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Welcome to the website of the historical society that the Baton Rouge Advocate has called "perhaps the best in the state."

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Who We Are:

The Vermilion Historical Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, and dissemination of the history of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. It was formed in 1975 as a result of the renewed interest in history engendered by the impending national bicentennial. The Society published History of Vermilion Parish, La., a 485-page book containing historical topics, family stories, and pictures, in 1983. Our third book publication was Journeys Into the Past—Abbeville, Louisiana: The Early Years, by Abbeville's premiere historian, Kenneth A. Dupuy.

The Society also maintains a museum at the Alliance Center, 200 N. Magdalen Square, in the heart of Abbeville, Louisiana, as a part of the Abbeville Cultural and Historical Alliance. Historical artifacts, documents, and photographs are on display there, including the "Morgan Effigy," a deer antler carved by Native Americans about 1000 years ago. The sketch of the effigy shown above is the logo of the Society.

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Alliance Museum and Art Gallery

Inside this website you will find images of the people, places, buildings, and things of the past, documents and maps, biographies, articles on interesting historical topics, obituaries, newspaper articles, and a wealth of other information relating to the history of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. Click the "Enter Here" button above, or choose a link from the Site Outline below.

SITE OUTLINE:

Features
1. Topics in History
  1. The Morgan Effigy, by Gary Theall
  2. How Vermilion Parish Became Part of Louisiana, by Gary Theall
  3. Père Mégret, Founder of Abbeville, by Ken Dupuy
  4. How Abbeville Was Named
  5. Abbeville, the Early Years, by Ken Dupuy
  6. The Early Sheriffs of Vermilion Parish, compiled by Ken Dupuy
  7. Fatal Shooting in Vermilion Parish, by Ken Dupuy
  8. The Masonic Temple, by Ken Dupuy
  9. The Coming of the Railroad, compiled by Gary Theall
  10. The Railroad Celebration, by Ken Dupuy
  11. A Ride on the Train, by Ken Dupuy
  12. Fourth of July in Abbeville—1889 and 1898, by Ken Dupuy
  13. Abbeville, Louisiana: As It Was in 1894, by Ken Dupuy
  14. An Abbeville Authoress, Mrs. Ophelia Cook Jones, by Gary Theall
  15. Cannon from the War for Texas Independence, by Ken Dupuy
  16. The Fire of 1903, by Ken Dupuy
  17. The Fenwick Sanitarium (Palms Hospital), by Beatrice B. McClellan.
  18. Gueydan Liquor Raid, by Patricia Heard Saltzman.
  19. Animals of the Past, compiled by Gary Theall
  20. Obituaries of the First 100 People Buried in Graceland Cemetery, compiled by Gary Theall
  21. World War II—Eleven Abbeville Heroes
  22. Biographies of Those Buried in the Old Masonic Cemetery, by Ken Dupuy
  23. Abbeville Buildings, seen from the rooftop of the old Audrey Hotel, in the form of a slideshow
  24. Abbeville's Sister City, the city of Lasne, Belgium, and its people [video]
2. Vermilion Parish Biographies
  1. Martin Bagley, by Michael Bradford
  2. Ellis Hubin Bergeron, by C. Paul Bergeron
  3. C. Paul Bergeron: A Cajun Boyhood, by C. Paul Bergeron
  4. Lastie Broussard, by Ken Dupuy
  5. Dr. Clarence J. Edwards, by Ken Dupuy
  6. Eugene Isidore Guégnon, by Ken Dupuy
  7. Jean-Pierre Gueydan, by Patricia Saltzman Heard
  8. Reverend James A. Herod, by Ravin St. Julien-Brown
  9. Christian George Honold, Architect, by Ken Dupuy
  10. Judge William Kibbe, by Gary Theall
  11. Dr. Francis Fenwick Young, by Ken Dupuy
3. Historical Images
4. Documents and Maps
5. Historical Collections
  1. The Clarence J. Edwards Collection
  2. The Robert H. Smith Collection (coming soon)
  3. The Wilmer Geoffroy Collection
  4. The R. J. Guidry Collection (coming soon)
6. Sanborn Maps
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