Forgotten Cemeteries, Part Three - Norris Cemetery

The map above shows the Norris Cemetery located outside of Sicily Island near Leland, north of the Peck and Peniston Cemeteries on highway 913.  The cemetery is just south of Norris Springs and is actually on the same side of the highway although the map shows Norris Springs to be on the eastern side of the highway.

Using GPS to guide us, we located what we believed was once the Norris Cemetery.  The photographs below were our first glimpses of the location.

At first glance, the area appeared to be the former site of some type of building.  We noticed the fallen brick structure but also wondered about the height of the fallen portions.  They seemed to be only a couple of feet tall.  This led us to question whether the structure had once been a building or if it had been a low-rise wall around burial locations.

We found one area that could possibly have been a burial site but it appeared to be too short and narrow. Perhaps it had been a walkway between two burial locations?

Just outside the bricked area we discovered a flat stone beneath leaves and fallen branches.  After clearing the area we found a memorial marker for Dr. Richard Henry Norris.

Dr. Richard Henry Norris
August 3, 1803 - 1860

I note that the marker shows, "To The Memory Of" because it has been told that Dr. Norris was originally buried in a vertical grave located closer to Norris Springs and that his remains were later moved to another location.  

It could be that the stories told are true and his remains were moved to a new location.  It is also possible that only a marker was placed in a new location as memorial stones are often placed in locations other than where a person is buried.  However, we searched the area above Norris Springs and found no evidence of a former grave site.

The photograph below shows a portion of another marker we found in what we believe is the Norris Cemetery.  Unfortunately, the top portion was missing so identifying the person buried there was not possible.

Unknown

The following Norris family members are believed to be buried in the Norris Cemetery:

Harriet Perry Kirkland Norris (1803-abt 1893) - wife of Dr. Richard Henry Norris

Jane Catherine Norris Bondurant (1839-abt 1924) - daughter of Dr. Richard Henry Norris

Horace Bondurant, Sr. (1828-1912) - husband of Jane Catherine Norris
Clara Patton (?-1875) - wife of R. H. Norris, Jr.

Other possible grave sites can be seen in the following photographs:

Possible burial site

Possible burial site

The Family of Dr. Richard Henry Norris

Forgotten Cemeteries, Part One - Peniston Cemetery

Forgotten Cemeteries, Part Two - Peck Cemetery

Pine Hill Plantation House - History and Renovation

The above photograph and the following article written by staff writer, Max Hill appeared in the November 28, 1982 edition of the News-Star World.

Transcription:

It's been a persistent legend in Catahoula Parish for 75 years.

Pine Hill Plantation house - long abandoned and all but forgotten but said to be filled with spirits too restless to accept death.

As far back as 75 years ago, Pine Hill was referred to by local children as the "Haunted House."  Even then, it was abandoned and in a state of disrepair.  

No one lived there as a reminder it had once been the center of a social life with ties to New Orleans and Natchez culture.

No one was there to tell of the days when guests to elegant balls and dinners filled its rooms.
There was only mute evidence that a prestigious family had once called it home, or once filled it with the trappings of Southern aristocracy.

The once-elegant structure was suffering from neglect and the ravages of time.  A tree fell through the dining room windows around the turn of the century, forming a ladder by which vandals and sightseers could enter and pilfer any remaining possessions.

Will Peck, the man who knows more about Pine Hill than any other person in the area - on the basis of family ties and a life-long interest in the house - has taken up residence there.

Peck says he has always heard stories of mysterious phenomena at the house, but reports few unexplainable occurrences have taken place during the five years he has been living there.

Today, there is new life in the house with restoration work in progress.  But still an aura envelops the house, keeping alive the mystery which may have been a key factor in its preservation.

If there had not been rumors of ghosts, the structure may well have been destroyed by scavengers or arsonists.

Lucky for historians that the house still stands, because in addition to the myths surrounding it, Pine Hill played an historic role based on fact.

Norris Springs - 2011

The house is located near one of the most historic spots in Catahoula Parish and northeastern Louisiana--Norris Springs. The natural springs have been mentioned in almost every history of the state as a water source for Indians and local residents.

For unknown centuries, the springs were the center of life for indigenous Indians.  As white men entered the area in the mid-1700s, they were quick to realize the importance of the springs.

Peck says the road which runs directly beside the springs and Pine Hill was an extension of the El Camino Real during periods of high water.

