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Esma's Alley is an outdoor venue that hosts small scale gestures to large scale events. Operated through a cooperative endeavor agreement with the City of Ruston, the site of an early Ruston storefront is now used for art, music, market and other community events.

Esma's Alley

This tour offers a guided walk through historic Ruston, Louisiana. The tour includes a variety of historic downtown buildings and also includes stops at places of significant historic events and places that have been lost to time.

If you plan to walk the tour, you may park at City Hall, at any of several free city lots, or in any designated on-street parking space. Street parking has a 2-hour limit. This block was donated to the town by its founder Robert E. Russ. Ruston College, a private institution, was built on this site in late 1880s. It was destroyed by fire in 1893. Ruston High School was constructed here. The building served as a high school until 1939 when a replacement was constructed. It continued as the town's junior high school until the early 1960s when new schools replaced it. The City Hall – Civic Center complex was built on the site in the mid-1970s.The military memorial was added to the grounds in 1991. The plaque is dedicated to the soldiers who died and the memorial is dedicated to all who served. The idea for the memorial began in 1989 from the 4-year-old state-sanctioned Vietnam Veterans of Louisiana. Not wanting to single out Vietnam veterans, the group decided to include veterans from World War I, World War II and the Korean War as well. The Panama War was included later after a soldier from the parish died in that conflict. Names were added after later conflicts.

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In the early 1900s, this building housed the town's Methodist church. When a larger church was constructed one block to the east, the steeple and other portions of the building were removed. The only visible remnant of the church are the arched windows on the north side of the building.

Methodist Church

The former Ruston USO occupies one side of a party-wall commercial building that has always contained two stores.  A restrained example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the USO is surrounded by other commercial buildings that fit the style of an early 20th century historic downtown.  One story in height, the masonry building was constructed in the 1920’s and converted to a USO in 1943. The USO provided entertainment, refreshment, and a home-like environment for servicemen and women stationed in the area, or passing through on the railroad during World War II. The building has experienced some alterations through the years but recently underwent a historic restoration to recreate the original feel and look of the building.  Thus, its National Register integrity and eligibility remain intact.  The building is currently owned by Kevin Hawkins, who operates Hawkins Photography Studio in that location. 

World War II USO

Beall's was one of the largest department stores in Ruston for many years. This location experienced a major fire in 1966, one of several that has ravaged the downtown district in the last 100 years. With buildings adjoining one another, fire easily spreads from one to another.  The 1966 fire led to significant changes to the Ruston Fire Department. At the time, the department did not have any ladder trucks or aerial trucks and had to rely on a utility company's bucket trucks to fight the fire.  The enhancement of equipment in the years after vastly improved Ruston's firefighting capabilities. 

This site was renovated and several businesses have occupied it since the fire. Beall's moved to a new location in Village Plaza, Ruston's first strip mall which has since been demolished.


Beall's Department Store Fire - - 1966

The other hotel properties operated by the Harris family will be discussed at future stops on the tour.Trenton Street has seen scores of parades since Ruston's early days. Christmas, Peach Festival, and school homecoming parades are annual events but parades for Veterans Day and Independence Day and special events have occurred often. Parades generally started on West Alabama Avenue, turned south on Trenton, turning east on Arizona or California Avenue and then back north on Vienna Street to Alabama. As parades became longer, the downtown district would become hopelessly clogged. In more recent decades, parades continue down Trenton but turn west on Arizona and disband on the Louisiana Tech campus. Parades are not just for celebration; they help bring customers to downtown businesses and restaurants.

The Harris family was engaged in operating hotels in downtown Ruston in the first decades of the 1900s. The building was constructed as an annex for a larger hotel a block to the south. The upstairs, which included a doctor's office and rooms for boarders, is essentially unchanged from those days. Note the doctor's name painted on the last upstairs window. The balcony outside the second story door has been removed. The ground floor has always been occupied by offices and retail shops, including a Jitney Jungle grocery store in the 1940s-50s. The building owners have plans to fully restore the structure, including upstairs living areas.Look for Dr. Harris's name painted on one of the upstairs windows.

Y. A. Harris Building

The Lincoln Parish Bank was created in 1900 to compete against the Ruston State Bank across the street. Lincoln Parish Bank was relatively shortlived and the location was later occupied by the First National Bank of Ruston. The First National Bank of Ruston (FDIC # 14308) was established January 1, 1901 and insured by the FDIC January 1, 1934. It later built a new facility two blocks north. Inactive as of April 10, 1986; Acquired with government assistance by Regions Bank. For decades the south end of the building that housed the banks has served as law offices while retail space occupied the north end.

