A group of civic-minded women from St. Charles Parish has been presented the Rotary Club of St. Charles’ Citizen of the Year Award. The group was chosen for its dedication to the community, perseverance in overcoming obstacles, and commitment to promoting the parish’s history to create a book about the settlement of the German Coast titled, “St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: A Pictorial History.”
The book is written by Joan Weaver Becnel, Suzanne Friloux,Marilyn Mayhall Richoux and the late Fay Walker Louque, who were all born and reared in St. Charles.
“In the midst of two hurricanes, the loss of the original editor and financial needs, this group of individuals was able to create a piece of work that truly signifies St. Charles Parish as the ‘Parish of Plenty.’ It was my honor to nominate these ladies for their efforts in overcoming these obstacles,” said Jim Hooper of the Rotary Club of St. Charles.
Published in 2010, “St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: A Pictorial History,” tells the story of the first families of the German Coast, now known as the River Parishes, who left their countries in search of a better life, overcame profound suffering and hardships and prospered in their new hometowns.
The five-year process of writing the book began before Hurricane Katrina and lasted through three evacuations, Richoux said.
“Our parish has such a rich history,” Richoux said. “We were determined to complete this project. We felt it was so very important to preserve it for future generations. Putting together this book was truly a labor of love for us.”
More than 300 years of history is covered in the book. It focuses on the settlement of the German Coast and its leader and commandant for more than 48 years, Karl Fredrick Darensbourg. It tells the story of the parish’s more than 150 years of Catholic Church dominance, beginning with the founding of St. Jean des Allemands Catholic Church by the Capuchin Missionaries.
Among the highlights of the book are pictures of paintings by the Rev. Joseph Paret, who served as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church for 21 years, before and during the Civil War. Paret painted a series of watercolors of plantations on both sides of the Mississippi River. All paintings are dated before the Civil War, and were not discovered until 100 years after his death when a historian visited his family in France.
The book takes readers from the German Coast settled in the early 1700s into the 20th century as the parish moves from an agricultural to an industrial society.
The book was written as a bicentennial project with major sponsorship from the St. Charles Historical Foundation, now the St. Charles Museum and Historical Association, St. Charles Parish Department of Economic Development and Tourism and Dow Chemical Co. Foundation -St. Charles Operations.
Janis Blair of Luling was commissioned to illustrate the book, which is dedicated to Louque.
It is available at the German Coast Farmers Market open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at Ormond Plantation, 13786 River Road in Destrehan, and on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 6 p.m. at St. Charles Plaza Shopping Center, 12715 U.S. 90 in Luling.