places in Louisiana in 1999. “Getting a property added to the Louisiana’s Most Endangered Places List can be a useful tool in the effort to save an important part of a community’s history,” said Brian Davis, executive director of the organization. The list, created from public nominations, is designed to attract the funding and resources needed to save and rehabilitate the sites as well as draw awareness. It also demonstrates the importance of these places to the local community, state identity and economy. The sites and where they are can be seen at: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1SBQRBzKXFPcNn96G7LMAS9D4S2S-8Tk&ll=30.944380251484116%2C-92.1529622&z=
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Citizens and local governments nominate sites.
Davis said the organization receives about 15-20 nominations each year and a committee usually meets in the spring to discuss the nominations and create the list. Davis said the organization receives about 15-20 nominations each year and a committee usually meets in the spring to discuss the nominations and create the list. Since the list’s origin, about 40% of the structures have been saved, although some remain stagnant, according to Davis. Davis also said the list draws attention to these structures from developers and “brings attention things that need to be done.” Selections for the Louisiana’s Most Endangered Places List are based on “historic significance, the critical nature of their threat and the likelihood to bring positive resolution to their situation or to those of similar sites,” according to the organization’s website. Here is this year’s list and a map of the locations:
1. Grave Houses at Istre Cemetery (Morse, Acadia Parish)
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 for its unusual burial tradition, Istre Cemetery has three historic grave houses remaining out of forty. These grave houses are in need of a restoration plan and caretakers to maintain them, the organization said.
2. Hamburg Post Office/General Store (Hamburg, Avoyelles Parish)
Originally a supplemental structure of Calliham Plantation, the Hamburg Post Office opened in 1888 and has been vacant since a fire in 2001. The building was operated by the same family for eight generations and inspired the new Bayou des Glaises Cultural District.
3. Shreveport Friendship House (Shreveport, Caddo Parish)
The Friendship House in Shreveport was built around 1905 and is known to be the only Friendship House established in the South. The organization was part of the mid-20th century social justice movement that advocated for integration “without regard for race and religion.” The house also was also associated with St. Joseph Parish pastor Joseph Gremillion.
4. Woolworth Building (Shreveport, Caddo Parish)
The Woolworth Building, which houses Louisiana’s oldest operating escalator, was occupied by the F.W. Woolworth Department Store for most of the 20th century and has not been renovated since the 1990’s.
5. Grand Avenue High School Gym (Dequincy, Calcasieu Parish)
This gymnasium was built in the 1950s for the DeQuincy Colored School and held physical education classes, sports tournaments, proms and graduations. While the rest of the school buildings have been demolished, the gym was added to the National Register in 2017 and severe damage struck the building in 2020.
6. Palace Theater (Jonesboro, Jackson Parish)
Built in 1925 and updated in the 1930s to an Art Deco Style, this theater served as a popular place for the rural north central Louisiana community. The theatre originally contained segregated entrances and seating and was sued by the U.S. Attorney General for refusing Black patrons in 1965. Efforts to return the theater back to an entertainment venue are being pursued by the Greater North Louisiana Community Development Corporation.
7. 11 Mile Stretch (West bank of St. John the Baptist Parish)
Known as the Second German Coast, this stretch of land was originally settled in 1724 and functions as the “cradle of the Creole Culture of Louisiana.” The land contains agriculture and cultural resources that attract thousands of tourists. Current plans for industrial development will affect the site’s historic integrity.
8. San Francisco Plantation (Garyville, St. John the Baptist Parish)
Designated as a National Historical Landmark in 1974, this River Road plantation contains a “Steamboat Gothic” architectural style but stopped public tours in September 2021.
9. Baldwin School (Baldwin, St. Mary Parish)
Baldwin School opened in 1939 near Bayou Teche and housed students from first through seventh grade until the 1990s. A new vision for the building is to convert it into the Baldwin Town Hall.
10. Daigleville Indian School (Houma, Terrebonne Parish)
Listed on the National Register in 2020, Daigleville Indian School “represents the tripartite system of segregated education” in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes when White and Black schools excluded Native Americans. The United Houma Nation is working to obtain the building from the Terrebonne Parish School Board and repair damages from Hurricane Ida.
11. Trappers Store (Theriot, Terrebonne Parish)
Built by John A. Marmande, Trappers Store functioned to serve the Dularge community and seasonal fur trappers. The structure later became a general store and post office station before becoming vacant.
12. Sikes High School (Sikes, Winn Parish)
The Sikes High School building was built to replace a former one-room school and was completed in 1929. The structure took four months to build and only cost about $40,000. The school closed in the 1980s and has remained vacant.
13. Winnfield Intermediate School (Winnfield, Winn Parish)
Built in 1928 as the Winnfield High School, this structure was designed by Herman J. Duncan and built by Tudor & Ratcliff from Alexandria and is one of the last notable Winnfield landmarks remaining.
14. Louisiana Original Rosenwald School Buildings (Statewide)
This early 20th century structure is a result of Booker T. Washington’s efforts to bring adequate schools to rural areas of the South. Washington proposed his model and received funding from Julius Rosenwald and Roebuck and Co. With the funding, about 388 Rosenwald schools were built in Louisiana, and some were used until the Louisiana education system desegregated in 1971. The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation has been researching and documenting the status of the remaining schools. As of today, 18 schools and two teacher residences are still standing, all in various conditions. Rosenwald school buildings are located in East Baton Rogue, Ascension and Orleans parishes, but Davis said most are located in the northwestern region of the state.lkljmkn
Thought this was of interest as they said proposed development would put them into jeopardy.