Tourism Office receives replica of old courthouse

VILLE PLATTE - For 65 years, one structure stood as a symbol of the beginning of a rich history, a story of resilient people, and a place that for many years was the center of it all. The original Evangeline Parish Courthouse was constructed in the year 1912, two years after the passage of the bill creating Evangeline Parish, and it saw decades of operations for the parish named in honor of the famous Henry Longfellow poem, Evangeline.
At an Evangeline Parish Police Jury meeting in May 1977 it was reported that few items remained from the old Evangeline Parish courthouse to be auctioned, the electricity had been cut off, and the building locked sealing the fate of what had been the focal point of this parish for more than six decades. A chapter in Evangeline‘s story was officially coming to a close.
The old Evangeline Parish Courthouse represented the identity of this parish. It was the site and location for some of the greatest historical moments to take place in this area.
Built in a Neo-classical style, the original courthouse was positioned just in front of where the current courthouse sits today at 200 Court Street, Ville Platte. For a cost of $75,000, she was a building that provided the setting for criminal and civil trials, and it was criminal trials that drew some of the largest crowds.
The structure also became famous for being the perfect location for children to enjoy the pleasurable sport of skating. According to a 1989 article from Jules Ashlock, “It was known that the front sidewalk and entrance floor of the court house offered the finest skating surface in what was then our world.”
In addition, the massive steps leading to the entrance offered the perfect stage for a variety of political speeches from local and state officials. Jules Ashlock once recounted, “Beneath its towering white columns many a mass meeting was held and crisis debated, issues settled or lost on the court house steps. People came for miles around to hear the giants, the losers and the winners of the grass roots campaigns. From these steps spoke John M. Parker, Huey Long, O.K. Allen, Sam Jones, Earl Long, Bob Kennon, Jimmie Davis, Chep Morrison, Gerald K. Smith and countless more.”
It was that very courthouse that provided the backdrop for speakers convincing the public to buy the Savings Bonds of World War I.
While many people today remember that the old courthouse had a basement, in reality it originally did not. Below the structure were the foundations of the courthouse.
During the early days of its life, the old courthouse was home to the sheriff, assessor, clerk of court, superintendent of schools, and the police jury. The parish didn’t have its own district attorney and judge until the late 1930s.
It was in the late 1940s that modifications were made to accommodate new state and federal agencies. The area that once provided the foundations of the building - the basement - was at that time converted into offices. Some believe those were the changes that contributed to the deterioration of what could be considered one of the most beautiful buildings to ever stand in Evangeline Parish. At that same time, two wings were also added to the courthouse.
Over the years, the magnificent structure began to slowly deteriorate and the need for a new courthouse to accommodate the needs of the parish arose. By 1977 a new and more modern temple of justice replaced the one so many were sad to see go. Business remained the same, but the stories, memories and significance of the new building seemed less sentimental. The times had changed. With that change, we were ushered into a new era. One we have all learned to live by.
Fortunately, some remnants of the old courthouse still lingers throughout Evangeline Parish, today. You can still travel to the current courthouse and view the seven-ton bell cupola that once sat atop the old courthouse and the cornerstone from the old building. And, in the Pine Prairie area, a home was built in the late 1970s using bricks and columns from the interior of the old courthouse.
Other than this, all that remains are memories of those who visited the beauty many years ago and images depicting just how glorious she truly was.