Another lost building. (Rapides Parish Jail)

If you have not figured it out yet. I am a nut for pictures of old lost buildings that have been torn down for progress.

How do you make a jail beautiful? Believe it or not, it’s possible.

Thanks to LHM for photo’s which are copyright. Permission from the Museum must be obtained for republishing.

Hidden partially by trees in the upper right hand side of this photo is our surprise.

Almost missed it. From this view it’s unimposing.

But if you were to stand in front of it as it was on 2nd Street.

It would visually blow you away!

What were the towers and balcony for?

One could only imagine  ..perhaps a gallows inside the tallest spire?

Sinister purpose..Unique building.

GONE!

Enjoy..

Alex

Update on Cosmopolitan Jamboree.

Due to the blatant disregard for the good work the Cosmopolitan Club has done locally to promote Central Louisiana high school footbal over the

past 60 years….

Due to the lack of fundamental values that the high school coaches and their supporters  possess. (Bolton, Menard and ASH.)

I will remind those who might have bought advertising from the school’s for the jamboree that their purchase from the school’s , unlike the money paid to the Cosmopolitan club..IS NOT TAX DEDUCTABLE.

Unless something is done within the next week. The 60 year old Jamboree is coming to an end.

All due to the greed of the High Schools, Coaches and School Board.

They sold unauthorised advertising using the Club’s good name under false pretences.

Any denying on their part can be backed by printed proof of their misrepresentation..

Shame on the athletic departments of those respective schools!

Greed above good sportsmanship.

Is that  how they do things in the Rapides Parish School system????

It’s a shame.

The Town Talk has expressed interest in the story. It will be interesting to see how they handle it.

Alex

Another Central Louisiana Mystery. (Pineville side.)

Why not another mystery?

 In my blog, I do not pick on the handicapped or worry about Blog hits or want to see  time cards for work  a person does while not on an hourly wage. Oh, and if I had a million dollars, I would not run for mayor..I would buy the office….hehe…..I live in the real world  and enjoy trips back to the past.   Grow up guys! That being said…lets become detectives and look at another good mystery…..  

The case of the missing cannon's.

Lets call this: ” The case of the missing cannons.”  

Location:  

The National cemetary in Pineville, La.  

These two cannon were in place from what I can gather till the 1930′s.  

One on either side of the entrance.  

Each had stacks of cannon ball around them.  

  

One had a brass or bronze plate affixed to it.  

Where are they now?  

Melted for scrap during WW-2?  

They are gone today.

Stolen?  

Were they transferred to a storage depot somewhere?  

If they exist today, could we get them back?  

Just another Alex Cenla mystery.  

But I understand it’s more fun for Blogger’s  to make fun of and degrade people than to be off beat..  

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Oh well.  

Alex

Cosmopolitan football jamboree. May not be.

I am a member of the Cosmopolitan Club of Central Louisiana.

Every year for the past 60+ years the Cosmo Jamboree has been held in August.

It gives Central Louisiana football fans a revue of the high school teams ability for the coming year.

The Cosmopolitan Club sells spaces in the program for the game to local business.

They man the ticket booth and gates.

The profit from the Jamboree is divided with the four teams that play and the balance along with the game program profits are used to help fight diabetes and pay for research.

The club members sell the advertising in the program every year.

This has been the major fund rasing project for the club each year for sixty years plus.

It all started at Bolton High and has continued, moving to the ASH stadium.

The club members work hard each year to make it a success.

It may not happen this year for the first time in sixty years.

WHY?

Because of the greed and selfishness of the coaches and the schools involved.

It was learned last week that the coaches of Bolton, ASH   and Menard

along with other people at the respective schools went behind the backs of the Cosmopolitan Club

members and without approval of the club sold advertising, using the Club’s name , undercutting the CHARITY work of the Cosmopolitan Club of Central Louisiana.

After over sixty years of working hard to establish a wonderful sports preview for Central Louisiana

the greed and selfishness of the schools we have provided a showcase for is  placing the Jamboree in jeopardy.

