118 South Court St.
Opelousas, LA 70570
30.533626,-92.082934
As I previously mentioned, with
Opelousas surprisingly being the third oldest settlement in Louisiana, it is
only fitting that it have an ample amount of historic locations. One must not
look any further that its government seat, the St. Landry Parish Courthouse. Up
until the present, day, St. Landry parish has had a total of five courthouses
that have stood on the current grounds, each unique in design and history.
On
March 31, 1807, Governor William C.C. Claiborne signed the legislation which
created nineteen parishes, with Saint Landry being the eighteenth and
encompassing most of Southwest Louisiana. Now an established parish, St. Landry
was in need of a courthouse and jail so a crude structure was said to have been
built something around 1806. With a growing local community, the parish was in
need of a larger structure. In 1822, a large brick building was erected to
serve as the new courthouse. Later, parish records indicate that the 1820's
courthouse was subsequently replaced in 1847 by a more substantial two-story,
frame structure flanked by two outbuildings housing the District Clerk and the
Recorder’s offices.
1334 South Union St.
Opelousas, LA 70570
30.52060,-92.08217
In the heart of Acadiana, also known
as Cajun Country sits the small city of Opelousas, named after the Native
American tribe Appalousa who had
occupied the area before European contact. Although, it is quite small, at only
seven and a half square miles, Opelousas is the most densely populated city in
Louisiana. Being founded in 1720, this also makes Opelousas the third oldest
city in Louisiana. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the city
served as a major trading post between New Orleans and Natchitoches, the only
older cities in the state. Traditionally an area of settlement by French
Creoles and Acadians, Opelousas is the center of zydeco music and is one of the
only places in the state still home to some of the French-speaking Cajuns.
Although Opelousas is not a large
city geographically, it makes up for it with its festivals, entertainment and
overall Joie de vivre, or love of
life. One particular place that has been serving up a generous helping of
quality entertainment in the form of theatrical performances is the Opelousas
Little Theatre. The grouped formed in 1939 and gave its first performance, The Adorable Spendthrift, in December
1940. In its early years, the troop used the old Academy of the Immaculate
Conception Auditorium, now the Opelousas Catholic School, to perform. Other
performance locations temporarily used were the auditoriums at Market Street
Elementary School, Opelousas Senior High School and the St. Landry Parish
Courthouse.