Norris Springs - 2011

The El Camino Real was the main Spanish road that ran from the Mississippi River to Santa Fe, NM. A variety of wayfarers must have stopped to refresh themselves with the icy water as they marched westward.

One of those early adventurers who decided to settle in the area was John Bowie.  He was the original inhabitant of Pine Hill plantation, named it and began the first house there.

Bowie was the uncle of Jim Bowie -- inventor of the Bowie knife -- who met death at the hands of Santa Anna's troops in 1836 at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio.

The younger Bowie was a resident of Catahoula Parish and a frequent visitor to Pine Hill Plantation.

John Bowie sold the plantation in 1822 to Zachariah Kirkland, who completed the current structure in 1825.  The house was built on a portion of an original Spanish land grant.

Pine Hill house is built in a style known primarily in the West Indies, the most important of a number of reasons the house is noteworthy in Louisiana architectural circles.

It was constructed high on a hill which overlooked the entire farm.  Main floor rooms are elevated over two brick basements.  There are five rooms and an enclosed porch upstairs.

The unusual basements were utilized mainly for storage in the days when a plantation had to be completely self-sufficient.  Still intact are bars over the windows to prevent animals from entering the food supply rooms.

Peck says the West Indies architecture was unusual in this part of the state; however, he adds, there was a rational explanation for its utilization at Pine Hill.

"These people were closely akin to the Spanish in New Orleans.  Governor Gayosa was responsible for many of the land grants here and on Sicily Island," he says.

Kirkland lived at Pine Hill until his death a decade later.  His widow, Harriet Perry Kirkland, lived there until her death past the age of 90.

Following the death of Mrs. Kirkland's first husband, she married a "Dr. Norris," who bequeathed his name to the house, springs and community.

Mrs. Norris was well known throughout the state as one of the wealthiest women of her day.  She was also acquainted and related to many prominent people throughout the state.

The house was refined with imported millwork and conveniences during the time Dr. and Mrs. Norris lived there.  A brick-paved circular driveway, complete with carriage landing, was constructed.  The original brick walk has been unearthed during recent renovations.

There also was a continuous stream of interesting people visiting there during Dr. Norris' lifetime. Stephen F. Austin stopped on his way to Texas long enough to borrow money to finance the remainder of the journey.  He left his desk with the family as collateral, Peck says.

Mrs. Norris was considered the matriarch of many Catahoula Parish families.  She was a staunch supporter of the Confederacy during the Civil War and on occasion hid Rebel troops in her brick storerooms.

Confederate agents, scouting out the countryside following the fall of Louisiana, camped on her property, Peck said.

"She was really taking a chance in allowing this.  If the Federals had found out, she could have been ruined," Peck says.

During Reconstruction, the house was used as a relay station in a most unusual spy network.
Federal officials, anxious to arrest pro-Southern sympathizers, made several fruitless trips to Catahoula Parish.

"They never could figure out why the prominent men always eluded capture," Peck says.

According to local legend, a woman in Monroe who owned a river boat alerted the Southerners to impending danger.  She would travel by boat to Boeuf Prairie in Franklin Parish and send a relay messenger to Mrs. Norris at Pine Hill.

"This Belle Watling-type character saved many Catahoula men from Yankee jails," Peck says, referring to the classy madam in "Gone With The Wind."

Social events for which Mrs. Norris had been famous continued at the house until the early 1900s. Dances were held in the upstairs rooms for the young people of Sicily Island.

And then, around the turn of the century, a young man who had only recently moved to the area was murdered at the house.

Peck said that a "Mr. Stewart" had come to Catahoula with the gas industry.  In the short period he was there, he gained the respect of area residents.

One ill-fated night, he escorted a young Sicily Island woman to the Pine Hill dance.  Unknown to the young couple was the fact that a local youth was in love with the girl.

He waited outside the house for them to leave the dance.  As they walked onto the front steps, Mr. Stewart was mortally wounded.

The murderer mounted his horse and vanished into the night, according to one popular version of the story.

"The young girl was totally innocent, that was the irony of the entire matter." Peck says.

After Mrs. Norris' death, Pine Hill remained an empty shell for a number of years.  From time to time, tenants would live there, but never for any great length of time.

But work is currently underway to restore the front veranda and to repair other deteriorating features.
Peck intends to open the house to the public for seven months during the New Orleans World Fair in 1984.  He plans to make available the upstairs to overnight guests who wish to take a trip into the past.

Whether there are ghosts at Pine Hill remains a mystery.  Peck will not comment on any unusual happenings during his time at the house.