The Cargill Building in the 100 block of North Trenton Street was built about 1905 to house John L. Cargill’s general merchandise store. For a time, it was home to theLincoln Parish Bank. Ruston’s second bank opened on January 4, 1901, but struggled against the larger Ruston State Bank located across the street.A 1910 Shreveport newspaper article noted Lincoln Parish Bank had increased its deposits 33 1/3% in a year, but it always lagged behind Ruston State in assets. In 1916,it had to close for a time when the accounts of a cashier were found to be $46,000 short. Investors rescued the institution and in 1920 it converted from a state-charteredbank to a national bank, the First National Bank of Ruston. In 1958, First National boasted $8,177,505.80 in assets.First National later moved to a facility at 300 N. Trenton. In 1986, First National of Ruston was bought out by Regions Bank. The later First National Bank in Ruston was abranch of the First National Bank of Arcadia, now called Louisiana National Bank.The Cargill store, a landmark business in downtown Ruston, closed in 1934 after the death of John Cargill. A variety of businesses and offices have occupied the building since. the bank's vault remains in the building.

Cargill Building - Lincoln Parish Bank

Built in 1910 on a site the bank had occupied since 1896, the two-story masonry structure is decorated in Beaux Arts style. The building features a stone facade combining the idea of a Roman triumphal arch with that of a temple front. A clock was installed on the facade in 1927. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It was also declared a contributing property of Downtown Ruston Historic District at the time of its creation in 2017.The building has been remodeled several times from the original one-story frame structure. The two-story building originally had a second floor balcony overlooking the lobby.

Ruston State Bank Building

Seaborn J. Harris was a well-known businessman and hotelier in north Louisiana. His hotel in Ruston was the most prominent structure in town for decades. The Harris Hotel was located on this corner. Although the hotel burned in 1927, much of the ground floor was saved. Note the steel columns on the front that remain from the original building. Hotel rooms were available upstairs while the downstairs has always contained retail shops. The corner establishment operated as Ruston Drug Company for many years.

Harris Hotel

After the first Harris Hotel burned down in 1927, the Harrises moved their operation to this structure.  Known alternately as the Harris Hotel and Hotel Ruston, the upper floor later served as a hospital. During World War II, it housed officers running the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps at Camp Ruston.  From 1975 into the 90s, the ground floor housed Stow’s Bar, a popular gathering place, especially for college students.

The upstairs windows are boarded up and with good reason.  Some local residents swear the old hospital upstairs is haunted!  Numerous accounts of odd noises and ghostly apparitions have convinced many that patients of the hospital still linger on the premises.

Hotel Ruston

This block of Park Avenue was originally called “Brick Row” because it was the only block where the first buildings were all constructed of brick.  When the first lots were sold to businesses moving to the new town of Ruston, buyers were informed their businesses had to be of brick to create a positive impression on those passing through on the Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific Railroad.  It continues to be the showcase of the Historic District.

Brick Row

John Tom Sisemore was a deputy United States marshal renowned for tracking down violators of federal law, especially moonshiners, whiskey runner, post office robbers, and other offenders. To deal with nightly bouts of drunken gunfire and illegal whiskey sales, Ruston hired Deputy United States Marshal John Tom Sisemore as a police officer and later as police chief in the late 1890s.  Sisemore frequently arrested a notorious bootlegger named Frank Mullins for federal and city liquor violations.  Sisemore and Mullins met in a final showdown on this corner on the stormy evening of February 26, 1898. At about 8:00p.m., a string of gunshots filled the air and Sisemore prowled the rain-dampened streets in search of the culprit. Sisemore encountered Mullins on this corner. In an exchange of gunfire, Mullins was wounded by Sisemore’s shotgun and died at a nearby boarding house. Sisemore would later be ambushed and killed in apparent retaliation.   Sisemore’s brief career and death helped mold Ruston’s path into the new century. The attitudes towards alcohol and lawlessness in Ruston’s early days endured for decades. The city would remain "dry" for nearly 75 more years before legal alcohol was sold in the 1970’s. 

The Sisemore-Mullins Shooting - 1898

Railroad Park's first three trees were planted in 1896 by Thomas L. Nelson and his son. Nelson had a contract with Ruston merchants to plant 50 trees along Trenton and Vienna at 50 cents each. He had three trees left over so he planted them in the park. One tree died in the 1970s and had to be cut. The others remained well into the 1980s. Before the large trees were removed, their shade brought relief to shoppers and those who watched the trains go by.There is no record of when the fountain was installed but probably between 1900 and 1906. It appears in photos from 1906-07. In 1934, the T.L. James Company renovated the park and restored the fountain. Again, in 1952, T.L. James restored the fountain and built a bandstand and new sidewalks. The Ruston Garden Club added landscaping. In 2002, the Ruston Kiwanis Club paid $5,000 for a new fountain after the original one was determined to be beyond repair. In recent years, the Kiwanis fountain was removed and the original fountain restored and returned to the park..

