‘Country Store’ offers look at rural Avoyelles

 

   From the moment a visitor steps into the Adam Ponthieu Grocery Store and Big Bend Post Office Museum, the learning begins.

   Jimmie Bernard, who oversees the museum, knows his subject matter and, more importantly, he knows how to connect with people.

   “When someone drives up, I notice their license plate. When they come in, I ask their name and I remember their name. I determine if they want a full tour or just a quick summary,” he said.

   He gives the visitors what they want. If they are only interested in a quick look around and then be on their way to the next stop on their vacation, he holds back on the history lesson.

   “If they’re from Shreveport, I talk to them about the Red River system and its history here,” Bernard said. “If they’re from Cairo, Ill., I connect them to here by the Mississippi River system. I try to focus on how this area relates to them.”

   Of course, for residents of Avoyelles and neighboring parishes, the short stop on Highway 451 results in a wealth of knowledge of this area -- especially from the first half of the 20th century.

   Bernard can vouch for the authenticity of the store’s exhibits. He grew up in this area and the store was a central place in the community.

   “I came here as a kid,” he said. “I guess I know a lot about its history because I was a part of much of its history.”

   The current building was built in 1927 as a store and post office after the Great Flood of 1927 destroyed the store that had been at the site and the area’s post office.

   A store had been there since Thomas Hall Carruth opened one around 1900. His son-in-law, Byron Lemoine Sr., took over in the early 1920’s and also served as the area’s postmaster from 1920-47.

   The museum is known by several shorter names -- Big Bend Museum, Old Country Store Museum, Big Bend Post Office Museum, etc.

Ponthieu bought the store in 1946 and became postmaster in 1947 -- a position he held until the government closed the post office on April 30, 1994.

   Ponthieu died in 1995. His son, Adam Ponthieu Jr., donated the property to  La Commission des Avoyelles for use as a museum, tourist information center and community meeting place. It was deeded to the Avoyelles Police Jury in 1999 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

 

   Visitors wanting to “time travel” will have that urge met by looking around the stocked shelves in the country store or by walking through the post office room.

   Bernard said he likes to give a “hands-on tour,” demonstrating items that may seem unfamiliar to the tourists.

   The bird trap and squirrel trap in the museum were important to residents of the area because they helped to put meat on the table for families.

   An old crank-style telephone is a popular item for visitors.

   One of the oddities in the museum is a 1929 Maytag washing machine. What makes this wringer-type washing machine different is that it was run by a gasoline engine. Most people today forget that electricity wasn’t available in the rural areas until well into the 20th century.

   “An interesting thing about that washing machine is that you can still get parts for it,” he added.

   For those interested in politics, there is an old ballot box, in which paper ballots were dropped.The store is still a polling place for elections, but the modern machines have replaced the wooden box.

   A visitor could spend a short time looking around and getting a general idea of what a country store and rural post office looked like, or they could spend a couple of hours closely examining the canned goods, jars, lamps, household items and the everyday necessities the store provided to its customers.

   “It’s up to them,” Bernard said. “I can take as long with them as they want.”

    The museum is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

The fee is $2 for adults and $1 for school-aged children. For school field trip groups, there is no charge for students.

 

    “I ask that people call first, if possible, to make sure I’m here,” Bernard said. “I’m the only one here, and sometimes I may have to be out. However, I am almost always here.”

    He said if someone calls and wants to visit, he will do his best to accommodate them even if it is outside regular operating hours. 

    The phone number is (318)717-4007.

    “I live a short distance from the store,” he said. “If someone wants to visit the museum, I can usually get over here to open up for them.”

    Groups tours can also be arranged on Mondays and Saturdays, he noted.

    The museum is more than just a store and post office time capsule. It also tells the story of this area and the effects the rivers and the railroads had on the people who lived here.

    Big Bend is on Bayou des Glaises, which flows 46 miles from Simmesport to Cottonport.  

    “As the crow flies, we are five miles from the Red River, eight miles from the Mississippi and four miles from the Atchafalaya,” Bernard said.

    For a century, the rivers ruled the region. In 1896, the railroads started coming into the area. In 1902, what became the Kansas City Southern rail line was completed by William Edenborn.

    The museum also includes interesting historical facts about the area’s history, communities, people and events. One of those historical notes is that during the heyday of steamboats and railroads, Big Bend was the entryway into Avoyelles Parish. There are money orders and other posted items from the old Water Valley Plantation community in the museum’s post office area. The community was renamed Naples by Edenborn, because many of the railroad workers were Italian immigrants from the Naples, Italy region. This community was the next train stop traveling towards Baton Rouge from Big Bend.

    With the building of the Simmesport bridge over the Atchafalaya River, Naples died but Big Bend survived.

 

    Across the highway is the Sarto Old Iron Bridge, built by the Avoyelles Police Jury in 1916 at a cost of $5,375. For many years, it provided an elevated escape route by which residents could evacuate from the other side of the bayou in case of floods. It had a swing span to open the bridge for boat traffic.

    The bridge was closed in 1988, deemed no longer safe for vehicle traffic. A group of local residents, which included Bernard, worked to give the bridge a new life as a tourist attraction. In 1989, the Sarto Bridge became the first bridge in Louisiana to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Grants allowed improvements to the bridge, including a pier adjacent to it. It is now open to foot traffic.

    The museum is 16 miles off La. Hwy 1 in Moreauville, about seven miles past Bordelonville on La. Hwy 451. It’s a pleasant drive. 

    Most people may spend more time getting to the museum than they will in the museum -- but that’s only if you don’t take the time to enjoy the experience and take full advantage of a tour guide whose knowledge of the subject matter is eclipsed only by his passion for it.