"Ghosts?  All I can say is Grandmother Norris has to be here.  Without her, the house would never have survived," he says.

Pine Hill Plantation House - 2011

Newspaper article and photograph are courtesy of Karen Barron Egloff.

Childhood Remembrances of Flora Crawford Eschenburg, Part 5

The following transcript is from the childhood remembrances of Flora Kathryn Crawford Eschenburg who was the daughter of Samuel Cooke Crawford and Rachel Victoria Seal.

Part Five - Entertainment

One might think that with all the things people had to do to make a living in those days, there was no time for fun.  That was not true.  I can assure you that we had many good times.  I have written about some of the fun things we did.

On Sunday, we would pile on the wagon and go to church.  We had a buggy, but that wouldn't hold the whole family.  It was used mostly for trips to town and Mama used it for visiting friends. It was customary for us to go to church at night.  Everyone would take lanterns along to light the way on the return trip home.  

Quite often we had church dinners called "dinners on the grounds".  Everyone brought baskets of prepared food and spread dinner on the ground.  Everyone sat around on blankets and helped themselves.  Lemonade was the usual drink, and we had all the water we needed.

When the crop work was finished and plants were left alone to grow, we'd load the wagon with camping equipment and several families would join together for a camping trip.  We would go to a place on the river called The Rocks and camp for as much as three days at a time.  We enjoyed fishing, swimming, tale telling, and just relaxing.  

The Rocks - 2011

We usually took a boat along and made good use of it.  We caught fish and fried them in a frying pan set on the campfire.  This campfire was used for cooking and for lighting the campsite. Of course we took mosquito bars along to protect us from mosquitoes at night.  All homes used mosquito bars since there were no window screens until the 1920s.

Papa and the boys enjoyed coon hunts and squirrel and deer hunting.

Another thing young boys in the community enjoyed doing was snitching eggs from hens' nests and planning an egg boiling.  Usually eggs were sold for a little "pen" money, or traded at the grocery store.  The boys would sneak them a few at a time until Saturday night when they would take them into the woods and boil them.  

Sometimes they would also include a chicken to be roasted over the campfire.  As late as 1928-34, the schools took eggs in payment for entry into the ball games.

We loved to go crawfishing in the small stream that ran near our house.  We used a piece of fat meat on a string to lure the crawfish.  When they grabbed the bait, we grabbed the crawfish.

We had candy makings, watermelon cuttings, peanut boilings, fish fries, and ice cream making. Our friends were invited and often walked two or three miles to get to the party.  The older boys and girls had regular parties during which they played such games as Shoot the Buffalo, Skip to My Loo, and Drop the Handkerchief.  There was also square dancing.

We had horses to ride.  I especially remember a smaller horse we had that we called Charlie, and a red one with a white face that we called Lady.  We rode two or three on a horse at a time when we were small.  Someone would lead the horse as we rode.  We rode alone as we grew older and more able to handle the horse.

We thought milking a cow was fun as long as we did it only when we wanted warm milk squeezed directly into our mouths.  When we got big enough to have milking as a chore, it ceased to be fun and became work.

We loved playing under the house where it was cool.

Box suppers were popular, especially at school and church fund raising affairs.  The girls would decorate their boxes to the best of their ability, cook their favorite foods, and pack enough food for two people.  The boys would bid on the boxes.  The identity of the person who prepared the box was kept secret, but often the boys would try to find out who had packed which box. Then they would bid on the box packed by their girlfriend or by a girl they wanted to court.

Many times we'd go on picnics at St. Mary's Fall, Big Creek, or Norris Springs.  Norris Springs was our favorite spot.  It was a lovely, clear spring flowing from a hillside.  We loved to slide down the steep hill on pieces of cardboard, boards, pieces of tin, or about anything we could find that would keep us from blistering our seats as we came sailing down the hill.  We also spent time on the hill and in the creek searching for rattle rocks.

Norris Springs - 2011

Natural Spring Water - Norris Springs - 2011

Often as we sat around the fireplace on winter evenings, we ate parched peanuts, chewed sugar can or ate popcorn.  Papa would entertain us with ghost stories, or tales of his early childhood. Often he would play the fiddle for us if his fingers weren't too stiff.

Some evenings a friend with a guitar or a Jew's Harp would drop over and it would be a joy to sit on the floor around them and listen to their music.  Later our oldest brother learned to play a violin.  Our dad played such tunes as the Arkansas Traveler, Turkey in the Straw, and Buck-eyed Rabbit.  These tunes were the ones he had danced to when he was a young man.  Our brother, however, liked to play more sophisticated music such as Lieberstraum and The Blue Danube Waltz.

