Mt. Hermon native Walter Thomas "W. T." Ott was the father of George Herbert "Sam" Ott and John Monroe Ott. And in 1911 W. T. was the first Washington Parish Fair President, an historical role in our parish. But this wasn't his only claim to fame.
Brother to Elbert Weston "E. W." Ott (1855-1924), W. T. was the uncle of General Stanley Ott, a distinguished Mt. Hermon native. The son of E. W. and wife Mattie Leggett Ott, the original owners of the country store at Mt. Hermon, General Ott was the husband of wife Denise and father of Lt. General David Ewing Ott and Col. Stanley Ott, both West Pointers. And he was the first cousin of John Monroe Ott, who was the father of our family friends - sisters Jackie Ott Dobie, Leah Ott Johnson, Dr. Peggy Ott, and Mary Virginia Ott. The revered military man was also a good friend of my father's. Ott was born on his family's Fair Oaks Plantation at Mt. Hermon in December of 1892.
According to "Little Railroads which Helped Build Communities" by E. E. Puls, General Ott informed that in 1910 he was to have attended the academy in Osyka but the boll weevil ruined the cotton crop. It was a few years before the varmint could be eradicated and cotton crops successfully reestablished. But as we know, the ensuing delay in no way impaired the education or the distinguished military career of Brigadier General Edward Stanley Ott, United States Army, Retired, who amassed a multitude of awards during his honorable service in both World Wars and beyond. Interestingly, I noted that General Stanley Ott had served as editor of our beloved college newspaper, "The Reveille," during his years at The Old War School - Louisiana State University - from which he graduated in 1917.
It is of significance that General Ott began his education, which put him on the road to great success, at the Mt. Hermon School, which was later relocated to Mile Branch Settlement. The curriculum, which in addition to the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic included Latin, rhetoric, literature, diction, and physics, was impressive. The school even had its own brass band founded by Everette Ott and also a debating society. In addition to the Otts, the school educated a myriad of families including, but not limited to, the Bannisters, Brelands, Brittons, Brocks, Brumfields, Cutrers, Dysons, Fortenberrys, James, Magees, McLendons, Millers, Slaughters, Snells, Riles, Singletons, Tynes, Tates, Crittons, Rileys, Richardsons, Lovings, Painters, Roberts, Schillings, Stubbs, Stovalls, Braceys, Brewers, Batemans, Browns, Carters, Evans, Alfords, and Varnados. I
The railroad through Mt. Hermon, which had broadened the community's horizons, was abandoned in the 1920s, and the tracks were removed. It was about this same time that Governor Huey P. Long put into place his renowned road-building program which facilitated the mobility of Mt. Hermon residents. An ancient receipt, which I found, reflected that my great-grandfather William "Billy" Frank Ellzey sold cotton in Osyka, Mississippi, to Wilson & Addison, Dealers in General Merchandise. According to Mr. Puls, Mt. Hermon residents gravitated to Osyka, which was a significant cotton center and "a branch of the cotton exchange in New Orleans." With the advent of the telegraph, cotton growers checked the cotton prices before selling to buyers.
Once the phone lines were extended to Mt. Hermon, Ott Brothers store had the only phone in the area. Franklinton resident and friend Leah Johnson, daughter of store owner John Ott and wife Grace, recalled relaying poignant telephone messages to folks in the community. This was an invaluable service, particularly at war time.
Post-World War I, the Mt. Hermon area, with green, rolling hills and verdant pasture land, became famous for its dairies. The dairy industry continued to have a stronghold in the area through my time growing up in Washington Parish in the 1960s and 1970s. Many of my friends and school mates - the Staffords, the Schillings, the Snells, the Alfords, the Wascoms, and more - hailed from the Mt. Hermon area where their families operated large, successful dairies on which their livelihood depended. Though some of them have gone the way of the wind in the twenty-first century, others have endured.
A testament to its people - the Mt. Hermon community has thrived through the years with several prosperous business establishments. For many years, McElveen's Grocery, situated at Porter's Curve, was the go-to for staples for local residents. Owned and operated from the early 1970s to early 1980s by my close friends Leroy and Emelda McElveen, it was a fixture in the Mt. Hermon community, where folks gathered to share soda pop and stories. And since that time, there have been other such institutions. For example, in Mt. Hermon proper, Brooks Store springs to mind, serving up the best po-boys and conversation around. I speak from personal experience.
It is no wonder that on many of our Sunday afternoon drives, my dad and I wound up at Mt. Hermon. He enjoyed pointing out the sites and talking with the locals. Reflecting on the journey, I appreciate his roots there and, even more so, the kindness of the people and the beauty of the place.
Note: Author E. E. Puls credited Reverend Joe Baugh, pastor of the Mt. Hermon Baptist Church, with much of the material in his book on the Mt. Hermon community. He also credited Mr. L. Brock. I credit and thank all of them for their information, which contributed to this series of columns.
