USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume II > Part 7
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approximately 94,054.000 cubic yards of earthwork. The estimated final contents of the levee line is 261,292,000 cubic yards. The line is now built therefore to 64 per cent. of completion."
Since the above was written a large amount of additional work has been done, so that the above estimate of work to be done should be materially lessened. The standard adopted for the fore- going estimate, which is known as the Mississippi River commis- sion grade, is a standard of size and height for the levees which is estimated to be strong and high enough to withstand the largest flood which may pour into the Mississippi river. It is very difficult to make such an estimate with any degree of accuracy, owing to the many conditions which enter into the problem, yet this commis- sion grade was established by carefully considering all the data on hand, and there is every reason to believe that it is substantially correct.
In addition to the large sum expended annually by the Federal government for levee protection, the State of Louisiana, by means of the 1 mill tax levy, raises and expends about $350,000 each year, and the 15 levee districts, into which the alluvial territory of the state has been subdivided, raise by local taxation a revenue of approximately $1,000,000 a year for levee building. This revenue is raised 1-by an ad valorem tax on the assessed value of the prop- erty, generally 10 mills on the dollar; 2-by a land tax, generally 21/2 cents per acre ; 3-by a produce tax levied on cotton, sugar, cane, molasses, potatoes, onions, rice and even oysters ; 4-by a tax on every railroad, varying from $20 to $100 per mile. The several levee districts also have the power to issue bonds, the proceeds of which are devoted to levee building, and the total authorized issue of which now amounts to many millions of dollars.
These taxes are high, and the burden is great, but it is cheerfully sustained by the residents of the alluvial portions of the state. The planters find their levee tax is a cheap form of insurance against the floods which wrought such terrible destruction in former years.
The present levee system, although far from complete either in extent or size, has substantially and practically protected the state of Louisiana from overflows since 1893, and the day will soon come when its completion will insure absolute protection to the inhabit- ants of the most fertile sections of the state.
Levert, a village in the southern part of St. Martin parish, is on the Southern Pacific R. R., 3 miles north of St. Martinville, the parish seat. It has a money order postoffice and does some shipping.
Levy, William M., lawyer and member of Congress, was born in Isle of Wight county, Va .. Oet. 30, 1827. He received a college education ; studied and practiced law ; at the outbreak of war with Mexico he enlisted and served throughout the war : in 1852 moved to Louisiana, where he served in the lower house of the state legisla- ture from 1859 to 1861; was a presidential elector on the Demo- cratie ticket in 1860; served during the war in the Confederate army, and in 1874 was elected a representative from Louisiana to the 44th Congress as a Democrat.
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Lewis, a post-hamlet and station in the northern part of Caddo parish, is situated on the north shore of Caddo lake and the Kansas City Southern R. R., about 25 miles northwest of Shreveport, the parish seat.
Lewis, Edward Taylor, lawyer and member of Congress, was born at Opelousas, La., Oct. 26, 1834. He was educated partly by private tutors and partly at the Wesleyan university of Delaware, Ohio, and in 1859 was admitted to the bar. He practiced his pro- fession until the breaking out of the Civil war, when he entered the Confederate army as a private in the infantry service, and at the close of the conflict was mustered out as a captain of cavalry- In 1865 he was elected to the state legislature, and at a special elec- tion on Feb. 15, 1883, was elected to the 48th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Maj. Andrew Herron. After the expiration of his term in Congress, he was again elected a member of the legislature of Louisiana.
Lewiston, a post-village in the northern part of Tangipahoa parish, is a station on the Kentwood & Eastern R. R., 7 miles east of Kent- wood in the long leaf pine district.
Liberty, a postoffice in the eastern part of Red River parish, is situated on a confluent of the Black bayou, about 6 miles northeast of Coushatta, the parish seat and nearest railroad town.
Liberty Hill, a post-hamlet in the eastern part of Bienville parish, is situated on Potts creek, 4 miles east of Bienville, the nearest railroad station, and some 12 miles south of Arcadia, the parish seat. In 1900, it had a population of 100.
