History of White Hall - Pine Grove, LaSalle Parish, Louisiana

Copied and Submitted by: Kathy LeMay Kelly, P.O. Box 219, Trout, La. 71371

From The Jena Times - Olla Tullos Signal; Jena, LaSalle Parish, La.  
Microfilm at the LaSalle Parish Library located in Jena, LaSalle Parish, La.

Many Thanks to The Times - Signal and to the LaSalle Parish Library for 
allowing the following to be added to the Archives.





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Jena Times - Olla Tullos Signal, Thursday, January 14, 1960

(A series of articles was done by E. W. Plummer)

A HISTORY OF LASALLE PARISH

BY E.W. PLUMMER

WHITE HALL - PINE GROVE

These communities are considered together because of their close proximity and
for the further reason that both places were once parts of the historic
Catahoula Prairie settlement, which is one of the oldest in what is now
LaSalle Parish.

The first settler of whom there is record was Nicholas Levine, a dapper
Frenchman who, from the late 1790's to 1803, the year of the Louisiana
Pruchase, was commandant of Fort George IV. This French fort and trading post,
which was located on what is now the Joseph estate, was the most important
outpost between Black River and Alexandria. Face brick made in Nice, France,
and both French and Spanish coins are yet found in the ruins of this fort.

One of Levin's duties as a French officer was to issue passports to travelers
en route to Alexandria and points west and to furnish them with guides, either
Indians or trappers. All overland traveling was by horseback, since there were
no roads. All transportation was done by pack horses since there were no
roads. Incidentally, the old "three notch" road, which later became known as
the Lower Harrisonburg-Alexandria road, followed a trail blazed out by David
Jones who operated a "pubic house" on Little river at a point now known as
Walkers Ferry in 1797.

Two other early residents of Catahoula Prairie were Oliver Morgan and John
Henry, who operated a general merchandise store at Rhineharts steamboat
landing in 1806 at a point near the Highway 84 traffic bridge on Old river.
Rhinehart postoffice was established and maintained here until moved to its
present location on the Louisina-Midland railroad.

One of the most historic of the White Hall community, and, indeed of LaSalle
parish, is the home of the late Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Davis. This residence, which
was built with slave labor by Truman A. Breithaupt in 1835. Briethaupt
acquired a vast expanse of land which included a large section of the hills
around his home and extended south on both sides of Old River to a point near
the French Fork traffic bridge. Truman A. and Gustav Breithaupt, brothers,
came to the United States from Milah, Germany, and both did extensive farming
and stock raising. They are the progenitors of all Briethaupt families of
LaSalle parish. Truman A. Breitahupt married Sarah Jane McCullough and Gustav
married Mellissa Shaw. It is not known whether or not they were local
residents.

The W.A. Moseley home which was built in the 1800's is another point of
interest. More interesting, however, is veritable museum of historic treasures
which have been preserved by Mr. and Mrs. Moseley. Among them are letters
written by the Breithaupts of Milah, Germany to the Breithaupts of Catahoula
Prairie done in German language, Biblical records dating back more than 150
years, several $1000 bill in Confederate money and legal documents dating back
to the 1830's.

Pine Grove Baptist church is one of the oldest in LaSalle parish. The original
church house was built by a Mr. Lacy in the 1880's. It was a two story log
structure, the upper room of which was a meeting place for the farmers grange.
A frame building was constructed in the 1890's and was used until the modern
new church house was erected. Pine Grove is not a large church from the
standpoint of membership, but it is a stable, permanent institution and has a
long record of service which is treasured by its present membership.

Names prominent in the early development of Catahoula Prairie are Levine,
Morgan, Henry, Breithaupt, Moseley, Jernigan, Edwards, Bradford, Kuhn,
Doughty, Kendrick, Miles, Scarbrough, Howard, Joy and Rook.

(* Note* Be sure to read Part 9, Antioch and French Fork. There is a
correction concerning Pine Grove Baptist Church.)