Early maps of Ruston called this area the "depot grounds." It had been developed into a park by the early 1900s. Thousands of public events have been staged here over the past 100+ years from carnivals and concerts to pet shows and pep rallies.

Railroad Park

One of the first stores to open in Ruston in 1884, the building has hosted various businesses continuously ever since. Marbury and Kidd moved to Ruston to become one of the first businesses when the town was created.The current occupant of the building,The Fabric Shop is home to one of the largest selections of premium quilting, fashion, and specialty fabrics in the area. Owners Ron and Louise Adams established their business in 1990. Before the Adams moved in, the building had been home to a general merchandise store, drug store, beauty shop, doctor's office and a dentist's office. A Rexall drug store was one of the longest occupants of the space. Most recently, the upstairs portion of the building was renovated to create beautiful downtown living apartments. The Fabric Shop of Ruston was the winner of Ruston Main Street's 2022 Historic Preservation award.

Marbury & Kidd

An east-west railroad across north Louisiana was started before the Civil War. When the conflict broke out in 1861, the line from the Mississippi River had only reached Monroe, 30 miles east of here.  The war and the economic hardships of the Reconstruction Era delayed the line's completion until 1884, the year Ruston was incorporated.  City founder Robert E. Russ sold the land to bring the railroad through and give birth to the town of Ruston.

The Illinois Central Railroad eventually acquired the line. Today it is operated by the Kansas City Southern RR.

Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific Railroad

The Ruston Central Fire Station stands on a corner at the edge of the community's central business district. The two story, stucco over poured concrete structure was erected in 1926. Although it has undergone some alterations, the exterior is very close to the original construction.The building presents a restrained appearance and does not reflect any particular style. Its exterior features of note are overhanging eaves, paired windows, arid brick lintels and window sills. Pressed tin ceilings are the interior's only decorative element. These are found in the engine room, which fills the entire first floor, and in some of the upstairs office and dormitory spaces. The upstairs rooms open off a hallway.The fire station was expanded in 1945 by the addition of a discrete one story side wing which is sensitive to the original design. It is built of the same material as the original fire station and also copies the original's window detailing. Other changes since construction include the replacement of the structure's folding accordion doors by modern electric doors and the addition of plywood paneling and dropped acoustic tile ceilings in some of the upstairs rooms. The interior modifications and the change in doors have not had a serious visual impact upon the building. The fire station would easily be recognized by anyone from the historic period. Because its construction represented the "coming of age" of the city's fire department and an important event in the community's history.Once a new fire station was constructed, this building sat vacant until the City of Ruston restored it for use as a meeting facility. Some of the original elements have been removed, but the brass pole used by firefighters to leave their sleeping quarters upstairs to quickly reach the fire engines remains.

Ruston's first fire station was completed in 1907 on property donated by the city's founder Robert Edwin Russ. The large parcel of land Russ provided was used for Ruston's first school and later a power plant. The farmer's market currently on the property is open on Saturday mornings. The large parking lot behind the fire station was once the location of the town's opera house. This structure for the fire department was completed in 1926.

Central Fire Station

Oldest standing church building in Ruston. The church was organized in 1884 by the Rev. Mr. J. A. McLees, pastor of the nearby Vienna, Alabama, and Vernon churches. The Gothic Revival styled building was erected in 1923 by Mr. C. D. Davis during the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. S. E. McFadden.Operating for decades as First Presbyterian Church, the body's name changed in 1988 when First Presbyterian and University Presbyterian merged,

Presbyterian Church

The Lewis House was built for businessman W.J. Lewis and his family in 1902. The Lewis House is architecturally significant as one of Ruston's landmark residences.  The home is distinguished among Ruston's older residences because of its size, age, intricate massing, and the variety and quality of its details. The home has Tuscan columns and a relatively dynamic asymmetrical composition consisting of a wraparound gallery set between two protruding gabled wings. The massing is further enlivened by a second story porch and a separate gallery gable marking the entrance. The home features two Palladian motifs. It was owned by the Lewis family until 1987. 

W. J. Lewis House

The site of Ruston's city hall for decades, this building previously served as a livery stable. ......................

The two-cell jail was located in a small structure behind this building.

Old City Hall

The original floor plan for the post office had the office of the post master in the southeast corner and adjoining it in the center of the south end was a room for valuable packages. The remainder of the first floor was a large room for sorting the mail. The customer boxes were on the east wall of this room and were accessed by the customers via a narrow lobby extending from the Post Master's office to the north wall. This lobby was entered by the east door from the Vienna Street side. A circular steel stairway extended from the basement to the attic. The basement contained a boiler, heating equipment and storage for coal. The attic was not used.The building was vacated in 1961 when a new post office was constructed and in 1963 was remodeled into a federal office building by McInnis Bros. Inc. Contractors, Minden, Louisiana. The renovation created a conference room, a rest room, and three storage rooms in the basement. The first floor was partitioned into nine offices with two rest rooms.  Air conditioning machinery was placed in the previously unused attic. The renovation also included lowering the ceiling about three feet. The building now houses parish government offices.The City of Ruston acquired the old Federal Building/Post Office with the intent of establishing an arts center, including gallery and other facilities. In 2021, the City considered whether to continue with that plan or sell the building. In 2022, the building was given to the North Central Louisiana Arts Council for use as an arts center.The tall building immediately behind the Federal Building is the T. L. James Building constructed in 1926. The T. L. James Company constructed bridges, buildings, military camps, and thousands of miles of road across the South. The building's facade and first floor are virtually unchanged from the original design.

