Mer Rouge in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

"Ben and the Boys"

Ben V. Lily

— 1856 - 1936 —

"Ben and the Boys" Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 25, 2017

1. "Ben and the Boys" Marker

Inscription. Like Esau, Jacob's brother of Bible times, Ben Lilly was the ultimate hunter...but never on Sunday. Not one to focus on acquiring "things" and money, Ben acquired knowledge, knowledge about the outdoors and the four-legged challenges he found there...mainly bears and lions. Cotton and cattle were soon phased out of his life. Starting a few miles east of here on Bayou Bonne Idee and Beouf River, he, with his dogs, hunted South through Tensas swamp, where President Teddy Roosevelt came to hunt with him, then on West through East Texas, Northern Mexico and ultimately to Southwest New Mexico, where he settled down to do his "patriotic duty"...kill the mountain lions and bears that killed the ranchers' livestock. The ranchers paid him, the government paid him, unlike back home in Louisiana, so he stayed. He sent the money back home to his wife and children, who lived two blocks North of this monument. One of his two daughters, Verna, became a school teacher of note: At her death in 1985 she bequeathed over a half-million dollars, in two trust funds, to the Mer Rouge Methodist Church. One fund supports two

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student scholarships each year, the other, the pastor's salary. Ben Lilly, after a bout with pneumonia, died and was buried in Silver City, N.M. at the age of 80, never having been back to Mer Rouge, but leaving his mark here and across the Southwest.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1985.

Location. 32° 46.609′ N, 91° 47.733′ W. Marker is in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, in Morehouse Parish. It is on Davenport Avenue (U.S. 165) east of South 22nd Street, on the right when traveling east. Located in front of the Mer Rouge Post Office. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 405 Davenport Avenue, Mer Rouge LA 71261, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Louisiana.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western

"Ben and the Boys" Marker in front of the post office. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 25, 2017

2. "Ben and the Boys" Marker in front of the post office.

Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hoss Logan (approx. 0.2 miles away); Luther E. Hall (approx. 5.8 miles away); Mable John (approx. 6.9 miles away); Morehouse Parish Training School (approx. 7½ miles away); Point Pleasant (approx. 9 miles away).

Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,209 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.