The Library…Or is it the Post Office?

On Friday, I did a crazy thing. I bought the building on Main Street that housed the Evangeline Parish Library when I grew up. I remember walking down Main Street after school and going into this red brick, Federal style building to check out books and magazines. It was a haven and I loved the building, the books, and of course, my Aunt Brenda, who worked there.

The building had been vacant since 2014, when the “powers that were”decided to build a new building, rather than renovate this gem. Their loss.

In my recent research, I have found that the building was actually built as a Post office in 1937 as part of the “WPA.” The “Works Progress Administration” was an American New Deal agency, created by President Franklin Roosevelt, that employed millions of men with little or no formal eduction to carry out various public works projects, including the construction of public buildings, in an effort to relieve the economic hardship of the Great Depression. This building is one of several twin or near twin structures constructed in the same period. Similar variations of this building are located in Lake Providence and Winnsboro, Louisiana, but there are also others in New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia and other states.

In the 1970’s the Post Office moved to a new building and this building became the main location for the Evangeline Parish Library that I remember so fondly.

The Gumbo Gals are so grateful for the community support that we have received in the one day since we posted about our exciting acquisition. We’ve received so many exciting use suggestions, including a cupcake shop, an AirBnB, a museum, an event center, a bridal boutique, an event location, office suites, and my favorite, a Speakeasy. We’re not quite sure what we’ll do with it yet, other than host our pop up shops more often, but we certainly plan to preserve it and see that it lives to celebrate it’s centennial birthday.