Until we moved to the Gillis House, we rode to school by wagon or we walked.  This was not as bad as it sounds, but the distance required that we got up quite early in the morning.  The wagon was covered and we had fun along the way.  Sometimes we would get off the wagon to pick flowers.  Then we'd have to run to catch up.  We'd have sing-a-longs and once in a while a good argument or even a fight or two.  But these didn't last long, and we were all friends the next day. Later we rode on the first school bus.  

When we were older, it was a thrill to get to sit by our favorite boyfriend or girlfriend.  We took our lunches in buckets and would gather our friends at lunchtime to share food and eat.  We had a Jewish friend named Peachy Saltzman who loved to trade her goose liver sandwich for our pork sausage.

Finally, silent movies came to our little town and would be shown at the school auditorium. Anyone could go if they had 15 cents to get in.  I well remember my father going with us to see his first movie.  I think it was a western called "Riders of the Purple Sage".  How he did enjoy it! It was not until about 1928-30 that a movie house was built in Wisner, the nearest town.

Sports were the big thing in school.  We loved the track meets and basketball tournaments.  I was on the First Team and enjoyed getting out of school on Friday evening to play teams at nearby schools.  Some schools were not so near and we were often late getting home.

On graduation night the big treat was wearing a white dress, the finest your parents could afford, and your "invited" flower girls showered you with flowers at the foot of the stage.  Caps and gowns were not in fashion until after I graduated in 1930.

I look back on my growing up years with a great deal of pleasure.  Many changes have taken place since those days that were supposed to make life easier, and they have in many ways. However, I often wonder if those changes have made us happier or better people.  With all the busy times back then, it seemed to be busy-ness with a purpose.  

Today we seem to be very, very busy, but are we sure of where we are heading?  Is it true that when we had to travel to church in wagons and buggies that more people attended church?  Or that children appreciated more of the things they got for Christmas, even if it might be very little?  Or that children appreciated school more when they had to supply their own books and writing materials and carry their own lunches?  Are we willing to help our neighbors and do we enjoy helping those in need?

During my childhood, we didn't have to worry about leaving the windows open, the doors unlocked or the keys in the car.

During my lifetime, I have seen travel progress from horse and buggy and wagon, to train, car and airplane.  I have even sat by my television and watched men and women travel into space.  I have seen communication progress from slates to pencil and paper, pen and ink, typewriters, and computers.  It makes one wonder what is coming next.

In reality, I guess I am just getting old, looking back to the "old days" and getting sentimental. But I hope this provides my grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and any others who read this an insight into what life was like during my youth.

**********

Special thanks to Joan McLemore for allowing me to share her Aunt Flora's childhood remembrances.  Joan is the daughter of Flora's older sister, Dell Crawford Meadows.

Note:  Parts 1-4 of 'Childhood Remembrances of Flora Crawford Eschenburg' can be found in the Tags List on the right side of the blog, under the tag titled Crawford Family.

Pine Hill Plantation

Pine Hill Plantation is located west of Sicily Island off Highway 913 near Norris Springs.  The West Indies-style house was built between 1820-1823 by Zachariah Tucker Kirkland and Harriet Perry. Following the death of Zachariah Kirkland, Harriet married Dr. Richard Henry Norris.

Norris Springs

Norris Springs

Amanuensis Monday ~ The Stories That Should Be Told, Part 33

The following transcription is from a series of recordings my father made in the early 1990s:

The Goose Snatching...

Ellen and Newt Barlin had a son named Sam.  Sam was a year or two older than me.  He was called Goose Sam because he had stolen a goose from an old colored woman.

Grandma Steele

One morning, my mother and I walked over to Grandma Steele’s house.  She was out in the backyard by her chicken coop.  She told us she had bought a goose the day before from Sam Barlin.  The goose was missing.  Grandma said she believed that Sam had stolen the goose.  

The investigation began. 

On up in the day, Grandma Steele found out that Mrs. Birdie Krause, Oscar’s wife, had bought a goose from Sam the day before Grandma had bought a goose from him.  Mrs. Birdie discovered her goose was gone the next morning. 

The story finally unfolded that Sam had stolen the goose from Aunt Elvira Smith.  He sold it to Mrs. Birdie Krause then went back and stole it that night and sold it to Grandma Steele the next day.   Grandma turned him over to Uncle Tom Enright who was the Justice of the Peace. 

