Historic Places: Gov. Earl K. Long's Pea Patch Home, 1962, Winn Parish, LA. Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: November 22, 1962 Winn Parish Enterprise News-American Tuesday At 2 A.M., Fire Destroys "Pea Patch" Home Of Late Earl K. Long The late Gov. Earl K. Long's "pea patch" farm home went up in wind-whipped flames at 2 a.m. Tuesday. Fire Chief Byron Tullos said there's no indication as to what caused the blaze. Tullos said the fire obviously started on the back porch on the east side of the frame, tin-roofed house. A wind from the east at about 15 miles per hour turned the building into an inferno as firemen sprayed streams of water in what proved to be a vain effort. A cold rain was falling as the blaze cast a great orange glow visible against the low overcast for three for four miles. A Negro woman first noticed the fire and called the Winnfield City Police headquarters, Tullos said. Firemen had to lay 1,200 feet of water hose from a plug at the Winnfield Recreation Center south of the house. The called reached the fire station at 2:04 a.m. Charles Smith, who lives within 150 yards of the house, said the fire alarm awakened him and at that time the entire back side of the house was in flames. The house has been unoccupied for some time and there was no furniture in it. Gas and electricity had been turned off, however, water service was still operating. Tullos said he notified Mrs. Blanche Long by telephone in Baton Rouge. "Mrs. Long said she was sorry the house burned. She said she had wanted the house to remain," he said. Only a portion of the front and north side walls remain standing. The wind whipped the blaze into such an inferno, water from hoses had little effect before the fire had almost devoured the entire building. The last hose was rolled up at 5 a.m. One fireman, Julius Mercer, was overcome by smoke but was not hospitalized. The fire marked the third in four days when firemen battled after midnight. The first was 1:27 a.m. Saturday in the Brickyard Quarters where a small Negro house was heavily damaged. Tullos said the house was occupied by Clarence Anthony who was not at home when the blaze broke out. The building is owned by Eddie Powell, Jr. Cause of the fire was not known. A Negro house owned by Florence Stringer and occupied by Roosevelt Stringer on Brown Street was damaged at 6:45 p.m. Sunday. Tullos said the electric wiring was suspected as the cause and that firemen halted the blaze before structural damage to the house developed. Wallpaper was burned off in one room, he said. At 1:45 a.m. Sunday, firemen were called to the J. B. Johns' residence , 409 Crawford Street, where clothes that had been taken from a dryer had caught fire. Tullos said that nothing but the clothes were damaged, but that the house was filled with smoke.