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Historical Timeline

1700

St. Delphine, a Spanish land grant of 218.2 acres is given to Valery Bergeron

1831

Isadore Daigle acquired St. Delphine land which contained 1200 acres and named it St. Delphine for his wife. The mansion was built in 1859. 

1871

August Levert purchases St. Delphine

1881-1882

Texas & Pacific constructs a railroad through Addis to New Orleans. The area becomes known as Baton Rouge Junction.

1890

Levert School established at St. Delphine.

1894

A Post Office on the river road at Mark, Louisiana is established with August Levert as the first Postmaster.

1908-1910

Baton Rouge Junction becomes Addis for John Wesley Addis, an official of Texas & Pacific.

1915

Addis incorporated as a Village. George Booksh is elected as the first mayor. John Wesley Addis, founder, died in Marshall, Texas.

1916

Addis Ice Company is established to serve the railroad and the community (owned by Edward Bird).

1918-1919

Bank of Addis is chartered, organized by William Gassie, Jr. with 400 stockholders who invested $75.00 each.

The Bank of Addis was originally built to serve as the Bank of Addis, chartered in 1919. The bank failed after the Stock Market crash of 1929. J. H. “Doc” Hebert bought the building and used it as a Post Office and store. The U. S. Postal Service continued to use the building until 1981. The Bank of Addis was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1982. The original bank vault is still in the building. The Bank of Addis is now home to the Addis Museum.

1925

The People’s Hotel- Addis’ first hotel was located on the corner of Main Street and the railroad tracks. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1931.

1927

Greatest Flood on lower Mississippi River Delta on record-400 are killed and 700,000 are left homeless.

1933

Excursion train Round-Trip Specials from Addis to New Orleans, cost $1.00.

1940

T & P began construction of a new depot and hotel.

1942

A canning Center is opened in conjunction with the Food-for-Freedom Project. Carmen Caldwell, the custodian, was paid one can of fruit and two cans of vegetables for every ten that were canned.

1943

St. Delphine land is sold to James Laws of Cinclare.

1945

World War II: Three Addis citizens receive the Silver Star posthumously:

George Edward Lejeune: Gunner and engineer on B-24 Air Force-killed at Casablanca on October 9, 1943 at the age of 23.
Ray Anthony Rivet: Killed at Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands on November 20, 1943 at the age of 18. Hubert J. Dupuy: Killed in France on September 15, 1944 at the age of 31.

Thelma Eads taught in West Baton Rouge for a total of 27 years. Mrs. Eads first taught at a one-room school for black children ages 1-7, which was located on the present sift of the Addis VFW Hall. She later served as Principal of the Addis Elementary School. Her husband, like many residents, was employed by the T & P Railroad as a mechanic in the Motor Transport Garage.

1950

One of the early projects of the Town Council in the 1950s was to install street lights.

1956

Dow Chemical breaks ground, employing many and increasing railroad traffic.

1957

“Band of Angels” begins filming on location in Addis. Many Addis residents work as extras with Clark Gable and Yvonne DeCarlo in the lead roles.

1959

Addis Volunteer Fire Department was established with $1.00 lease-purchase and restoration of a 1924 American LaFrance fire engine. Leon Caldwell becomes the first Fire Chief. The American LaFrance fire engine still rides proudly in the Addis Volunteer Fireman’s Parade.

1960

The four-lane highway (LA-1) through Addis is completed.
September 15, 1960, Addis Recreation Commission, Inc. is established consisting of Edward Seneca, Freddie Martinez, Betty Chustz, Irene Parrish, Roy Mouch, Leslie Ramagos, W. J. Goodwin, and Lytle Chustz, as first Board of Directors.

1962

First Addis Mardi Gras Parade is held. The parade consisted of children of the community pulling their decorated wagons. First King and Queen – Hunter Miller and Donna Breaux.

1965

March 27, 1965 George Booksh cited by the Louisiana Municipal Association as the oldest serving Mayor in the state.

1966

Copolymer begins construction.

1969

October 10, 1969 Ground breaking for the New Addis VFW.

1977

August 26, 1977 Addis becomes a Town with a population of 1,245.

1980

April 5, 1980 Myhand Park dedicated.

1981

New Post Office opens at its current location.

1990

September 1, 1990 Addis celebrates their 75th Birthday.

1991

April 21, 1991 The Solid Waste Treatment Facility is dedicated.

1992

April 5, 1992 The Addis Municipal Center is dedicated.

1999

June 27, 1999 Dedication of the Memorial Tree at the Addis Municipal Center, sponsored by the Addis Civic League.
August 7, 1999 The Town of Addis in conjunction with the Addis Assemblee’ Reunion Committee and the Congres Mondial Acadien hosted the Bergeron, Caillouet, and Gauthreaux Family Reunions.

2000

Addis Museum opens.
2000 census shows population of 2,238.

2004

Acadian Crossing Subdivision begins.
River Land Subdivision begins.
Missouri Acres Subdivision begins.

2005

Sugarmill Plantation Subdivision begins.

2008

Sunset Place Subdivision begins.
Plantation Ridge Subdivision begins.

2009

Town of Addis Railroad Museum and Park Phase 1 is started.
2nd Phase 2010
3rd Phase 2011
4th Phase 2012

2010

Street Lights on LA 1 installed on entire stretch in Addis Town limits.
2010 Census show population of 3,593.

2012

Crystal Lakes Subdivision (to be known as Sugar Mill) begins.
Addis Volunteer Fire Department’s 50th Annual Parade Celebrated.

2013

Town of Addis Website Updated.

2014

Acadian Crossing 2nd Filing.
Sugar Hollow Subdivision Begins.
Sunset Lakes Subdivision Begins.
Myhand House moved to New Roads.
Deblanc House moved to Bayou Grosse Tete.
West Baton Rouge Parish Government takes full control of Fire Departments in Parish.

2015

Town of Addis Celebrates Centennial was celebrated on Friday, September 11, 2015 and Saturday, September 12, 2015.  On Friday, September 11, 2015, the Pavilion at the Town of Addis Railroad Museum and Park was renamed to the Carroll P. Bourgeois Pavilion in honor of Mayor Bourgeois for his 32 years of serving the Town of Addis, and for his dream of the park.  A night time parade then went through the Town of Addis in celebration of 100 years as a municipality.

2016
Town of Addis Celebrates its first Live @ 5 concert series.
2019

The President George Bush Funeral Train and The Spirit of Union Pacific Train visited the Town of Addis for 3 days at the Union Pacific Rail Yard, bringing visitors to our Town.                                        T

The Civic League of Addis donates the Donor Tree to the Town of Addis.

2020

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) affects the world.

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