July 2008 Meeting

The next meeting of the Southwest Louisiana Historical Association will be Monday night, July 21, 2008, in Room 106 of Central School. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Our speaker, Dr. Charles B. Woodard, will present a program on Dr. John Justin de Praslin. Dr. de Praslin, of Paris, France, came to America in 1910. He was descended from the Duke de Praslin whose story was told in All This and Heaven, Too, the book by Rachel Field, and later the movie by the same name, starring Charles Boyer and Bette Davis. Dr. de Praslin came to Lake Charles in April 1911, after attending an aviation meet in New Orleans. He intended to stay a month to make repairs on his plane. In the end, he stayed for almost 20 years. He was described as “an educated, refined man of the world and an exceptionally good conversationalist, using the purest of English.” Dr. de Praslin was one of the first men in the country to operate his own plane. A photograph of a plane similar to de Praslin’s is pictured here.

Dr. Woodard is a local physician with an avid interest in the history of Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana. He is distantly related to Dr. de Praslin through Mrs. Katherine Moeling Goos. Please join us for what will be a most interesting program.

April 2008 Meeting Report

Carolyn Woosley presented a lively program on Nellie Lutcher at the April dinner meeting held at the Piccadilly Restaurant on Ryan Street. Diane McCarthy, president, presided at the meeting in which new officers were installed and the Millet award was presented. The recipient of this award, Ron Yule, is documenting the history of fiddling, bluegrass, Cajun, and country music in Louisiana.

New Aerial Photographs at McNeese Archives

The McNeese Archives recently acquired an addition to its United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Aerial Photographs Collection. Until now, the collection consisted of one set of photographs of Calcasieu Parish from 1940. The latest addition includes both Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes and features photographs from 1963, 1968, 1981, 1990, and 1994. Included with the photographs are index maps for patrons to identify the location of a particular photograph.

The photographs document the changing landscape of Southwest Louisiana. Given a specific spot in the area, researchers can compare how the land has changed, how the use of the land has changed, and predict future changes. Local businesses use the photographs to document the history of a piece of land and how it was used.

The local USDA office has used the photographs for decades for agricultural research. The USDA has digitized the photographs and no longer uses the hard copies. Kirk Smith, County Executive Director, recognized the importance of keeping the photographs and donated them to the McNeese Archives.

The latest addition of aerial photographs will be ready for patrons to use in this fall. The McNeese Archives staff is organizing and cleaning the photographs to extend their life for the next generation of researchers.

For further information, please contact:

Pati Threatt
Frazar Memorial Library
Box 91445
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA 70609
337-475-5731

pthreatt@mcneese.edu

http://library.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/index.htm

The Lake Charles Little Theatre*

Annabel Essary Dees convened a meeting at her Ford Street residence on January 7, 1927. The guests at her home that Friday evening included Emma Michie, Mrs. J.W. Gardiner, Mary Gayle Porter and a ironwilled 26-year-old named Rosa Hart, the purpose of the meeting was to flesh out a new community theatre group for Lake Charles.

The "Lake Charles Little Theatre" was its name, and it had been organized-on paper at least-at Mrs. Dees' home the year before, in 1926.

The Membership Committee secured 153 memberships and raised a princely $700-plus. Membership dues were $5 for adults and $2.50 for juniors-good for five plays and at least two lectures.

Three one-act plays would be presented at the parish house auditorium at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Opening night was Thursday, February 24, 1927.

As the Lake Charles Little Theatre gained momentum, an eight-member Little Theatre Orchestra conducted by Eva Levingston played the "Little Theatre Overture"-an original bit of music before the curtain.

The stock market crash in 1929 caused the stage to be dark for six years.

In 1938, LCLT found its own home - the Wells Fargo stable on Bilbo Street in central Lake Charles. It was called the "Stable Playhouse."

World War II caused another suspension of productions until the armistice in 1945.

June of 1948 brought Life magazine to LCLT. The Cajun comedy "The Great Big Doorstep" was featured. The first musical production, "The Snow Queen," opened May 5, 1952.

In 1958, between performances of "Inherit the Wind," the 20 year home of LCLT burst into flames and was rendered useless. The Arcade on Ryan Street, became the next home for Lake Charles Little Theatre.

LCLT co-founder Annabel Dees passed away before the 1961-62 season. She had been to all but three opening nights in the theatre's 34 years.

1964 brought another loss when co-founder Rosa Hart died. Recognized as the single most important cultural figure in Lake Charles history, she has directed more shows than anyone else to this day.

The night of October 20, 1966 marked moving into the new home in a discarded chapel at Chennault Air Base as LCLT's Memorial Theater Center. This was home until fire struck again in 1975.

A new chapter in LCLT's history began on September 26, 1986 with the christening of The New Stable Playhouse. On the 800 block of Enterprise Boulevard was the U.S. Postal Service vehicle maintenance building. After a hot and grueling summer, the 1986-87 season opened in the new theater and our current home.
*Taken from On with the Show, Lake Charles Little Theatre 75th Anniversary

News from the McNeese Archives

Pati Threatt, Assistant Archivist, has recently returned from the Society of Southwest Archivists' Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas. She presented a paper entitled, "Law & Original Order: The Heywood Collections Go to Court." The paper outlined the experiences of five archivists from South Louisiana who were subpoenaed to testify in a court case involving the Jennings-Heywood Oil Syndicate.

Libraries will get you through times of no money

better than money will get you through times of no libraries.

Dues

If you are not a "Lifetime" member, please send a check for $10 ($15 Family) to George Ann Benoit, 4201 Alma Lane, Lake Charles, LA 70605 for your 2008 dues. If you are a new member or your address has changed, please use this form to help us keep our records up-to-date. Thank you!!

Webmaster: pthreatt@mcneese.edu