The Gateway to South Louisiana
“Homelessness is one paycheck away for many people in America and Covid-19 is really testing this,” says Leigh Rachal, Executive Director of Acadiana Regional Coalition on Homelessness and Housing (“ARCH). Leigh has served in this capacity for four years and each day she is guided by her “belief in the wild idea that housing is […]
The arrival in 1880 of the railroad in Lafayette, in what was then known as Vermilionville, opened a new era of growth and opportunity for locals. It also attracted many new residents. The Sabine was the area’s first work locomotive that reached Vermilionville as tracks from New Orleans were completed. The arrival of the railroad […]
Lafayette General Hospital evolved from the Lafayette Sanitarium, the first hospital in Lafayette. The Sanitarium was founded in 1911 by Doctors L.O. Clark, J. Franklin Mouton, and L.A. Prejean. It was located on St. John Street and had five or six beds, eventually expanding to 84 beds. By the 1950s the facilities were inadequate and […]
Olivia Savoie, co-founder of Raconteur Story Writing Services, has built a successful enterprise preserving lives and legacies through the written word. In this Discover Lafayette podcast with host Jan Swift, Olivia shared her lifelong love of writing and the joy she has always felt when in the company of older people. She has incorporated these […]
In January of 1823, the Louisiana Legislature carved Lafayette Parish out of the western portion of Saint Martin Parish. At that time, there was already a jail building close to the Pinhook outpost settlement of Vermilionville. John and William Reeves owned land adjacent to the outpost and donated property for the purpose of building the […]