Lafayette Hardcover – September 19, 2007

So interesting. My mom and dad relocated to Lafayette in the early 50's, it was cool to see what they did.

I've reviewed a number of volumes in this excellent local history series and the pattern is now well established: A brief overall history of a town or locality followed by 100 pages or so of photographs from its origins to the present day, each accompanied by a reasonably detailed caption. In the case of Lafayette, the photos include Père Mégret and Gen. Mouton, St. John's Church and Hebrew Rest Cemetery, assorted early business establishments and schools and private homes, the old Pin Hook Bridge over the Vermillion River and the Evangeline League White Sox of 1924. Especially interesting is an aerial view of downtown Lafayette c.1925 and views of Cherry Street, showing Lafayette's general prosperity in the first half of the 20th century. There are also shots of the aftermath of the flood of 1940, when some streets were six feet deep in river water. A number of readers have mentioned giving the books in this series as birthday or Christmas gifts, especially to older relatives now living away from their original homes.