Picking up with the historic Edwards Place, situated in Tangipahoa Parish, I learned from Lynette Westmoreland that the four pillars on which the original home rested were moved to her son's house. Wife of Dale Westmoreland, Ms. Lynette described them as large boulders. Son Matt explained that his family - his parents Dale and Lynette Westmoreland - bought the property from Roy and Lyda Wood of Amite some years ago. And before that, Mr. Roy - a lawyer and large landowner - demolished the original house which, in dilapidated condition, was falling apart. Still, pieces of the old sandstone foundation remained, and Matt preserved it, transporting it to his own place.
Before launching into the history of the Edwards Place - one of the largest plantations in our area prior to the Civil War - and the story of its original owner, it bears noting that Roy and Lyda Wood are no strangers to me. I fondly remember them as the beloved parents of my dear, long-time friend Mandy Wood Barnett. And Ms. Lyda, classmate of my mother Margie Nell Brumfield (Ellzey), was the sibling of the Yates sisters Margie Jenkins, Doris Magee, and Dixie Gallaspy and brothers Frederick O. Yates and John Mousley Yates. As I highlighted last week, Yates descendants, with the same roots as the Westmorelands.
Returning to renowned historian Daunton Gibbs's "Era-Leader" article (December 2, 1976) on the Edwards Place, Col. Daniel Edwards (1787-1877) was the first occupant of the house which structure was built in 1810. He was the son of Morgan Edwards, a well-known boat builder in Madisonville. It was thought that Daniel Edwards was commissioned a Colonel for his military service in the Battle of New Orleans during the wintertime of 1814-1815. He served under General Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812. The old log house, which was later encased with board siding, had been built just before.
Col. Edwards was one of the five individuals tasked with finding a location for St. Tammany Parish after it separated from Washington Parish. Appointed by the Legislature, the five-man commission chose a site on Claiborne Hill, "across the river from Covington." And Col. Edwards was remembered for significant work done on the Holmesville and Great National Roads. He had constructed what was known as the "Twenty Mile House" on the west of Holmesville Road and on the south of Turkey Road where the two roads intersected. The Twenty Mile House was a log house for travelers on the Holmesville Road. According to Mr. Daunton, it was situated on "the South Fork of Catca Creek where the drives watered their ox teams and horses and tied them for the night."
Back to the Edwards Place, it was during the Civil War that Federal troops arrived there from different directions in an attempt to trap a contingent of Confederate officers, one of whom was Col. Edwards's son Capt. N.S. Edwards who, according to Mr. Daunton, "had recently resigned his commission due to his advanced age." Said plan failed. Respect was shown to Col. Edwards who was apparently sitting on his front porch with his sword hanging in the hall, with no damage done to his home.
Mr. Daunton reported that the swamp just to the south of the Edwards Place where the road passed was a real "hunting ground for treasure seekers." This led to robbery and murder and random death - one traveler died of illness in the home. And he was carrying a load of money which, upon discovery, Col. Edwards turned over to the proper authorities.
Col. Edwards converted and was baptized at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church (which had been constituted January 31, 1813), after being hauled there in a wagon. Another interesting contribution of Col. Edwards was he was the first in this neck of the woods to practice forest conservation. Not only that, but he taught others - showing Andrew Johnson (1843-1929), the father of the late Delos R. Johnson, Sr. (1879-1966), how to plow appropriate fire lines. Mr. Johnson described the ground cover as being so thick with straw and mulch that it was like walking on carpet.
Yet, of all the information Mr. Daunton provided on the Edwards Place, what intrigued me most was the family cemetery on the property, situated just south of the homesite and on the same side of the road. Col. Edwards was buried there, together with his two wives and early family members. Enslaved persons were also buried there as were unknown travelers who succumbed to illness while journeying on the Great National Road/Turnpike.
Mr. Daunton paid tribute to several decedents buried there. First, there was Capt. Nicholis S. Edwards (1816-1894), the son of Col. Edwards. A graduate of Centenary College, which was in Jackson, LA, at that time, he organized the Edwards Guards in Franklinton in the summer of 1861. The second company to depart Washington Parish for the Civil War, it "was mustered into the Confederate Army at Camp Moore as Co. 'B', 16th La. Infantry." Capt. Edwards was at the helm as the Company endured fierce fighting in Tennessee and Mississippi. He resigned in 1863 due to his age.
Also buried in the Edwards family cemetery was Lt. Morgan Edwards (1841-1864), a younger son of Col. Edwards. Killed during the Battle of Atlanta near Jonesville, Georgia, he was retrieved by his brothers after the war; they located his grave and brought home his remains to a large crowd gathered at the family cemetery.
And finally, Dr. J.A. Alford, who had married Capt. N.S. Edwards's daughter, was also buried in the Edwards family cemetery. He not only practiced medicine near Mt. Hermon and the Mississippi state line but also was one of the early Superintendents of Education in Washington Parish.
In conclusion, I can't help but share an aside. I once played cards with an elderly woman who descended, with great pride, from the Edwards and who has since passed away. While she hailed from New Orleans, she mentioned her Madisonville heritage more than once. But what got me was she made it quite clear that she was too good for Washington Parish. I guess no one ever told her about her ties to the Edwards Place. And believe you me, I regret having missed the chance.
