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The Battle House: Separating History From Legend

We came across this great article by local historian and author Goodloe Stuck that takes a closer look at one of Shreveport’s most historic homes — the Battle House, which once stood on Edwards Street in downtown Shreveport.

For years, several legends have surrounded the house. One popular story claimed that it served as General E. Kirby Smith’s Civil War headquarters, while another suggested that it was the Confederate State Capitol when the state government was moved to Shreveport. But according to the research discussed in this article, there is no evidence supporting either of those claims. These stories appear to have been passed down for generations and repeated so often that they eventually became accepted as fact.

The attached article also highlights research by Katherine Brash Jeter, who dug deeper into the history of the Battle House. One fascinating connection she uncovered involves Lt. Jonathan H. Carter, the officer who supervised construction of the Confederate ironclad steamboat “Missouri”. Her research revealed that Carter later lived at the Battle House.

And here's another really cool detail we noticed in the first photograph. Out front is a Weiner Loeb Grocery delivery cart! Weiner Loeb Grocery would later become Big Chain Foods and Cafe, adding another little piece of Shreveport history to this photograph.

That's what makes old photographs so fascinating to us at Twin Blends. Sometimes you're looking at a historic building, but if you slow down and really study the photograph, you'll discover an entirely different story sitting right there in the foreground.

The building may be gone, but the stories are still here — and we're going to keep digging!
Photos courtesy Northwest Louisiana Archives at LSUS ... See MoreSee Less

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BUILDING THE JIMMIE DAVIS BRIDGE!

With the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) now constructing the new four-lane Jimmie Davis Bridge alongside the old bridge, we thought it would be a great time to share these incredible photos we uncovered at the Northwest Louisiana Archives at LSUS.

These photographs give us a rare look at the original Jimmie Davis Bridge under construction—and there’s an interesting detail that caught our attention.

Many sources state that the bridge was built in 1968, but these photographs clearly show construction still underway in 1969!

So, whether you consider its construction date to be 1968 or 1969, one thing is certain: the old Jimmie Davis Bridge has been a part of the Shreveport-Bossier landscape for more than half a century.

As a new four-lane bridge rises beside it, we thought these photographs were the perfect opportunity to look back at how the original bridge came to be.

History is all around us—you just have to know where to look! ... See MoreSee Less