Former LGCF Inc. Headquarters, Lecompte LA
LGCF, Inc. Headquarters
Physical Address: 1606 Water Street, Lecompte, LA
LGCF Inc. State President Tricia Ortalano at the Headquarters
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Built in the 1890’s
The Dr. E. L. Henry home was built by James Ward Hardy for his daughter, Patricia, and deeded to her on her marriage to Dr. E. L. Henry in 1899. Sometimes after 1917, Dr. Henry died and Patricia married Dr. Benjamin Blake.
In 1921, he built a sanitarium, now a modern and thriving clinic, next door to the house. The home typifies a Louisiana Plantation Cottage. It is centrally located in the state of Louisiana, on Bayou Boeuf, in the small town of Lecompte, which is located on Highway 71 about 15 minutes south of Alexandria.
Both century old Live Oaks are members of the Live Oak Society; one is named for Dr. Edwin Stephens, founder and one for Lucile Brown, 1st LGCF Live Oak Society Chairman.
In 1921, he built a sanitarium, now a modern and thriving clinic, next door to the house. The home typifies a Louisiana Plantation Cottage. It is centrally located in the state of Louisiana, on Bayou Boeuf, in the small town of Lecompte, which is located on Highway 71 about 15 minutes south of Alexandria.
Both century old Live Oaks are members of the Live Oak Society; one is named for Dr. Edwin Stephens, founder and one for Lucile Brown, 1st LGCF Live Oak Society Chairman.
Perseverance
From 1971 to 1977, LGCF members held raffles, auctions and other fundraisers to raise the monies to purchase the house from the late State Senator Cecil Blair. Club members also saved Betty Crocker coupons to furnish the kitchen. The walls are of double cypress construction and the floors are the original cypress boards. A board gallery once surrounded three sides of the cottage. Through the years, a portion of the gallery was enclosed to form two large bathrooms, a den, and a large closet to house all LGCF records.
It is furnished with period antiques and art donated by different garden clubs and individual garden club members. The home features a wide entrance hallway where photographs of all the past LGCF Presidents greet you. The sitting room boasts of one of the two fireplaces in the home. Double doors open into a formal dining room featuring a stained glass Louisiana iris hanging in the window. It was designed and donated by a Club Member. Other artwork includes a painting of the Carolyn Dorman Magnolia and a pen and ink drawing done by one of the LGCF Scholarship recipients.
Each past state president has added her personal touch to the home and garden…from the birdbath, wrought iron bench and plantings in the side garden to the bench in the back garden where you may want to have a club meeting and brown bag lunch, or just sit and reflect.
It is furnished with period antiques and art donated by different garden clubs and individual garden club members. The home features a wide entrance hallway where photographs of all the past LGCF Presidents greet you. The sitting room boasts of one of the two fireplaces in the home. Double doors open into a formal dining room featuring a stained glass Louisiana iris hanging in the window. It was designed and donated by a Club Member. Other artwork includes a painting of the Carolyn Dorman Magnolia and a pen and ink drawing done by one of the LGCF Scholarship recipients.
Each past state president has added her personal touch to the home and garden…from the birdbath, wrought iron bench and plantings in the side garden to the bench in the back garden where you may want to have a club meeting and brown bag lunch, or just sit and reflect.
Old Lecompte High School & Museum Honors LGCF Inc.
Ron Schneider, Museum Curator
NEW MUSEUM ROOM. The Louisiana Garden Club Federation bought the large house on Water Street next to the medical clinic in 1975 almost 50 years ago. They are selling the property and liquidated all the furniture and decorative items there were inside the house. They had an online auction that sold a lot and various garden club members and the man who ran the auction took items. I asked the Federation to donate what was not sold or given away to the Old Lecompte High School and Museum. I helped clean out one of the former classrooms on the 3rd story, east end of Old LHS. Junk Bee Gone moved most everything to that room and I carried two carloads of the more delicate items in my own car. This past week I arranged the furniture, decorative items, poster displays, glassware, etc. so that it looked very attractive. So this is the NEW Louisiana Garden Club Federation Museum Room and is a fitting tribute to the Federation's influence in this community and the state for well over 50 years. And thank you to the Lecompte Garden Club and all you have done to enhance our community since the 1950s!!
Moving of Blue Star Marker - August 21, 2024
The Lecompte Garden Club reports "NEW ADDITION TO THE MUSEUM. Thanks to the Garden Club and the Louisiana Garden Club Federation for moving the beautiful Blue Star Memorial By-way monument to the Old LHS Museum.
The Louisiana Garden Club Federation had the beautiful old Hardy house on Water Street (beside the Lecompte Medical Clinic) designated as their State Headquarters for many years. They have sold the house and at this time they do not have a central Federation headquarters. The new owners will be moving in toward the end of August 2024. So the Federation needed to find a new home for the Blue Star memorial.
They worked with the Lecompte Garden Club to have the memorial moved to the front lawn of Old LHS. It was estimated the granite stone and solid bronze plaque weighed more that 300 pounds! Luckily there was no cement base and the memorial was just "sitting" on the ground and not dug deep into it. So it was a pretty easy move, and now it graces the front lawn of Old LHS and is a perfect compliment to our large Veteran's Memorial Monument.
Now, looking at the front lawn of Old LHS we have the Louisiana Historical Marker on one side of the sidewalk and the Blue Star Memorial on the other, with the large Veteran's Monument in the middle. "
The Louisiana Garden Club Federation had the beautiful old Hardy house on Water Street (beside the Lecompte Medical Clinic) designated as their State Headquarters for many years. They have sold the house and at this time they do not have a central Federation headquarters. The new owners will be moving in toward the end of August 2024. So the Federation needed to find a new home for the Blue Star memorial.
They worked with the Lecompte Garden Club to have the memorial moved to the front lawn of Old LHS. It was estimated the granite stone and solid bronze plaque weighed more that 300 pounds! Luckily there was no cement base and the memorial was just "sitting" on the ground and not dug deep into it. So it was a pretty easy move, and now it graces the front lawn of Old LHS and is a perfect compliment to our large Veteran's Memorial Monument.
Now, looking at the front lawn of Old LHS we have the Louisiana Historical Marker on one side of the sidewalk and the Blue Star Memorial on the other, with the large Veteran's Monument in the middle. "
Dedication of Blue Star By-Way Marker at headquarters in April 2011
click on any photo for larger image and caption