Libraries .- In the act of the territorial legislature of 1805 which created the University of Orleans and the parish academies, pro- vision is made under section 7 for the establishment of a public library in each parish in Louisiana, under the direction of the same board of regents which should govern the university and parish academies. This board was also instructed to support and enlarge the New Orleans public library as then existing, instead of estab- lishing a new one. This broad plan was not executed, however, and Louisiana public libraries came into existence in a radically different manner. In 1805, the legislature chartered the New Or- leans Library society, a joint stock company with an unlimited' number of shares of $25 each, which became the pattern followed by other library societies. Lottery privileges were granted in 1816 to the St. Francisville Library company and the New Orleans Library society. The Library society of Alexandria and the Free Library society of New Orleans were organized and incorporated in 1824. On April 25. 1826, the legislature passed "An act provid- ing that it shall be lawful for the directors of the New Orleans Library society to make a single lottery for the whole amount of the capital which they are authorized to raise by five lotteries."
The Free Library society of New Orleans became the Touro Free Library society, in honor of Judah Touro, a wealthy Hebrew of the city, who donated funds for the erection of a building for the
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use of the library. Membership in the society was granted upon the contribution of $5.00, or books equal to that amount.
The State library was founded in 1833 and from humble begin- nings has grown to a valuable collection of 40,000 volumes, which are housed at the corner of Union and Baronne streets, New Or- leans. Special privileges are allowed to physicians, lawyers and stu- dents, who alone are permitted to draw books from the library. It contains a wealth of material for research in history, political science and law. A pathetic reminder of the hardships resulting from the Civil war is found in the act of the legislature at that time repealing the office of state librarian.
The New Orleans Law Library society was incorporated on March 17, 1828, and subscriptions were received by 5 commission- ers for capital stock of the society, which consisted of an unlimited number of shares of $100 each. The governor of the state was authorized to give to the library 1 copy each of the revised Civil Code, the Code of Practice, Martin's Digest, Chrysty's Digest, the acts of the legislature, and every code or book of jurisprudence, laws of the United States and of the several states of the Union, for- warded to the secretary of state of Louisiana each year. The library now contains over 18,000 volumes.
. In 1842 B. F. French threw open to the public a library, which four years later numbered 7,500 volumes. The city library in 1848 contained about the same number, but it was intended chiefly for the use of the public schools and was not entirely a free library. In 1848 the "Fisk Free Library" of 6,000 volumes, with "a building for their reception," was offered to the city, but for some reason the offer was neglected at the time, and the library was not opened to the public as a free library until Jan. 18, 1897. Shortly after this the Fisk and the Lyceum (public school) libraries were consoli- dated and a little later received a gift of $50,000 from the estate of Simon Hernsheim, when the institution took the name of "The New Orleans Public Library." For some time it was located in rented quarters on Camp street, but in 1908 a liberal donation was received from Andrew Carnegie and a handsome new building was erected at the corner of Lee circle and St. Charles avenue, where "The Public Library of New Orleans" is now domiciled with H. M. Gill as librarian.
The Howard Memorial library, located on Howard avenue and extending from Camp street to Lee circle, was erected in 1889 by Miss Annie T. Howard as a memorial to her father. The building was designed by Henry H. Richardson, an architect of Louisiana birth, and is a noteworthy example of his best style. This struc- ture, which cost $115,000, a sum of money amounting to over $200,- 000, and some 8.000 books were given by Miss Howard into the hands of a board of trustees composed of prominent New Orleans citizens. The library consists of over 50,000 volumes, chosen with care and intelligence, and is of exceedingly great value as a refer- ence library. In the collection is a very complete set of documents bearing on the early colonial history of Louisiana. The main object
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of the library is to provide a place where information on all subjects, but especially on the history of the State of Louisiana, can be col- lected, preserved, and made easy of access by the public. William Beer, an Englishman by birth and a graduate of the School of Physical Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne, has been librarian of the institution from its foundation.
Other libraries of note are the Y. M. C. A. library and free read- ing room of New Orleans ; the St. Alphonsus circulating library of New Orleans (1,400 volumes) ; the Baton Rouge public library (over 4,000 volumes) ; the Alexandria library (5,000 volumes) ; the People's library of Shreveport (3,000 volumes), and the Car- negie library of Lake Charles.