Dr. Russell Fairbanks

Uncle Tom had a little coffee shop up town and out in front of the shop is where he held court.  I remember all us kids, black and white, going to see Sam in court.  Uncle Tom sentenced Sam to a whipping by his father right there on the street.  Newt took his belt off and doubled it up.  They were standing there in front of the coffee shop and the barber shop when Newt whipped him. 

Car Owners in the Village in the 1930s...

Mr. Coney (school principal), Augusta Krause, Maurice Saltzman, Charlie Smith, Willie Benge (rural mail carrier), Aunt Nita Steele, Uncle Wes Ogden, Rufus and Willie Knight, Alvin Seal, Dr. Russell Fairbanks, Dr. Charles Gordon, Mrs. Anna Peniston, Reggie Cruse, Aunt Lena and Uncle Jim McLelland, Henry and Georgia Peniston, and Oscar and Birdie Krause.

Birdie Talbert Krause

Oscar Krause

Mr. Oscar's car was a little one seat car with a rumble seat in the back.  I got to ride in it one time when Mrs. Birdie took a bunch of us kids to Norris Springs.   

Norris Springs - 2011

Gone to Get a Baby...

One day I was over at Ouida and Juanita Seal’s house.  They lived next to the Krauses.  They told me that Mrs. Birdie and Mr. Oscar Krause had gone to get a baby.  Mrs. Birdie’s sister married a fellow named Westerburg from up around Winnsboro.  Her sister died shortly after having a baby boy.  Mrs. Birdie and Mr. Oscar were going to get the baby and raise it.

I waited there with Ouida and Juanita.  We wanted to see them come back with that baby.  After a while, we saw their car coming.  We ran over there as they parked their car under a little sycamore tree in front of their house.  I was eight years old at the time but I remember the scene like it was just last year.  They got out of the car and Mrs. Birdie had that baby wrapped up in a blanket.  The baby was about six weeks old and his name was Ben.

People around here knew him as Ben Krause when he was growing up.  To most folks, Mr. Oscar and Mrs. Birdie were his daddy and mama.  After he got older, everybody called him Ben Westerburg. 

Oh, Mr. Oscar was as crazy about that boy as if he was his own!  In later years, Ben’s father, Mr. Westerburg, retired from out in California and came back to this area.  He’s still alive today, living in a nursing home.  Ben lives out on the Cane Road on part of the old Krause place. 

The Preacher's Family...

Sicily Island Methodist Church

Brother E. W. Day was one of our Methodist preachers.  He and his family came to Sicily Island in 1933 and lived here until 1936.  They lived in the old parsonage that sat between the Kempe house and the Usher house.  He and his wife had five children.  Ernest, Henry, Marion, Cecil and Fern.  Cecil was about my age but my buddy was Henry who was about 3 or 4 years older than me. 

All the kids here in town would go up to the preacher’s house to play.  It was a big thing to go up there.  People say that preachers’ sons are mean.  Those boys weren’t mean but they were a tough bunch of boys.  Mrs. Bernice Day was the disciplinarian.  The boys would just run over Brother Day. 

I remember one time Mrs. Day took all of us boys to swim down at the point in the bay of Lake Lovelace.  It was like going to the beach.  The sandy point jutted out into the bay. 

Her four boys and several other of us boys were wrestling around in the back seat of their big ole car.  I don’t know what caused him to do it but the youngest boy, Cecil, said, 'shit'.  Mrs. Day heard him and she said, “Cecil, you better not say that ugly word or I’m gonna whip you!”  He said, 'shit'.  She said, “I told you I’m gonna whip you!”  He said, 'shit'. 

Lake Lovelace

We went on down the road to the point.  We went swimming and stayed down there a couple of hours.  After we got back to the parsonage, we went out to shoot marbles.  From inside the house we heard Mrs. Day say, “Oh, Cecil.  Cecil come here.”  He left the marble game and ran up in the house.  In a minute we heard a Whack, Whack, Whack.  She tore his backend up!  He was just a screaming.  I doubt he ever said that word again.

Effie Coan’s little girl, Tootsie, lived near the Methodist parsonage.  She was always going over to play with Fern Day.  The Days had several ole cats in the yard and two or three of them had kittens.  Tootsie and Fern each claimed a kitten as their own. 

