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Beauregard Parish (excerpt from BEAUREGARD PARISH HISTORY - T3) NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS DUE TO TYPO ERRORS, ETC. Beauregard Parish is located in what was originally the northwest corner of Opelousas County, created in 1806 as a division of the Territory of Orleans. The boundaries of Opelousas embraced the entire southwestern section of the state and in the northeast, extended almost to the Mississippi River. With the inception of the parish form of government in 1807, the area of Opelousas was called St. Landry Parish. The boundaries of St. Landry Parish were not altered until around 1840, when the western portion of that parish was designated as Calcasieu Parish. The recorded history of the region begins in the latter part of the 18th century, when the land between the Rio Hondo and Sabine Rivers, called the Neutral Strip, was under Spanish jurisdiction. After the first land grant in 1797, the territory became a notorious refuge for desperadoes for many years before it was inhabited by permanent settlers. Settlement by the white man in the region from which Beauregard was created began around 1815. There were four indian villages in what is now Beauregard Parish, possibly more. One was about six miles south of Sugartown on Indian Branch, another was just north of the old W.B. Welborn home on Bundick Creek, another was along the mouth of Anacoco Creek and another at Merryville, just across the street from where Merryville High School now stands. According to tradition, among the first white settlers in the area was a "Saddler" Johnson, who acquired his nickname through his work as a saddle maker. He settled in Sugartown community, the first permanent among the early settlers were Edward Escoubas, Dimsey Iles, John L. Lyons, Joseph W. Moore, E. Shirley, James Simmons, William B. Welborn, Ezra Young and G. W. Corkran. The second community was that of Dry Creek, founded by Thomas W Williams. Another settlement was founded at Petersburg, six miles south of present Leesville in the late 1830's. It was named after Pete Eddleman, one of the settlers. Among the next settlers to arrive were William Iles, George Smith and William Thompson. Soon after came Bill Bundick, after whom Bundick's Creek was named, and Joe Beckwith, after whom Beckwith Creek was named. Many of the descendants of these families are now living in Beauregard and adjoining parishes. Between the years 1830 and 1835 there came from Sumpter, S.C. four brothers named Dr. L.M. Mims, P.D. Mims, Sumpter Mims and Hiram Mims. The old Mims farm site can be located near Dewitt's Eddy. A little later there came three more men from South Carolina: William Sanders, Pink Cain and Tyce Roberts. A settlement, Sandersville, was named for Sanders. About 1840, a settlement was made on the Lower Anacoco Creek which included McGees, Welborns, Crafts, Eaves, Hennigans, Gores and Hickmans, among others. South of Merryville were the Colemans, Fosters, McCorquodales and others. Between the years of 1848 and 1851 there came a large colony of people from Hancock County, Mississippi. Among these were Spikes, Mitchells, Slaydons and Wingates. Other settlers in the area included David Lyles, Alstons and Joseph Nichols, Julian Lejune and John Fruge who settled where Longville now stands. In the early years, all settlers in the western part of the parish had to get their mail from Belgrade, a small town in Texas on the west side of the Sabine, across form the Mouth of Old River. Those in the eastern part got their mail at Opelousas or Alexandria. Local historians state that a star mail route was established from Lake Charles to Petersburg, by way of Sugartown in 1841. The mail was delivered on a weekly basis, because three days each were needed for the trip and the return. From the time of the first settlement until after the close of the Civil War clothing, food and farm implements were made entirely in the home. Cotton mills, syrup mills, grist mills, rope works and hide tanning concerns were common, however. During the war, it became necessary to furnish General Taylors retreating army with provisions and ammunition, a military road was established from Niblietts Bluff on the Sabine across diagonally northeast to Alexandria. A stretch of this road was cut by residents of Beauregard area and for many years this military road was the major road in the parish. The first important item of the trade in the area was lumber. Schooners plying the waters of the Calcasieu took cargos of lumber to Galveston. In exchange for the lumber, the ships brought back supplies and food products. One trading vessel, the Emma, for example took lumber and cowhides to Galveston and brought back salt, pepper, flour, furniture, and china, shotguns, powder and shot. In the 1880's the extension of the railroads into the region expanded transportation of produce to river landings, helping both the lumber and cattle industries. Although many local people can remember hearing their parents and grandparents talk
Thus, in the last two decades of the 19th century, the
area witnessed a boom as lands were purchased by lumber companies, bring
in outside capital and ideas for development from the major cities, and the
face of
Growth of
Beauregard
The movement to create Beauregard Parish began in 1908 when
a group of men from DeRidder, Sugartown and Merryville met over what was
the Ideal Drug Store. Among those present were Herman McMahon, T. J. Carroll,
Frank E. Powell, Gilbert F. Hennigan, moses Cook Frazar, Harold Iles and
A.I. Shaw. Through their efforts, a bill was introduced on the state legislature
for the creation of a parish. It was voted down. A second and successful
attempt was made in 1912. The bill became effective on January 1, 1913.