Call the coaches and  employee’s  of these schools…

It is their job to teach and encourage good sportsmanship.

They are setting a poor example for their students and players by cheating.

I think the school board, the respective schools and their poor sportsmanship coaches owe a profound apology to the Cosmopolitan Club!

Shame on all of you involved!

Betraying a group that has worked hard to promote high school football in Central Louisiana for over SIXTY YEAR’S…..

Shame! Shame!  You are the poster boys for poor sportsmanship!

Alex

The birth, life and death of a historic Building. (Old Rapides Parish Courthouse.)

This is a what if story.

Sort of a fairy tale.

A progression of photographs from the Louisiana History Museum on the Birth, Life and Death of a beautiful building.

Gone and forgotten. Thanks LHM!

(all photographs are copyrighted by the LHM 2010. and can not be reproduced with out its written permission.)

Let’s begin……(and end)

The birth.

The new baby dressed up for its first picture.

The baby begins to grow up.

All grown up!

Mid life potrait.

Twilight years.

Rest in peace. Gone and forgotten.

Pretty well speaks for it’s self.

90% are gone.

The rest will soon follow.

Sad to see  a building’s life pass before your eyes so quickly.

But then that’s progress?

Alex

Gone but not forgotten..Dog trot plantation home’s.

Recently the phrase, “ dog trot style home”  came up in a conversation with someone.. 

The looked at me with a what are you talking about? 

Sooo for those of you remotely interested..Here we go. 

 

Home has open hallway down the center from front to back.

 Before the Civil war and up till the 1940′s+, you could see these home in the surrounding country side. 

Simple design. Normally a large open hallway through  the center of the home. 

On one side were the bedrooms. 

On the other side were the kitchen (sometimes) dining room and parlor. 

Bathroom of course, back in the woods behind the house.. 

The large center hall had a cooling effect for both sides of the home. 

Summertime would find the occupants, normally sitting in the hallway for the little breeze it created. 

And of course, the family dogs would trot back and forth through the hall. 

(Simplified explanation.) 

I really do not know of a good example around this area anymore, but recall seeing one near Gardner of the pictured design in the early 50′s. 

Not seen  today, but a nice pipe dream to build one. 

Alex

While other Alexandrians bitch and moan..

Thanks to the local packing paper distributor for mentioning me  in their list of blogs.

Politicial? Hummm.   

What ever you say.

Just up’s my hits by probably about 10.

Keep on Bashing!!!

Every Central Louisiana Blogger has a purpose. (I would assume.) 

One blogger makes asinine comments about just about everyone and list their phone numbers and makes insulting remarks about indivuals..Promoting  their candidate  for mayor. 

No different than most politicians..They all fit a mold. Each candidate for mayor has their faults. They just try to hide them by pushing their opponents under the bus, rather than themselves… 

 I worked in the first  John K. Snyder campaign.  I had a police escort accompany me to work each day because of him. You want dirty nasty politics..I learned from the nastiest… It aint pretty when you take the gloves off…I fell into that cesspool by accident. It was a learning experience that made me avoid politics like the plague. 

Funny we do not hear any of the candidates speak of the real problems and try to address them.  ( Rampant Crime, etc)   Or, for that matter even try to put forward constructive goals for Alexandria. 

    (Believe it or not there are some real projects that have been accomplished in the past three plus years, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.)   

 They will be more interested in lambasting any and everyone they can who is running for office.. 

It’s how bad their opponents are….NOT what they can do for the city…(never will change I guess.) 

I am not mentioning anyone by name.(I hope you take notice of that.) 

I am friends with four  of the major bloggers and respect their right to have differences. I do not condemn or call them silly juvenile names and I never will. 

They have a right to disagree and they do. 

I chose to stand at the sidelines and perhaps make a few comments. 

Not trying to bait anyone.   Just making talk. 

This upcoming campaign will not be any different than the others.. 

A lot of folks will talk about it. 

And when it comes to polling day? 

85% will NOT vote and continue to bitch and moan… 

And if you really think about it…Probably no one gives a damn… 

(or do they???) 

Alex