New First National Bank Building Ready

The First National Bank, facing a shortage of office space, is moving some of its staff into the new building next to its current location.

Damon Migues, president of First National Bank, said that the employees are looking forward to the move.

The employees are looking forward to the new meeting area for training, Migues said.

"With almost 70 employees, no room can accommodate us," he said. The new meeting area will also be used for customer seminars and community functions, he added.

With online banking opportunities available for customers, the bank plans to host seminars for its customers to better understand these new services, Migues said. The meeting room has been designed with audio and visual equipment to be able to host the seminars and can seat from 75-80 people.

The other areas of the building will be used for office areas for many of the non-customer contact personnel and will include a new computer room that is fireproof, secure and upgraded, Migues said.

The bookkeeping department of the bank will be housed in the front portion of the building and customers can access this area from the Main Street entrance.

"We designed the building to be asthecially pleasing to Main Street," Migues said. The building itself sits on an angle but is actually squarred to the property line, Migues added.

The building being on an angle allows for a better view for customers exiting the drive through and gives customers more room when entering the building. The entire building is handicap accessible, he added.

The lots the building sits on became available through landowners piece by piece. The lot next to the current Main Office location was rented out for two years before construction began.

Construction on the new office building began last June and has taken a little over a year to complete but was well worth the effort, Migues said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Hangars at LeMaire Memorial Airport

Iberia Industrial Development Foundation (IDF) Executive Director and CEO Mike Tarantino, welcomed guests at the ribbon cutting cveremony of the new box hangars at the LeMaire Memorial Airport in Jeanerette.

The 13 new hangars were built at a cost of $1.2 million with funding from the Louisiana DOTD and the Iberia Parish Council said Jason Devillier, Airport Director for the Iberia Parish Airport Authority.

LeMaire Memorial Airport features a 3,000 foot lighted asphalt runway and serves mainly single engine planes, small muti-engine aircraft and helicopters.

While some of the hangars have been rented, some are still available.

For more information, contact IDF.

Museum Honors its Founding Members

A surprised Teletha Duchane is honored

Jeanerette Bicentennial Museum honored two of its original board members from 1976 on July 10, 2013.

A crowd of about 100 gathered to honor the two ladies that have given so much to the museum and the community.

Honored were Teletha Davis Duchane, who served as the first secretary of the museum board, and Anna Joyce Breaux.

 

Andre Rosamond presents the plaque to Anna Joyce Breaux

Both were pleased to celebrate the museum and this honor with family, friends, and the public.

The names of the original board of directors and the names of the original museum committee were read during the event shortly before the two ladies were recognized with plaques for their accomplishments.

"Little did I realize that in 1976 that an evening such as this would occur," said Teletha Duchane. "Our museum is a beautiful place."

Mrs. Duchane was the first secretary of the museum board and helped to write the first By Laws of the organization. She also worked as a commissioner of voters for many years.

Mrs. Anna Joyce Breaux thanked the audience for working hard to support the community.

"We want the best for Jeanerette and I think this museum and its addition is wonderful and I think so many people will enjoy it," she said.

Mrs. Breaux served as a teacher and librarian for 50 years n the community and has been active in many organizations, one of which she has served in for more than 60 years.

Mrs. Breaux encouraged school groups to continue to visit the museum to learn about Jeanerette's past.

 

 

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Museum Annex to Expand

The Jeanerette Bicentennial Museum will expand its Harry Peterson Museum Annex to almost double its current size. Construction on the annex will begin this summer and should be completed by fall.
Funding for the expansion of the museum was received through Louisiana's Visitor Enterprise Fund in 2010. After plans were drafted and the bid process began, the museum became one step closer to realizing its dream of a larger building.
"Construction is not expected to interrupt the everyday use of the museum," said Andre Rosamond, museum board chair."​Programs will continue to be offered to the public during this time."
The new open layout of the museum addition will allow the museum to have the space it so badly needs to host traveling exhibits and special events, Rosamond said.
"The museum has hosted two Smithsonian exhibits along with several local exhibits," said Gail Garcia, museum board vice chair.
"We are looking forward to the expansion to be able to comfortably seat larger crowds for important history talks and programs," she said.
The museum is already planning for its annual Jeanerette Museum Day Live! which will take place on Oct. 19 and several history talks which will be held from August through November, she added.
 Jeanerette Museum Day Live! will host arts and crafts on the museum grounds, live music, free admission and free tours of the museum.
 For more information on the museum or its programming, visit them online at www.jeanerettemuseum.com; email them at jeanerettemuseum@yahoo.com or call 337-276-4408.
The museum is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Parks are Busy This Summer

