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Above, the ruins of C.A.Alexandre & Brothers still

stand on West FifthStreet in LaPlace. Atright, this ballpark in

Garyville used to be apopular hangout. Below,this photo of a little girlin Lions shows the dress

and style of the day.Above, the old St. John the Baptist Church inEdgard burned in the early years of the 20th centu-ry. Below, this old lounge used to stand in Lucy onthe west bank of St. John the Baptist Parish.

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Now in its 53rd year ofoperation, St. CharlesParish Hospital hascome a long way ingrowing with the com-munity which it serves.

Opening its doors in1959, the hospital hascontinuously grown tomeet the needs of thesurrounding communi-ty. The last 53 years hasseen an initial expan-sion of the original facil-ity.

In 1992 a MedicalOffice Building wasadded to the hospitalcampus, providing clini-cal space for outpatientservices and severalmedical specialties.

Continuing in 1998, St.Charles Parish Hospitalsaw the opening of theDavid J. Vial Building,which added over 30Med Surge Rooms aswell as space for abehavioral health unit,and an eight-bed In-tensive Care Unit.

Progress has notslowed down, however,as early 2012 will bringthe grand opening of abrand new state of theart Emergency Depart-ment.

St. CharlesParish

Hospital is still

growing

Above, this family lived in the Bayou Gauche area. Below, this painting depicts the inside of St. CharlesBorromeo Catholic Church in Destrehan in the 1940s. Pictured at right is Charles Lagarde Sr.

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Pictured above is St. Michael’s Church in Convent, while St. Philomene Church inGrand Point appears at right.

Pictured aboveis the old St.James Bank,while two ofthe jewels ofSt. JamesParish’s westbank, St.JosephPlantation (farleft) and LauraPlantation(left) appearbelow.

Pictured atright are

Anna andCarmello

Carnaggio.Below is a

photo fromthe Morvant

wedding.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012 , | DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS | PAGE 5

U.S. Highway 61,known here as “TheAirline Highway,” has astoried history and hasseen an endless varietyof events and people asit makes its way fromNew Orleans north intoCanada, passing throu-gh the River Parishesalong the way. However,there are a few thingsabout Highway 61 youmay not know – 61things to be exact:

1. The first automo-bile in Louisiana, aMontgomery Ward elec-tric, hummed alongNew Orleans streets in1899.

2. A July 1919 “hospi-tality trip” from NewOrleans to Winnipeg,Canada began in NewOrleans with Gov. Plea-sant and New OrleansMayor Behrman alongthe old Jefferson High-way (River Road), withstops in Harahan,Kenner, St. Rose, La-Place, Reserve, Gary-ville, Lutcher, Convent,Burnside, Belle Helene,Geismar, Dutchtownand Hopeville, headedinto Baton Rouge. Thetrip took all day overthe unpaved, two-laneroad. It was the secondinternational motoringtrip in United Stateshistory, the first being a1917 trip in the otherdirection.

3. Highway 61 extendsfrom New Orleans toThunder Bay, Ontario,Canada.

4. It was designated in1926 as “The GreatRiver Road Scenic High-way.” The current sys-tem of highway num-bering in America wasdeveloped by mapmak-ers Rand McNally in1917.

5. Airline Highwaywas listed as ProjectNumber 007-03-0001 inLouisiana Departmentof Transportation andDevelopment recordswhen it was firstdesigned in 1927.

6. In St. CharlesParish, a strip was builttwo miles west of theJefferson Parish line totwo miles east of NorcoLane and accepted ascomplete on Oct. 1, 1929.Additional work on thistwo-lane segment wascompleted June 1, 1931.

7. Next came the seg-ment from the BonnetCarre Spillway west tothe St. John Parish line,accepted as complete onNov. 1, 1932.

8. The first highwaybridge across theBonnet Carre Spillwaywas designated as Pro-ject No. 5406, designedand built by the Louis-iana Highway Commis-sion and the U.S.Bureau of PublicRoads. It was builtunder the administra-tion of Gov. O.K. Allenduring 1934-35 andaccepted as complete on

April 1, 1935. Generalcontractor was KeliherConstruction.

9. The southern tip ofHighway 61 is the cor-ner of Tulane Avenueand North Broad Street,New Orleans.

10. The most notewor-thy landmark there isthe New Orleans Crim-inal Court building.

11. Along its lengthare the battlefields ofVicksburg and PortHudson and antebellumhomes in St. Fran-cisville and Natchez.

12. St. Francisville ishome to The MyrtlesPlantation, built in 1830and considered one themost haunted houses inthe world. It allegedlyplays host to a dozenghosts, including aConfederate soldier,several children, anaked Indian girl andthat of a notoriousgreen-turbaned slavewoman who poisonedtwo children and theirmother.

