Welcome to Arnaudville

Welcome to Arnaudville. . , Arnaudville lies at a crossroads of bayous Teche and Fuselier, and it's Bayou Teche that separates the town into two parishes: St. Landry and St. Martin. This unique location made the town a major center of commerce with a main road that follows the Teche. Many families settled on farms near the bayou in what was then called "La Jonction." Arnaudville was reached by merchant ships, which came up the Mississippi to Bayou Teche and continued on to Bayou Courtableau, and eventually a wagon trail gave way to bridges and streets. What exists today along the scenic bayous is the Deux Bayous Cultural District, a center of culture in a rural community filled with ideas and creativity., Birth of Arnaudville , Tradition has it that an early settler on the present-day site of Arnaudville was Jacques Arnaud. He is said to have arrived from Paris at Pecaniere, a rural community in St. Landry Parish, prior to 1850. He settled in what was then called "the Arnauds" and married Marie Lalonde. The name Arnaudville was settled on in 1863. He became involved in business and politics, serving as justice of the peace and a member of the parish Democratic Executive Committee. Arnaud died in 1910 and is buried in Saint Francis Regis Cemetery. His birthplace of Jausiers in southeastern France is twinned with Arnaudville, and the Jacques Arnaud French Studies Collective holds a La Table Française at NuNu's Arts and Culture Collective in his memory on the last Saturday of each month. , Vive le francais avec Mavis Fruge , Viola Fontenot et Brenda Mounier , Tonnerre Mes Chiens par Amanda Lafleur , Earlene Broussard et Kirby Jambon. , C'est tout en francais pres de notre coeur , Vive le francais avec Mavis Fruge. , Vive le francais à la Table de NuNu's , Une fois par mois le samedi matin ca vient tous ensemble , Pour sauver le francais, la musique, et toute notre culture , C'est tout en francais avec Mavis Fruge. , A rap song in honor of Arnaudville's Mavis Fruge's induction into Living Legends of Louisiana from O Malheureuse: French Writings by Louisiana Women edited by Ashlee Wilson Michot, Land of the Living Faith , The bayou was once vital to life in Arnaudville, and a few old traditions still remain. Before roads and highways, mail was delivered by boat, and local resident Dr. Moreau sometimes made house calls via water to the Atchafalaya River Basin. Before the first church was built, residents had to go to Opelousas or Grand Coteau if they didn't want to wait for the traveling priest. These days, a local priest can still be found traveling down Bayou Teche by boat on some weekends, and a Eucharistic procession called Fete Dieu du Teche takes place on Aug. 15, the Feast of the Assumption, each year. This date also marks the anniversary of the arrival of the Acadians, who were accompanied by Fr. Jean-Louis de Civrey on their journey down the bayou in 1765., Duel on the Bayou , On Christmas night in 1909, Ozeme Roy was killed in a duel with Wade Higginbotham, a deputy sheriff of St. Landry Parish. Roy was the owner of a saloon located at the junction of the two bayous. Rumor had it that he was having an affair with Mrs. Wade Higginbotham. Higginbotham came to the saloon to confront him and a fight broke out between the two men. Roy went into the supply room to retrieve his pistol and as soon as he returned to the barroom, the shooting started. When the shooting ended, both men were severely injured. Higginbotham died in the barroom, and Roy died on the doorstep of his home just a block away., White Squash Pudding or "Poutine Ciblème" , 5 cups squash (cut in pieces and boiled in lightly salted water until tender) , 1 cup sugar , 1 cup flour , 1 Tbsp. vanilla , 4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue) 3 Tbsp. sugar , 1 stick margarine , 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar , Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients, except for sugar and cream of tartar. Pour in a greased pan or black skillet. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. For the meringue, beat egg whites until stiff. Add 3 Tbsp. sugar and 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar and beat until stiff. Remove pudding from oven and spread meringue over pudding, taking care to seal the edges. Raise oven temperature to 400 and place pudding in oven until meringue is golden brown., Ici on parle français - "Here we speak French" , The area's French linguistic roots are a primary focus of NUNU, a community arts organization with authentic Louisiana French culture as its central driving force | NUNU, Columbus Fruge , Saute crapaud! , Ta queue va brûler! , Mais, prends courage, , Elle va repousser. , Cajun accordion player and singer Columbus "Boy" Fruge was born in Arnaudville in 1907. He began performing at local Columbus Fruge dances at age 11, and by age 18 Public domain he was recording for Victor Records in Memphis. His most famous recorded song is "Saute Crapaud" (Jump, Frog), and the story goes that he stomped on a wooden pop bottle case as a makeshift drum while recording. He is also known for "Point Clear Blues", "Bayou Teche" and his "Two Step d'Arnaudville." Find a complete Bayou Teche music playlist at techeproject.org! , The TECHE Project recognizes Shane Bernard, Patti Holland, Tami St. Germain, Chloé St. Germain-Vermillion and Erin Bass for their contributions to the content of this panel. , For more information, visit: , Town of Arnaudville | arnaudvillela.com St. Martin Parish Tourist Commission cajuncountry.org St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission cajuntravel.com The TECHE Project | techeproject.org