Jeanerette Parks will host a variety of activities this summer for children.
The King Joseph Center is currently hosting a Back to Basics Summer Camp from June 3 to July 19. This camp is open to boys and girls ages 6-12. Weekly rates are available. For information on this camp, call the King Joseph Center at 276-6414.
Ward Eight Recreation Center is offering Week Long Summer Day Camps. Please call the Willow Wood office at 337-365-6197 for information and availability. The cost of a week at camp is $50 per child per week or $15 per child per day (drop-in). Summer Day Camp is open to boys and girls ages 5-12. Camp will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14; Monday, June 24 to Friday, June 28 and Monday, July 15 to Friday, July 19.

Remembering Macoine's Store

Marie Macoine was one of the operators of Macoine's store. Many residents still have found memories of the store and the sisters who operated it. The store has long since closed, however, the memories have lingered. This photograph is from 1987.

Jeanerette residents enjoyed visiting the vibrant Macoine's store on Main Street next to the current Iberia Bank. The store was filled with the tangy smell of fresh red, juicy apples but the favorite of many residents was the sight of the old fashioned candy jars stuffed full of tempting sweets.
Macoine's was a tradition for well over 70 years. It began as a fruit stand when Carlos Macoine arrived from Italy with his family. Following his death in 1932, Mrs. Macoine and her 12 children took over the family business.
The last of those children to operate the business were Therese and Marie.
Marie still sold candy by the piece allowing children to select different types from the large jars. She loved seeing children come in to purchase candy.
The store itself had an old fashioned appeal as Marie preferred to keep things as they were in the past instead of buying modern displays. It is that old fashioned decor that people looked forward to at each visit.
Once the store carried staples like bread, milk, onions and potatoes but it was the large selection of candy that appealed to most customers.
​Marie had many memories of the store's past including selling bread for a nickel during the Great Depression.
​She remembered her mother shucking oysters and struggling to raise the family. While there were other jobs for women, Marie never was interested in working anywhere other than the store she grew up in.
​She and her sister still lived in back of the store in the 1980s and enjoyed talking to all of the people that came by.
Macoine's store was a true asset to the community and is fondly remembered as well as its owners, by many of the citizens of Jeanerette.

Anniversary of Jeanerette's Role in the Civil War

One hundred and fifty years ago, on April 14, 1863, Jeanerette was in the middle of the Civil War. The role Jeanerette played during this war was discussed in a history talk led by well known historian, Roger Busbice, at the Jeanerette Bicentennial Museum. By the morning of April 14, both the Union and Confederate armies were in position. The patched up gunboat Diana was in Bayou Tehce ready to support Conferate commander General Richard Taylor, Busbice said. The Union army, consisted of fresh troops while the Confederates were outnumbered and near exhaustion. As the Union troops advanced towards Nerson's Woods near Franklin, they found the Confederates ready to fight. Union troops fired at the Confederate line. The Confederates responded as the Gunboat Diana's shells began to strike the Union troops, Busbice said. Casulaties were high on both sides.Confederate forces led by Colonel Tom Green near Centerville tried to slow the advance of Union troops coming from the east. Despite success at Irish Bend, General Taylor knew that Yankee troops would soon surround his army so he gave the order to begin a retreat to New Iberia using the Yokely Bridge. The bridge was burned by the Confederates after they passed. The Gunboat Diana was destroyed by the crew near the courthouse in Franklin.The Confederate hospital boat, the Carnie, was tranferred to Union control, Busbice said. "General Taylor's army, having eluded Bank's newly designated Army of the Gulf, spent the night near Jeanerette camped on the grounds of Albania Plantation," Busbice said.This was the role that Jeanerette played during the war. On Grand Lake, the next morning small Confederate and Union gunboats entered into a battle which resulted in the loss of the Confederate vessel, Queen of the West.The Confederate army, facing a lack of food and medicine as well as desertions from some of the country troops struggled through New Iberia towards Vermilionville (Lafayette), Busbice said. On April 16, Union troops marched into New Iberia terrorizing residents and looting much of the town. The next night the salt works at Avery Island were destroyed and Union General Nataniel Banks, ignoring the protests of the Moore family, established his headquarters at the Shadows.