One morning, Mrs. Day decided she was going to gather up some of the cats and haul them off.  She told her sons to gather them up.  Each one of her sons and two or three more of us boys who were up there playing grabbed a cat or two.  Fern was over at Tootsie’s house.  

We got them in the car and Mrs. Day said, “Don’t let little Fern or Tootsie see us hauling off their kittens, they’ll cry.”  About the time we pulled out on the road, Henry must have squeezed one of the cats because it let out a howl.  Fern and Tootsie spotted us and heard the cat howl.  They both started crying but we went on down the road.  

We headed toward Wisner and got up there near a place we called “the dip”.  The dip was a place in the highway about three miles up the road toward Wisner.  We put all those cats out.  It must have been twelve to fifteen cats.  We left them there around 9 o’clock that morning.

That evening about three or four o’clock, we were shooting marbles under an old shade tree beside the parsonage.  Somebody said, “Look!”  One of those ole cats that we had dropped off was just standing there.  It wasn’t a different cat.  We were all just amazed.  In a minute, another one showed up.  Within the next hour, I reckon eight or nine or ten cats showed up. 

I had heard that cats would find their way back home.  The amazing thing was that we had dropped them off about three miles away early that morning.

My buddy Henry was a tough ole boy.  Some of the older boys had found a motorcycle frame with handlebars.  They took some old tire rims off of a car or truck and put them on the front and back of the frame for wheels.  They had it down there at the side of that first bridge going out of Sicily Island toward Clayton. 

Bridge coming into Sicily Island

The slope going down to the bayou was steep.  The bayou was about two or three feet across and was about dried up.  There was a big truck tire that had been throw down there and it was buried up in that mud. 

Somebody was going to get to ride that motorcycle down that steep slope.  Henry volunteered to ride it down and I got on the back of it behind Henry.  The boys pushed us to the edge and let us go.

For about less than half a minute, we had a pretty good, fast ride!  

When we got to the bottom, the motorcycle hit that old tire buried up in that mud and we flew up into the air.  We must have flown ten or fifteen feet before landing on that hard, dry mud on the bank of the bayou.  It skinned us all up.  It was just a wonder it didn’t kill us.

I guess you’d say I was a follower.  I’d follow somebody else.  I never did have any nerve.  I wasn’t brave or anything.  If somebody I looked up to like Henry was going to ride that motorcycle down that slope, I was too.  That’s where my nerve came from.  I followed Henry.

I remember that ride.  I remember that wreck we had on that darn thing, too.

What a sad day it was for me when the Day family left Sicily Island!  There was an old cattle trailer hooked to a truck with all their furniture loaded in the trailer.  Henry and Marion were riding on the back of the truck.  I remember as they pulled out, Marion was singing some kind of old song.  

That was the last time I ever saw any of them.  

*Special thanks to Clay Fairbanks for allowing me to use the photograph of his grandfather, Dr. Russell Fairbanks.



Note:  Parts 1-32 of 'The Stories That Should Be Told' can be found in the Tags List on the right-hand side of the blog.

Circuit Riders, Churches and Baptisms....early 1800s through 1940

From Sicily Island:  A Partial History, compiled by Mickie Smith:

Circuit Riders

In the early days, when there were no church buildings, services were held in the homes by circuit riders.  Sometimes he went from house to house ministering, and on the occasions when he could stay a day or so, he held services in the home of one of the residents, with other families coming to share in the service and fellowship.

On of these circuit riders was Thomas Griffin, who in 1813 had an accident on his way to Sicily Island.  Here is the account:

Riding  hard one afternoon to reach the hospitable home of Micajah Pickett of Sicily Island, his horse shied and threw him into a briar patch.  Griffin was not hurt but his only trousers were torn beyond repair.  His father, a hard-shell Baptist, had opposed his entering the Methodist itinerary because of his poor education and the inevitable poverty that would be his lot.  On the Rapides circuit he had come to dire want.  And now his threadbare trousers were torn beyond repair.  As he remounted and rode on, the devil taunted him with his destitution, reminding him of his father's prediction.  At the gate of Micajah Pickett, which he reached after nightfall, like old Elijah at the gate of Jericho but for other reasons, he "went not in", and tarried until Brother Pickett could bring him a pair of pantaloons.  He was somewhat embarrassed when he greeted Mrs. Pickett, but the elect lady bade him not to worry about his ruined trousers, for she had made him a brand new pair.  Clad in his new garment, Griffin bade defiance to the devil, telling him he had all that he needed and could still go on in his loved work.  (Harper, D. D., Robert Henry, Louisiana Methodism, Kaufman Pr., Washington, D. C., 1949., p. 27.)