The several state educational institutions contain libraries chosen with reference to the particular need of the students. Among the larger ones are the library of 7,500 volumes at the H. Sophie New- comb Memorial College; the Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University, which contains 40,000 volumes (see Tulane University of Louisiana) ; and the Hill Memorial Library of the Louisiana State University, donated by Mr. John Hill of West Baton Rouge, in memory of his son John Hill Jr., who graduated from the univer- sity in 1873, and served as one of the supervisors of that institu- tion until his death in 1893.
Public school libraries are provided for by the act of the legisla- ture dated July 12, 1906, which states that whenever the sum of $10 is raised by private subscription by the patrons of any school, the parish board shall at its next quarterly meeting appropriate a like sum for the establishment of a library for the said school.
Liddell, St. John R., soldier, was one of the leaders of the army of the Confederacy that fought to maintain its hold upon Tennessee. At that time he served with the rank of colonel on the staff of Gen. Hardee, and in Feb., 1862, carried reports of Gen. Johnston to Richmond. He commanded an Arkansas brigade during the siege of Corinth in the summer or 1862, and was commissioned brigadier- general July 12 of that year. When Bragg started on the Kentucky campaign, Gen. Liddell commanded a brigade in the army that crossed Kentucky as far as the Ohio river. He took active part in the battle of Perryville : was in the thick of the fight at the battle of Murfreesboro, and commanded a division of Walker's corps at Chickamauga. After this battle he (Liddell) was transferred to the Trans-Mississippi department and assigned to the command of the sub-district of north Louisiana. He took part in the Red River campaign, operating first around Campti, and during the retreat of the Federals from Boggy bayou to Grand Ecore, he annoyed the fleet by sharpshooters and artillery, finally stopping it at Berde- lon's Point. He suggested to Gen. Taylor a movement upon Alex- andria ; pushed his force into Pineville and attacked the gunboats ; was assigned in August to the command of southern Mississippi. and later was put in charge of the eastern division, Department of the Gulf. After the fall of Spanish Fort, he was captured at Fort Blakely, near Mobile, Ala., with a large part of his command,
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which practically ended his service. After the close of the war Gen. Liddell resided in New Orleans until his death.
Liddieville, a postoffice in the western part of Franklin parish, is 6 miles west of Winnsboro, the parish seat and nearest railroad town.
Liguest, Pierre Laclede, merchant and founder of the city of St. Louis, Mo., was born in the parish of Bedon, Valle l'Aspre, France, in 1724. There has been some question as to his correct name, some writers giving it as Pierre Laclede Liguest, and others as Pierre Liguest Laclede. Sharp's History of St. Louis says: "In fourteen instances in which the name of Laclede occurs in the archives it is written .Pierre Laclede Liguest.' In the body of legal instruments, whether drawn by himself or by a notary, this is the almost uniform orthography. But whenever Laclede signed his name to a document, the signature is universally 'Laclede Liguest.' To his associ- ates he was known as 'Laclede.' In social life the drop- ping of the surname is common." Liguest came of good family, was trained in early life to commercial pursuits, and in 1755 came to New Orleans, where he established himself as a merchant. Dur- ing the French and Indian war he suffered heavy losses, but for his services to the French colonial government he received in 1762 from the governor of Louisiana a license giving him the exclusive priv- ilege of carrying on the fur trade with the Indians in the Missouri river country. The firm of Maxent & Co. was formed under the provisions of the license, and in Aug., 1763, Lignest, with his family and a small party of hardy adventurers, left New Orleans to estab- lish a trading post near the confluence of the Missouri and Missis- sippi rivers. His boats were loaded with goods adapted to the Indian trade, but the voyage up the river was slow, and it was November before he reached Fort Chartres, where he spent the greater portion of the winter. In Feb., 1764, he arrived at his des- tination and began his preparations for the establishment of his trading post. Under his direction a town was laid out, which he named St. Louis-now the largest city in the Mississippi valley. For several years Liguest carried on a profitable trade in furs, with St. Louis as his headquarters, though he made regular trips to the adjacent Indian tribes and to New Orleans, from which city he obtained most of his goods and supplies. While returning to St. Louis from New Orleans on one of these trips, he was taken ill and died at a place called Poste des Arkansas, near the mouth of the Arkansas river. June 20, 1778. An effort was made some years later to locate his grave, but it was ineffectual, and the resting place of the founder of St. Louis remains unknown. Hyde & Conard's Cyclopedia of St. Louis says: "While still a resident of New Or- leans, Laclede contracted a civil marriage with Madame Thérèse Chouteau, who had separated from a former husband, and who was denied divorcement by the Catholic church. Four children were born of this union, but all of these children, upon confirmation in the church, took the name of the mother, and hence none of Laclède's descendants bears his name."
