Falling For Art
Dozens
of businesses, artists, musicians, and community groups took part in
last night's "Fall for Art - 2019" event in downtown Covington. Here are
some photographs from the activities on Columbia Street.
Photo from the 1950's
This
photograph was posted on the Remember Covington Facebook page by Billy
Brossette. It shows Boston Street, looking westward towards Columbia
Street. Click on the image to make it larger.
Covington Street Photos - 1970's
More Covington Street Scenes Early 20th Century
See also:
Covington Street Photos - 1970's
More Covington Street Scenes Early 20th Century
New Hampshire Street History
The
Covington Heritage Foundation hosted a fun and informative event in the
300 block of North New Hampshire St. on a recent Sunday afternoon.
Around 80 people attended, listening to speakers tell about the history
of the Star Theater, the old Courthouse (now the Emergency Operations
Center), the Southern Hotel and the St. Tammany Farmer Newspaper.
Michael LaFrance told the story of the early days of the Star Theater, its impact upon the community, and its participation in fund-raising efforts for War Bond sales.
Brenda Willis and Ron Barthet told participants about the history of the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper, as well as the Poole Brothers Livery Stables (and Undertaking & Embalming Service) building that preceded the paper in that location.
Over at the old Old Boston St. Courthouse, now being used as the parish's Emergency Operations Center, Director of Homeland Security Dexter Accardo, below, explained how the building was being used in times of hurricanes and other emergency situations.
Key personnel from a wide variety of public and private agencies are represented in the communications center during an emergency.
Michael LaFrance told the story of the early days of the Star Theater, its impact upon the community, and its participation in fund-raising efforts for War Bond sales.
His talk included a visit inside the 77 year old building.
Ms. Willis told
about the local people who would come to visit the newspaper office,
the politicians, the community leaders, and others, and she recounted
what happened after the 1997 Covington tornado. "We looked out the door
and all the windows in the courthouse across the street had been blown
out," she said. Brenda then took the group inside for a brief tour of the newspaper office.
The Southern Hotel
At the Southern Hotel,
General Manager Miro Lago told the group about the history of the 112
year old building, including the time Governor Earl Long designated it
as the "state capitol" following his lunacy hearing at the Covington
Middle School gymnasium.
Over at the old Old Boston St. Courthouse, now being used as the parish's Emergency Operations Center, Director of Homeland Security Dexter Accardo, below, explained how the building was being used in times of hurricanes and other emergency situations.
Key personnel from a wide variety of public and private agencies are represented in the communications center during an emergency.
He
told how St. Tammany Parish and particularly his department was
commended for its plan for handling the threat of Hurricane Katrina.
Having a plan and modern communications helped the parish recover from
the damage as quickly as possible, he said.
Accardo
has been director for 15 years and praised the use of the old
courthouse for emergency purposes because of its solid construction.
Part of the operation has moved over to an administrative facility on
Tyler Street near Champagne Beverage, however.
"We do a lot of training in emergency management," he said.
The
tour stayed on the ground floor, but Accardo did mention that on the
mezzanine level there were bunk rooms for rest breaks for the various
personnel who work around the clock during an emergency situation.
An
important part of the operations during an emergency situation is to
receive calls for help as they come in, record them, distribute them to
the agencies that can do something about them, but most importantly,
keep track of them to make sure they were handled.
"During
a hurricane we can't send electrical crews out in the middle of the
storm to fix something, but we have to have a system that will keep
track of all these things and address them as soon as conditions allow,"
he explained.
The system allows for accurate computerized record-keeping as well, which helps in after assessments and reports.
What
is the number one type of call that comes into the communications
center during a hurricane? "It's phone calls from people outside the
area checking on the welfare of people within the affected area, their
families," he said. "We had thousands of calls asking to check on their
friends and relatives."
What
is the number one killer in a hurricane? Water, flooding, people being
swept away and drowning. The number two killer in a hurricane is a heart
attack.
"People
are under stress, first responders can't get to them in time, because
of the weather conditions, and heart attacks wind up being the number
two killer," he went on to say.
He
commended the faith-based communities for providing the assistance
needed throughout their neighborhoods were there to help in any way they
could.
St.
Tammany did well in recovering from Katrina because of its "operational
plan" that was in place before the storm, and that plan had to be
doubled and tripled to meet the challenges that were presented by that
particular hurricane, he said.
Pocket Parks
The coming of the "pocket parks" to Covington was a great idea. The best known pocket park is Columbia Landing,
but there's another well-known pocket park at the bend in Tammany Trace
between Gibson and New Hampshire Streets, photos below. It was created
in 1994, twenty-five years ago.
See also:
Nose Park
Click on the images to make them larger.
They even gave out pocket park plaques to participants.
See also:
Nose Park
Covington Grocery & Grain Company
The
Covington Grocery & Grain Company was established in 1901 and soon
grew into a major regional vendor with several branches in two states.
It is a tremendous success story, made even more so by the fact that its
founder, Ernest J. Domergue was a native of New Orleans, and came to Covington as a result of having fallen victim to the "yellow fever."