Churches

According to tradition, the earliest church building on Sicily Island was in 'Polk's Hollow', about where the Bill Cotten house stands.  Mr. Knight and Mr. McCarty, whose land adjoined, each gave one half an acre for the building.  This was a Union Church, and before many years, was used as a school during the week, with church services on Sunday.

Site of Pine Hill Methodist Church

The next known church building was the Pine Hill Methodist Church, built soon after 1858, when John Lovelace gave land for the building.  

Old Pine Hill Cemetery

This building, across the road from the Pine Hill Cemetery, served as the Methodist Church for many years, first served by circuit rider ministers, and later having an assigned minister.

The Maitland Baptist Church which sits on the banks of the Tensas River near Maitland Community Center was established in 1858.  At that time, Tillman Gilbert, great-grandfather of Mrs. Eva Keenan, donated the church to the black people who worked his land.  The original bell, which was donated by Mr. Gilbert was still in use as of the late 1970s.  

There was no pastor when the church was first built, but concerned Christian people would meet together, and sometimes they would be able to get someone to come and read or preach for them.  Records of these early years were not kept, however it is known that in 1900 the church was closed for lack of attendance.  This lasted for only a few years as the members left in the community got together, cleaned up the small building and started a Sunday School.  It was not long until they were having church again.  

In 1929 it was time to rebuild.  They moved one-half mile down the road from the original location, and built a larger building, carrying with them the bell.  Some who served as pastors here include:  the Reverends:  Press Shavers, George Washington, Frank Jones, Sam Davis, Golman Long, Dutch White, Dave Smith, B. A. Irvin, Mac Morgan and L. B. Oliver.

Deacons have included:  Bennie Smith, H. H. Brown, Ray Nelson, Henry Williams, Butler Saul, Andrew Lemons, Emmett Montgomery, Sr., Frank Lee, Mose Washington, James Kenerson, Jerry Ward, Conway Matthew, Harry Spears, Joe Webb, Joe Jordan, Sr. and Henry Walker.

Deaconesses included:  Katie Washington, Lizzie Brown, Birdie Saul, Lue White, Josephine Montgomery, Sarah Spears, Estella Lee, Polly Lee, Irene Webb, Edna Walker, Rosie England, and Bertha Bingham.

Sister Teresa Jordan has served the church as secretary since 1947. (Our Island Heritage, Vol 2, 1977, compiled by Sophie Haley and Mickey Smith.  History of Maitland Baptist Church provided by Teresa Jordan)

Around this same time in 1858, Mr. Samuel S. Bowman gave an acre of land across the Tensas River from his plantation, Wildwood, on which the Tensas Chapel was built.  

There was a crossing at Greenville (between Lee Bayou and Foules) where the people crossed in boats, and walked up to the church.  This was a Methodist Church in which services were held until around 1921 or 1922.  The building was torn down around 1934.

In 1865, the New Salem Baptist Church was built on Mr. Jimmy Newsome's property.  This building was later moved to a spot close to where the Martin School now stands, and still later, this building was moved to town.  

Pilgrim Baptist Church was built in 1878 on land given by Mrs. Mamie Carrol.

Pilgrim Baptist Church, 2013

St. Paul Baptist Church was built around 1880, on land given by the Peniston family.


Mount Olive Baptist Church was established in 1894, built on a spot very near where the Walter Knotts house stands today.  The building burned in 1945 and was rebuilt that same year in its present location.  It was again rebuilt in 1971.  A fish pond is now located on the original spot.  The old cemetery is still there, but is not in use today.  Records of the first members have not been kept.  The first pastor was Reverend Henderson, being followed in order by Rev. Davis, Rev. Johnnie Erving, Rev. Jessie Nelson, Rev. Henry Finister, Rev. Fred Green, and Rev. Robert Wells.

The first deacons were Dan Smith, Amos Brown, Bob Evean, Amos Kalles, Joe Ware, and Robert Leveling who was also clerk.

As of the late 1970s, the church had sixty-eight members and five deacons.  The deacons were Richard Wilford, Louis Skipper, Mose Kerry, James Henry, and Edward Sargent who was also the clerk.  Brother R. M. Sargent served as clerk for many years and was followed in this office by Brother Edward Sargent.

The Sons of the House were Rev. Ike Brown, Rev. Henry Skipper, Rev. Joe Washington, and Rev. Leroy Henderson.

