Meetings

Regular meetings of the Society are held in the months of January, March, May, July, and September at 6:00 p.m. in the meeting room of the St. John the Baptist Parish Library, 2920 Highway 51, LaPlace, Louisiana.  Any changes in the meeting date or place are listed in the Schedule of Meetings and Special Events.  The October meeting is our annual Oktoberfest dinner at a location to be announced.  

(TEMPORARILY DUE TO HURRICANE IDA MEETINGS MUST BE HELD ELSEWHERE AS LaPLACE LIBRARY WILL NOT RE-OPEN UNTIL 2024 or 2025)

Schedule of Meetings and Events

Spring Symposium

Saturday, April 6, 2024
9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Free & Open to the Public
*No Reservations*

Historic St. John Theatre
115 West 4th Street
Reserve, Louisiana 70084
(on River Road)

Dr. CLINT BRUCE“The Spark That Lit the Vigilante Fire: Uncovering the Role of St. James Parish in the Disturbances of 1858-59.”On the eve of the Civil War, an uprising of “Vigilance Committees,” formed to combat perceived lawlessness, rocked southern Louisiana. This presentation sheds new light on events in St. James during those troubled times, examining the role of popular violence in maintaining the slavery-based social order.  
ROCKY TROXLER“The Troxlers: Lichtenberg to Bayou Goula to New Orleans”Beginning as humble farmers on the German Coast of Louisiana, this line of Troxlers went on to become successful merchants, steamboat pilots, and businessmen. The family also included an early travelling actor and a big-band-era musician. Join us as Rocky Troxler traces his family’s path through 300 years with colorful stories, documents, pictures, and graphics that make the past come alive.
JEFF ROUX “Looking for a Game Originating in or Having Ties to Louisiana”
A newspaper article in the 1860s describes a 4-year-old girl at a Fête Champetre (or rural festival).  This young girl’s family life (genealogy and personal) led to months of research into Florenz A. Luling  (namesake of the town I grew up in).