He recovered and eventually worked his way up in the business world as one of Covington's most successful entrepreneurs.
Below is a report printed in the March 15, 1919, edition of the St. Tammany Farmer which detailed its phenomenal growth and dividends.
HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
"It is with pride that we point to the history of the Covington Grocery & Grain Company, Ltd., because it has not only been constructive in the sense of its personal business achievement, but has been progressive and influential in the extension and advancement of agricultural interests and uplift movements.
"Along with the growth of the business the establishment of new branches has been accomplished by the adoption of modern improvements in new buildings for safe storage and quick handling of products and for the protection from fire. The mother institution at Covington has been distanced by the rapid growth of business at Slidell, La., which now exceeds that of any of its branches.
"The business started with the Covington Warehouse & Commission Company, Ltd., organized by E. J. Domergue and H. P. Gagnet and which was chartered July 5, 1901, with a capital of $25,000.00, of which $5400.00 was paid in by December 31, 1901, on which date the company issued its first statement.
"The first board of directors and officers were: H. J. Smith, President; S. D. Bulloch. Vice-President: C. H. Bickham, Secretary; Hardy H. Smith, Treasurer: the late J. .B. Wortham, the late Leon Roubion, and G. S. E. Babington.
"Owing to the operation of the company, the handling of wholesale groceries, etc., the name was appropriately changed to the Covington Grocery & Grain Co., Ltd., September 12, 1904. It being found that there were still greater opportunities of extending the business by the establishing of branch houses in other sections, July 11,1907, the charter was amended so as to allow the Company to reach out for business offered by an extended field. This resulted in the establishment of the Slidell branch in the same year, the Bogalusa branch in 1913, the Tylertown, Miss., branch in 1914, the Columbia, Miss., branch in 1915, Laurel Branch in 1918, Franklinton branch in 1918, with preparation for a branch in New Orleans and Hattiesburg.
"The Company is rapidly becoming one of the most important institutions of the kind in the State. Its combined sales, ending fiscal year December 31, 1918, are approximately three millions.
"Thirty-three semi-annual dividends, ranging from 5 to 10 per cent, have been paid during the Company's existence, and the prospects are very bright for future increase of business.
"Realizing that large quantities of feedstuffs were being imported that might be profitably grown at home, the Company has urged and encouraged the growing of these crops and the adoption and use of improved machinery and modern methods of cultivation. To ofFer facilities for the marketing and handling of home grown feeds and produce, it has anticipated putting up elevators. This will not only give opportunities to the home farmer but will facilitate prompt deliveries and the general service of the Company.
Click on the images to make them larger.
Mr. Domergue was born at New Orleans in 1873, son of Ernest J. and Angel (Abadie) Domergue. His father was born in Paris, while his mother was a native of Northern France. Ernest J. Domergue acquired his public school education at New Orleans, and left that city in 1885, during the yellow fever epidemic. He was stricken with that disease, but subsequently entirely recovered his health at Covington.
Mr. Domergue with his own extensive interests and in association with others organized the Interstate Wholesale Grocery Company, Incorporated, and has since been its president. This corporation has two million dollars capital, and is one of the largest, if not the largest, wholesale grocery concern in the South.
Mr. Domergue is also president of the Commercial Bank & Trust Company of Covington, and a director of the Bank of Slidell. He is a member of the New Orleans Association of Commerce, Southern Yacht Club, and is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner. He married Miss Belle Warren of Covington. Their four children are C. R. Domergue, C. O. Domergue, Irma and Leo.
He recovered and eventually worked his way up in the business world as one of Covington's most successful entrepreneurs.
December 16, 1919, St. Tammany Farmer Advertisement
Below is a report printed in the March 15, 1919, edition of the St. Tammany Farmer which detailed its phenomenal growth and dividends.
HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
"It is with pride that we point to the history of the Covington Grocery & Grain Company, Ltd., because it has not only been constructive in the sense of its personal business achievement, but has been progressive and influential in the extension and advancement of agricultural interests and uplift movements.
"Along with the growth of the business the establishment of new branches has been accomplished by the adoption of modern improvements in new buildings for safe storage and quick handling of products and for the protection from fire. The mother institution at Covington has been distanced by the rapid growth of business at Slidell, La., which now exceeds that of any of its branches.
"The business started with the Covington Warehouse & Commission Company, Ltd., organized by E. J. Domergue and H. P. Gagnet and which was chartered July 5, 1901, with a capital of $25,000.00, of which $5400.00 was paid in by December 31, 1901, on which date the company issued its first statement.
"The first board of directors and officers were: H. J. Smith, President; S. D. Bulloch. Vice-President: C. H. Bickham, Secretary; Hardy H. Smith, Treasurer: the late J. .B. Wortham, the late Leon Roubion, and G. S. E. Babington.
"Owing to the operation of the company, the handling of wholesale groceries, etc., the name was appropriately changed to the Covington Grocery & Grain Co., Ltd., September 12, 1904. It being found that there were still greater opportunities of extending the business by the establishing of branch houses in other sections, July 11,1907, the charter was amended so as to allow the Company to reach out for business offered by an extended field. This resulted in the establishment of the Slidell branch in the same year, the Bogalusa branch in 1913, the Tylertown, Miss., branch in 1914, the Columbia, Miss., branch in 1915, Laurel Branch in 1918, Franklinton branch in 1918, with preparation for a branch in New Orleans and Hattiesburg.