Mount Olive Baptist Church, 2011

 The Usher Board was established in the church in the early 1930s by Rev. Henderson.  Rev. Henry Finister had the distinction of having served the church for the most years and of having baptised the most members.  (Our Island Heritage, Vol 2, 1977, compiled by Sophie Haley and Mickey Smith.  History of Mount Olive Church was provided by Edward Sargent, Clerk)

 

Many of these churches are still standing, with services held in them regularly.

About 1903, a group of neighbors, feeling the need of Christian fellowship, Bible study and prayer, began gathering in people's homes in the Pine Hill area.  They lacked a preacher, but a bond held them together, the bond of Christian love and concern.  As these meetings grew in number, it was decided to hold a protracted meeting in the Pine Hill Methodist Church.  The revival was a great success, and arrangements were made to have services in the Methodist Church once monthly.  Since the Methodist Church also held services once a month, this building offered a place of worship twice each month.  

After the Pine Hill Baptist Church was organized in 1908, and having called a pastor, they began having services in the Pine Hill schoolhouse.  

Pine Hill Baptist Church, 2011

By 1912, the membership felt the time had come for a church of their own.  The Pine Hill schoolhouse, in which school was no long being held, was purchased.  

This building was used until 1925, when it was torn down; the plot of land was exchanged for that on which the church now stands, and the new building was in use by June of that year.  (Brooks, Mrs. Thelma, The History of Pine Hill Church, 1976, pp. 1-7.)

Sometime around the turn of the century, a Methodist parsonage was built on land given by Mr. H. M. Peniston.  Though the original building has been replaced by a more modern one, it was still standing in the late 1970s on the land originally given for this purpose.

Due to transportation and poor roads, the Methodist in Florence began holding church services in the school building, which later became the Spencer Home.  In 1895, Mr. Louis K. Hyde deeded for $1.00 land for a church building.

The fore-runner of present day revivals was called protracted meetings.  They were always held for one full week, but sometimes the people were so spiritually revived, that the meetings would continue for two or more weeks.

Baptisms

Norris Springs, 2011

 

Baptisms for the many who united with the church were held in various places.  Some of them were Deer Creek, Lake Louis, Norris Springs and McCarty Branch, located near what is today referred to as Polk's Hollow.  In the last two, the water flowed so freely from springs and rain water gushing down the hills, that areas had been dug out deep enough for baptisms, and it was in these places that many of the young people learned to swim.

It was during one of these meetings, held by two 'lady preachers', Mrs. Bartlett and Mrs. Pardue, that plans were made to construct a Methodist Church building on the land deeded by Mr. Hyde.  The building was constructed about 1910, with Judge John Marshall, who was also a minister, as the first pastor.  The present Methodist educational building stands on the land originally given.

(left) The First United Methodist Church constructed about 1910; (right) The present Methodist Educational Building

Roger Price Wilkinson Family

Roger Price Wilkinson, Sr. was born on July 3, 1891 near Jonesville in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  On June 16, 1915 he married Bernice Lipsey who was born on April 12, 1897 in Ouachita Parish.  

From Our Island Heritage, Vol. 3, 1978, compiled by Sophie Haley and Mickie Smith:

Roger and Bernice met when Bernice came to Harrisonburg to make her home with an uncle, Jim Williams.

They first lived in Parhams, south of Jonesville, where they farmed and raised cattle.  The high water of 1922 forced them to move to Sicily Island where they continued to pursue farming as their main means of livelihood.  Roger worked for the Louisiana Department of Highways and was elected in 1932 to serve on the Catahoula Parish School Board.  He served on the board until 1944.

Bernice was a Star Route mail carrier from Sicily Island to Harrisonburg for many years.  

For several years prior to her death, she worked diligently to maintain Norris Springs as a park area by working with the authorities to get the area lighted and to have trash barrels and garbage pickup for the area.

Both were active members in the Pine Hill Baptist Church where Roger was the church treasurer for over 40 years.  He loved to entertain his many friends and his pals of long standing who enjoyed their domino games.  Pictured in the photograph below are (LtoR) Winstead Knight, Mary Sumners, Price Wilkinson, Lucille Steele Ogden, and Doc McKay.

Roger Price Wilkinson, Sr. died on November 6, 1990 and Bernice Lipsey Wilkinson died on January 11, 1977.  Both are buried in the New Pine Hill Cemetery.  (Editor's note:  tombstone photograph is courtesy of Karen Klemm Pinckard at FindAGrave.com)