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Lillie, a post-village of Union parish, is a station on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R., 15 miles northwest of Farmerville, the parish seat. It has an express office, some retail trade, and in 1900 reported a population of 100.
Lincecum, a village in the northeastern part of Grant parish, is a station on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern R. R., about 30 miles north of Alexandria. It is located in the pine belt, has sawmills and other lumber industries, a money order postoffice, express offices, telegraph station, telephone facilities, and is the shipping and supply town for a considerable district. In 1900 it had a population of 450.
Lincoln Parish, one of the northern parishes, was created out of parts of Bienville. Jackson, Claiborne and Union parishes in 1873, and received its name in memory of Abraham Lincoln. On the north it is bounded by the parishes of Claiborne and Union ; on the east by Union and Ouachita : on the south by Jackson and Bien- ville; and on the west by Bienville and Claiborne. The early set- tlements of this section were made in groups or neighborhoods. One of the first was started by Jeptha Colvin, who lived in the vicinity of Vienna. Others who settled near were Philip Brinson, Thomas Nelson and Rev. McFarland, the first Baptist preacher in the country. A second settlement, known as Redvine, was about 10 miles south of the Colvin settlement, near the present village of Choudrant. Among the pioneers here were "Squire" Wheat, "Judge" Roane and Abraham Pipes, who was the first Methodist preacher in the parish. Four miles west the May brothers and a man named Dowdy. formed a settlement, while John and James Huey and others formed a settlement 12 miles southeast. All these settlements, though formed in the 20's, did not grow rapidly until after 1830. Stores were opened in the Colvin settlement and a town grew up. Its early merchants were Allen Green and H. H. Howard. The organization of the parish was effected during the reconstruc- tion period in 1873. Vienna, incorporated directly after the war, was made the parish seat and grew rapidly. A two-story wooden building was erected for a court house, and used until it burned down in 1880. A fine new building replaced it and was used until 1885. After the Vicksburg. Shreveport & Pacific R. R. was built across the southern part of the parish, Ruston came into existence, - the merchants moved there from Vienna to secure shipping facili- ties, and in 1884 it was made the parish seat. The officers appointed at the organization of the parish were C. J. Green, judge : J. B. Ray, sheriff : S. P. Colvin, chief clerk of the court: J. M. Roane, sur- veyor : and William Taylor (colored) coroner. Ruston is the most important town in the parish. Other towns and villages are Chou- drant, Douglas, Dubach, Hico, Knowles. Simsboro, Tremont. Cedar- ton and Vienna. Lincoln has an undulating surface of 465 square miles. It is watered by Bayou D'Arbonne and its tributaries, and a number of small streams. A number of chalybeate springs are found in different parts of the parish. The surface is generally rolling and may be classed with the "good uplands." The prevail-
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ing soils are red sandy clay and sandy loam, with a sandy subsoil. Up to a few years ago a large part of the parish was heavily timbered with oak, hackberry, pine, some ash, gum and other varieties. As the timber has been cleared off stock raising has increased and cat- tle, hogs, sheep and mules are raised on the farms, where excellent pasture is abundant throughout most of the year. The principal export crop is cotton, which yields well on the upland, but corn, hay, oats, sorghum, wheat, sugar-cane, tobacco, potatoes and peas are all grown extensively. Such fruits and nuts as peaches, pears, plums, pecans, apples, quinces and grapes all do well in this north- ern climate. Deposits of marl, potter's clay, fire clay, and lignite have been discovered and will contribute to the wealth of the parish when developed. Within the last few years transportation facilities have improved. The Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific R. R. crosses the southern part of the parish, from Arcadia in Bienville parish to Calhoun in Quachita parish, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. crosses the northern boundary near Middlefork and runs south through the center of the parish. Outlets are thus pro- vided in every direction for the farmers' products and it is expected the parish will become more thickly settled in the near future. The following statistics are the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 2,213 ; acreage, 245.962; acres improved, 116,143; value of land and improvements exclusive of buildings, $951,490; value of farm build- ings, $362,290; value of live stock, $373,996; value of all products not fed to live stock, $787,414: number of manufacturing establish- ments, 44; capital invested. $100,729: wages paid, $11,514; cost of materials used, $28,760; total value of products, $70,056. The popu- lation of the parish for 1900 was 9,139 whites, 6,759 colored, a total of 15,898, an increase of 1.145 during the preceding decade. The estimated population for the year 1908 was over 16.000.