"The Company is rapidly becoming one of the most important institutions of the kind in the State. Its combined sales, ending fiscal year December 31, 1918, are approximately three millions.
"Thirty-three semi-annual dividends, ranging from 5 to 10 per cent, have been paid during the Company's existence, and the prospects are very bright for future increase of business.
"Realizing that large quantities of feedstuffs were being imported that might be profitably grown at home, the Company has urged and encouraged the growing of these crops and the adoption and use of improved machinery and modern methods of cultivation. To ofFer facilities for the marketing and handling of home grown feeds and produce, it has anticipated putting up elevators. This will not only give opportunities to the home farmer but will facilitate prompt deliveries and the general service of the Company.
Click on the images to make them larger.
In a 1922 book called "The History of New Orleans," the author John Smith Kendall noted the following:
Ernest J. Domergue, a native of New Orleans, laid the foundation of his
successful career in commerce and finance at Covington, Louisiana, and
quite recently returned to his native city, where he is president and
directing head of one of the largest wholesale corporations in the
South, the Interstate Wholesale Grocers, Incorporated.
Mr. Domergue was born at New Orleans in 1873, son of Ernest J. and Angel (Abadie) Domergue. His father was born in Paris, while his mother was a native of Northern France. Ernest J. Domergue acquired his public school education at New Orleans, and left that city in 1885, during the yellow fever epidemic. He was stricken with that disease, but subsequently entirely recovered his health at Covington.
He
then remained at Covington, where he began his business career as clerk
in a store, later became a broker, and in 1900 organized the Covington
Grocery & Grain Company, a wholesale concern. He developed that to a
highly prosperous organization, and gradually acquired interests in
other wholesale grocery houses, and in order to be at the center of the
work of commercial concerns of which he is the head he returned to New
Orleans in 1920 to make his home.
Mr. Domergue with his own extensive interests and in association with others organized the Interstate Wholesale Grocery Company, Incorporated, and has since been its president. This corporation has two million dollars capital, and is one of the largest, if not the largest, wholesale grocery concern in the South.
With
headquarters at New Orleans, the corporation operates eleven wholesale
grocery houses, first among which is Mr. Domergue's individual business,
the Covington Grocery & Grain Company, which he organized in 1900.
The
others, conducted by the central office at New Orleans, are the Slidell
Grocery & Grain Company at Slidell, Rogalusa Grocery & Grain
Company at Bogalusa, Merchants' Grocery Company at Franklinton,
Nicholas Burke Company at New Orleans, Dupont Wholesale Company at
Houma, Percy-Lobdell Company at Thibodaux, Lockport Wholesale Company at
Lockport, Renoudet & Dietlein Grocery Company at New Iberia, all
these being in Louisiana, and also the Pearl River Grocery & Grain
Company at Columbia, Mississippi, and the Foote-Patrick Company at
Laurel, Mississippi.
Mr. Domergue is also president of the Commercial Bank & Trust Company of Covington, and a director of the Bank of Slidell. He is a member of the New Orleans Association of Commerce, Southern Yacht Club, and is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner. He married Miss Belle Warren of Covington. Their four children are C. R. Domergue, C. O. Domergue, Irma and Leo.
Branch Locations of the Interstate Wholesale Grocers
Covington, La.,
COVINGTON GROCERY & GRAIN CO., R. H. White, Manager
Bogalusa, La.
BOGALUSA GROCERY & GRAIN CO., F. W. Watts, Manager
Laurel, Miss.
FOOTE-PATRICK CO., R. L. Patrick, Manager
Columbia, Miss.
PEARL RIVER GROCERY & GRAIN CO., C. L. Simmons, Manager
Tylertown, Miss.
TYLERTOWN GROCERY & GRAIN CO., J. L. Carr, Manager
Franklinton, La.
MERCHANTS GROCERY COMPANY, C. L. Gayer, Manager
Slidell, La.
SLIDELL GROCERY & GRAIN CO., Main Office
New Orleans
OFFICE C. R. Domergue, Manager
COVINGTON GROCERY & GRAIN CO., R. H. White, Manager
Bogalusa, La.
BOGALUSA GROCERY & GRAIN CO., F. W. Watts, Manager
Laurel, Miss.
FOOTE-PATRICK CO., R. L. Patrick, Manager
Columbia, Miss.
PEARL RIVER GROCERY & GRAIN CO., C. L. Simmons, Manager
Tylertown, Miss.
TYLERTOWN GROCERY & GRAIN CO., J. L. Carr, Manager
Franklinton, La.
MERCHANTS GROCERY COMPANY, C. L. Gayer, Manager
Slidell, La.
SLIDELL GROCERY & GRAIN CO., Main Office
New Orleans
OFFICE C. R. Domergue, Manager
Financial Statements Over the Years
August 3, 1918
Below is a 1905 account of the business:
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