13. The Union army’sseige of Vicksburg, thetown called byJefferson Davis “thenailhead that held theConfederacy together,”included assaults byFlag Officer DavidFarragut, Maj. Gen.William Sherman andGen. Ulysses S. Grant.Naval bombardmentsbegan in May 1863, andafter a 28-day seige, thecity finally surrendedon July 4, 1863. An esti-mated 500 caves weredug out by the residentsto shelter themselves.

14. Popular legend isthat the segment of U.S.61 from Baton Rouge toNew Orleans was builtto accommodate Gov.Huey Long’s frequentparty trips between thetwo cities. Long servedas governor from 1928to 1931.

15. On Dec. 13, 1935,Pres. Franklin Roose-velt arrived in Norco todedicate the newly-com-pleted Bonnet CarreSpillway. It cost morethan $13 million tobuild and was first usedin January 1937.

16. The constructionof Airline Highway waspart of Long’s massivehighway constructionplan which produced1,583 miles of concreteroads, 718 miles ofasphalt roads, 2,816miles of gravel roadsand 111 bridges. Beforethis, there were only 331miles of paved roads inLouisiana.

17. The Snake Farm inLaPlace was a kitchytourist attraction whichdrew motorists andtheir curious childrenfor decades. It was builtin 1950 by C.C. McClungand endured until theearly 1990s and formuch of its time, fea-tured an alligator called“Sneaky Pete.”

18. Another landmarkalong Airline Highwayin Norco was Claytonia,a massive three-storyhouse built by Dr. JohnEarle Clayton in the1930s and lost by fireduring Hurricane Betsyin 1965.

19. At one time, theBonnet Carre Spillwayeastbound bridge wasthe only span - and itwas four lanes insteadof the present twolanes.

20. Airline MotorsRestaurant had its startin 1937 as AirlineChevrolet Company, sel-ling cars, providing awrecker service andrepair shop. It wasestablished by H.C.Cotham and A.L.Woods. In 1939, a smallcafe was opened as aconvenience, with Mrs.Cotham in charge untilher retirement inOctober 1981.

21. Airline Motorswas a 24-hour, seven-day operation for mostof its life until it closedon Dec. 24, 1993. It wasre-opened a year laterby present ownerRichard Alford.

22. Bob Dylan, whogrew up as RobertZimmerman in Hib-bing, Minn., alongHighway 61, later titledone of his earliest hitfolk-rock albums, “Hig-hway 61 Revisited.”

23. Port Gibson,Miss.’s PresbyterianChurch has a giantgolden hand, pointingthe way to heaven.

24. Port Gibson is alsohome to one of the old-est Jewish synagoguesin the country.

25. Port HudsonNational Military Cem-etery, north of BatonRouge, marks the site ofthe seige which finallybroke the back of theConfederacy and leftthe river completely inthe hands of the Union.It was the longest seigein U.S. military history,from May 23 to July 9,1863.

26. St. John Parish’smost enduring mysteryis the 1956 AudreyMoateø disappearenceand the murder of herlover. Moate left her carin front of a restauranton Airline Highway tojoin him in his vehicleand leave for their ren-dezvous with death. Hewas later found in hiscar at Frenier Beach.She was never found,her clothing and purseleft behind to confoundinvestigators. The mys-tery was featured on thefirst episode of the TVprogram “UnsolvedMysteries.” It remainsunsolved.

27. Clarksdale, Miss.is the reputed sitewhere at the crossroadof 61 and U.S. Highway49, blues singer RobertJohnson sold his soul to

the devil in exchangefor the ability to singthe blues.

28. A gigantic gamingcomplex is located inTunica, Miss., whichkeeps traffic congestedaround the clock.

29. An arch spans thehighway at theArkansas-Missouri bor-der.

30. Kaskaskia, Ill., theoldest town in thatstate, is also home tothe Church of the Im-maculate Conception,built in 1675.

31. The boyhood homeof Samuel Clemens(Mark Twain) is locatedon Highway 61 inHannibal, Mo.

32. Reputed mob bossCarlos Marcello, whocalled himself a “toma-to salesman,” ran hisbusiness interests fromthe Town and CountryMotel at 1525 AirlineHighway in Metairie.

33. St. John ParishAirport, opened in 1990,is owned and operatedby the St. John theBaptist Parish govern-ment. It is home as wellto the American Mili-tary Heritage Foun-dation and showcasesseveral vintage aircraft.

34. In Lacrosse, Wisc.stands the “World’sLargest Six-Pack” a beestorage facility.

35. WCKW radio sta-tion went on the air in1966 on Airline High-way near Garyville bySidney Levet III. TheGaryville station stilloperates now as an AMgospel station. The FMstation moved in 1990 toMetairie, where it nowoperates as a classichits station, under theoperation of LorenLevet and her sons,Sidney IV and Steven.