Lindsay, a village of East Feliciana parish, is situated on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R., 5 miles west of Slaughter and 16 miles southwest of Clinton, the parish seat. It has a money order postoffice, express office, telegraph station, and telephone facilities, and in 1900 reported a population of 56.
Linton, a post-hamlet of Bossier parish, is situated in the central part. 5 miles east of Benton, the parish seat and nearest railroad town.
Linville, a postoffice in the eastern part of Union parish, is 3 miles west of Haile. the nearest railroad station, and 13 miles north- east of Farmerville, the parish seat.
Lions (R. R. name Welcome), one of the principal villages in the parish of St. John the Baptist. is located on the east bank of the Mississippi river about 4 miles above Edgard, the parish seat. Several steamboat lines touch at Lions, and additional transporta- tion is furnished by two lines of railway-the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, and the Louisiana Railway & Navigation company. It has a money order postoffice, express offices, a good retail trade, and in 1900 reported a population of 455.
Liquidation, Board of .- (Sce Finances, State.)
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Lisbon, a village in the castern part of Claiborne parish, is about 12 miles east of Homer, the parish seat and most convenient rail- road station. It is an old place, settled in the 3d decade of the last century, and before the advent of the railroad was an important trading center. It has a money order postoffice, and in 1900 reported a population of 127.
Lislet, L. Moreau, was one of the eminent lawyers of New Or- leans in the early years of the 19th century. Under an act of the first legislature of the Territory of Orleans, he and James Brown were appointed commissioners to prepare a civil code for the terri- tory, and in the act it was provided that each of the commissioners should receive a salary of $800 a year for 5 years. On March 31, 1808, they reported their "Digest of Civil Laws now in force in the Territory of Orleans, with Alterations and Amendments adapted to the Present form of Government." This codification of the laws is known as the "Old Code." Mr. Lislet was associated with Fran- çois X. Martin and Fielding Turner as attorneys for the people in the celebrated Batture case. In 1820 he was elected to the legislature, and while a member of that body he was appointed one of the com- mittee to prepare the address to Gov. Villere. In 1825, with Edward Livingston and Pierre Derbigny, he assisted in revising the old code, the new "Civil Code of Louisiana" becoming operative late in that year, and in 1827 he edited a "General Digest of the Acts of the Louisiana Legislature from 1804 to 1827." This work was pub- lished in two volumes in 1828, and is still regarded as an authority on the early laws of the state. (Sce Codes and Statutes.)
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Lismore, a post-hamlet of Concordia parish, situated on the Black river, about 8 miles south of Athlone, the nearest railroad station, and 20 miles southwest of Vidalia, the parish seat. In 1900 it had a population of 45.
Literature .- An interesting peculiarity of the literature of Louisiana is that it is written in two languages. As the province was settled by French colonists and was under the control of the French government for more than 60 years after the first settle- ment was made, it was but natural that French should be the prevailing language during that period. Even during the Spanish domination French continued to be the popular tongue, and for almost half a century after Louisiana had passed into the hands of the United States the inhabitants of French descent made but little effort to learn to speak and write English. It is related that, for a number of years after Louisiana was admitted to statehood, an official interpreter had to be employed in the two houses of the legislature and in courts of justice. This is no longer necessary, though there are still many Creole families who adhere to their mother tongue in all their social relations. A Louisiana writer says: "Considering that our Creole authors know that in writing French they have but little chance of being read outside of their state, their patriotic and disinterested devotion to the language of their ancestors is certainly remarkable and most praiseworthy."
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