A group of area women promoted the idea of naming the
idea of naming the parish after the famed General Peirre Gustave Toutant
Beauregard. The majority of citizens agreed ad Beauregard took its place
among the other parishes of the state.
A temporary set of police jurors was appointed by Gov.
Hall. They were W.W. Farque, Harold Iles, J. I. Nichols, T.E. Hyatt and J.W.
Tooke. They divided the parish into wards. Gov. Hall named O.J. Morrison
of DeRidder as Registrar of Voters.
It then became necessary to select a parish seat of justice
from the two candidates, DeRidder and Singer. At a meeting of the citizens
of Singer on Monday, June 2, when W.S. Pugh was named president, it was decided
to call a mass meeting of all Beauregard who were interested in having the
courthouse located at Singer. The meeting was held in Singer on July 6, 112
and a permanent organization was arranged. T.E. Hyatt was chairman and A.P.
Co__nd, secretary, Arguments were advanced in favor of Singer because of
its central location and had the nearest railroad station to the center of
the parish. A committee of W.G. Strange of Newlin, J.D. Hayes of Singer
and A.J. McBeth of Juanita were appointed to prepare plans to accure
the parish seat for Singer.
The police jury appointed by Gov. Hall met in DeRidder on July
30, 112 and adopted specifications for the location of the parish seat. These
included a free site for the parish buildings "not less than 600 feet square
and not to exceed 600 feet form the post office." The site much be donated
and the deed given by August 15.
The citizens of DeRidder protested the police jury's action
claiming that the wording made it impossible for them to fulfill the
requirements. The DeRidder residents vowed to fight the action to court.
On Oct. 15, Beauregard Parish citizens voted for the permanent
seat of the parish. Their total vote was 1,097. There were 663 for DeRidder
and 434 for Singer.
The first meeting of the police jury was held July 2,
1912. J.W. Tooke was elected president. The first court session was held
in a small two-room frame building on the west side of North Stewart St.
After it was destroyed by fire, another one-story building was selected
and used as a courtroom until June 3, 1913 when the police jury approved
an ordinance naming "the old high school building" as the court house.
On September 10, 1913 the Methodist Episcopal church building
which stood at the corner of the present courthouse site, was designated
as the official parish courthouse. At this session of the police jury, plans
for a new building were accepted. The Hudson River Lumber C. had donated
12 lots in block two of Hudson River Addition, to be used as the site for
a courthouse and a bond issue to fund the new courthouse and jail was
approved. The structures were completed and accepted on April 20, 1915.
On AUgust 12, 1912, candidates for the first Parish Democratic
central committee were First Ward, H.M. Stevens of Fields; A.J. Lewis of
Elawatt; Second Ward; R.H. Fleming and W.C. Smith of Merryville, Third ;and
Fourth Ward, no entry; fifth ward, W.S. Pugh, Singer; A.J. McBeth, Juanita;
Sixth Ward, R.M. Burgess of Ecar and C.F. Jones of Longville; Seventh Ward,
no entry. At Large Tom Smart, Fulton; W.G. Strange, Newlin; O.W. Young, Mystic;
J.E. Walters and James Parker, Merryville. Member state central committee,
B. H. Carroll, Merryville.
The committee set the date of Oct. 22. 1912 for a special election.
The first parish officers were W.A. Martin, sheriff; T.W. Stewart,
accessor; J. H. McMahon, clerk of court; Dr. J.D. Frazar, coroner; Frank
E. Powell, representative and L.D. McCollister, superintendent of schools.
Beauregard is located in the extreme western section of the
state and its boundaries remain as originally described. It is bounded
by Vernon on the north, Allen on the East and Calcasieu on the south, and
Texas on the west.
The parish has a land area of 1720 square miles.
A copy of the book in which the information
on this page was obtained is available by contacting Mackie's Jewelry Shoppe,
101 North Washington Ave., DeRidder, LA 70634 or Phone:
337-463-3051 (There
is a very limited supply available!)
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