36. WADU radio sta-tion went on the air inDecember 1987 in a tinystudio on AirlineHighway near Montz,by Abele and Virgie duTreil. After years ofoperation as a oldies,then a gospel andSpanish-language sta-tion, it was sold in 1999to a Mandeville compa-ny, who re-launched itJuly 10 as a smooth jazzstation.

37. Airline Highwaywas originally twolanes in the River Par-ishes but was widenedto four lanes in the1960s

38. At the Canadianborder, U.S. Highway 61changes its name to TheKing’s Highway 61.

39. The northern tipof Highway 61 is at astop sign, 30 miles intoCanada, at ThunderBay, Ontario.

40. Louisiana Tech-nical College, RiverParishes Campus, open-ed its doors originallyin 1978 as RiverParishes Vo-Tech Scho-ol in Reserve. It acq-

uired its current namein 1998.

41. Televangelist Jim-my Swaggart was a fre-quent visitor of AirlineHighway motels inMetairie with localprostitutes, starting inOctober

1986. Three yearslater, he was nabbed byCalifornia police in thecompany of anotherprostitute.

42. In 1997, then-Louisiana State Rep.David Vitter was appro-ached by a group of realestate developers whowere trying to marketexpensive homesitesnear the Orleans Parishline in Jefferson Parish.They asked Vitter tochange Airline High-way in Jefferson Parishto Airline Drive by leg-islative act, and thiswas done.

43. In 1998, LaPlacesocial studies teacherRonald Theriot drovethe length of Highway61, end to end, in eightdays.

44. In 2000, State Rep.Gary Smith of Norco,in the first act of hislegislative career, alongwith Sen. Joel ChaissonII, pushed through a billto change “Airline High-way” to Airline Drive inSt. Charles Parish, atthe behest of Ormondresidents in Destrehan.

45. At the intersectionof Airline Highway andLouisiana Highway3213 is the St. JamesParish Welcome Center,the crown jewel ofwhich is the restoredAcadian-style cottageon the site.

46. If it looks likeZapp’s Potato Chips inGramercy is located inan old automobile deal-ership, that’s because itwas opened by RonZappe in 1985 at the for-mer Faucheux MotorCompany plant.

47. The city ofGonzales in AscensionParish hosts the WorldChampionship Jam-balaya Cooking Con-test.

48. Bayou Manchac,which forms the borderbetween East BatonRouge and Ascensionparishes, was once an international bound-ary when the areanorth of the bayouformed the short-livedRepublic of WestFlorida.

49. West and EastFeliciana parishes wereonce one parish, whichsplit on Feb. 17, 1824.

50. Oakley Plantation,built in 1799 near St.Francisville, was homefor a short time to natu-ralist and artist JohnJames Audubon.

51. St. Francisville isnamed for St. Francis ofAssisi. A Capuchinmonestary was estab-lished here in 1785.

52. St. Charles and St.

John the Baptist parish-es, along with CameronParish, are the onlythree of Louisiana’s 64parishes without amunicipality.

53. St. James Parish,on the other hand, hastwo municipalities –Lutcher and Gramercy.

54. The three RiverParishes, namely St.Charles, St. John theBaptist and St. James,were among three ofthe original 19 parishes,established in 1807 notlong after the LouisianaPurchase.

55. Originally, in colo-nial times, St. Charlesand St. John the Baptistparishes were governedtogether as the Countyof the German Coast.When they were firstsettled, they were theFirst German Coast(Taft) and the SecondGerman Coast (Ed-gard).

56. St. James andAscension parisheswere originally theFirst and Second Aca-dian Coasts, respective-ly.

57. New OrleansInternational Airportin Kenner is actually apolitical subdivision ofNew Orleans itself andis not part of Kenner.

58. James BusinessCampus in St. Rose wasfirst opened in 1980 andis now considered oneof the prime businesscampuses in Louisiana,with strict constructionand landscaping guide-lines for its tenants.

59. A massive explo-sion of the catalyticconverter at the ShellOil Refinery in Norcorocked the area on May5, 1989. Several plantworkers were killed orinjured and the townwas evacuated. Therefinery is now MotivaEnterprises.

60. A massive explo-sion at the KaiserAluminum plant inGramercy rocked thearea on July 5, 1999, inthe midst of a labor dis-pute, spraying much of‹

the town with acidicalumina slurry.

61. The four-monthseige at Port Hudson,northwest of the pres-ent-day city of Zachary,ended on July 9, 1863.Less than 6,000 Con-federates held off aforce four times theirsize, but by the end thedefenders were left toeating mules and rats.Nowadays, the PortHudson National Cem-etery and museum onthe site pays tribute toboth sides of the battle.

All this may spur youinto reading moreabout the span ofAmericana crossed byU.S. Highway 61, bisect-ing the United Stateswith history, mysteryand surprise aroundevery bend.

61 Things about Highway 61

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PAGE 6 | DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012

Local plantations (clockwise from top left): Tezcuco, Felicity, Evergreen andWhitney.