The Federal Building was designed in 1906 and completed in 1909 was originally the Ruston Post Office. It was the first building in Ruston of Indiana limestone. The renaissance architecture and Anglo-American theme gives the building its stately presence. The building was vacated in 1961 when a new post office was constructed and in 1963 was remodeled into a federal office building.The City of Ruston acquired the old Federal Building/Post Office with the intent of establishing an arts center, including gallery and other facilities. In 2021, the City considered whether to continue with that plan or sell the building. In 2022, the building was given to the North Central Louisiana Arts Council for use as an arts center.

Federal Building

The Dixie Center for the Arts began as the “New Astor Theatre” debuting silent films in 1928.In 1932 the theatre was sold to prominent Ruston citizen T.L. James, who oversaw renovations and the installation of the grand chandelier that resides in the theatre to this day. The theatre reopened as the “Rialto,” and began showing “talkies,” movies with sound, but suffered a fire in early 1933, destroying parts of the stage, seating, and the sound and stage equipment. The Rialto prevailed though, and became “North Louisiana’s most magnificent show house” with completely new interior décor a few months later.In 1937 the Dixie Theatre Corporation of New Orleans took over management of the theatre and altered the front lobby to include a street-accessed box office, a confectionary shop, and a segregated entrance. The name was changed again too, this time to the “Dixie Theater.”The segregated entrance was not only an indicator of heightened racial tensions over job competition throughout the Great Depression. Today most traces of this entrance and side stair have been removed, but its story remains a powerful reminder of our past, and how the theatre has evolved to invite people of all colors and creeds into its doors.1956 saw another transformation of the theatre, this time reflecting society’s new obsession with futuristic technology and soon mankind’s “race to the moon.” These changes included the first installation of an air conditioning system, sleek metal “Comet” chairs, and the distinctive neon star above the marquee that still remains. The 1960s would see yet another remodel, before the advent of home entertainment and other newer theatre options pushed the Dixie out of the movie business in 1978.Ruston citizens continued to encourage the use of the theatre for local entertainment though, like the weekly Joe Wood’s Wildwood Express band, the Dixie Jamboree, and other small plays and events, under the ownership of James C. Howard in the 1980s through the 1990s. On October 14, 1993, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, a distinction held by only a few buildings in Downtown Ruston. By 1994 however, the theatre was in great disrepair, and much out-of-date with current fire and building safety code and the Fire Marshall shut it down.A group of caring locals refused to let the Dixie die so in 1996, the Dixie Center for the Arts came together for their first meeting, and began crafting a vision for the restoration of the cultural landmark. The North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC) helped DCA receive their early funds with their nonprofit status, and draw up plans for the renovation of the theatre. DCA raised funds in the Ruston community for ten years, won a Rural Development Grant in 1997, and received funding from the state 1999 to aid with the theatre’s restoration.In 2006 the renewed “Dixie Theatre” opened its doors to the world, with the goal of being a rallying point and home for the arts in Ruston, and north Louisiana. Now NCLAC houses its offices there, the Ruston Community Theatre players hold their annual shows there, and the building is open to rentals for concerts, meetings, and other special events. The theatre is owned by the DCA nonprofit and is used by many organizations for meetings, performances, and other special events.

The “New Astor Theatre” debuting silent films in 1928. In 1932 the theatre was sold to prominent Ruston citizen T.L. James, who oversaw renovations and the installation of the grand chandelier that resides in the theatre to this day. The theatre reopened as the “Rialto,” and began showing “talkies,” movies with sound, but suffered a fire in early 1933, destroying parts of the stage, seating, and the sound and stage equipment. The Rialto prevailed though, and became “North Louisiana’s most magnificent show house” with completely new interior décor a few months later.In 1937 the Dixie Theatre Corporation of New Orleans took over management of the theatre and altered the front lobby to include a street-accessed box office, a confectionary shop, and a segregated entrance. The name was changed again too, this time to the “Dixie Theater.”

Dixie Theatre

The T. L. James House is a two-story wood frame residence which reflects the lateItalianate and Colonial Revival tastes. Built in 1884 and remodeled in 1926, the house has a centralhall plan, two rooms deep, with a rear kitchen “L” wing. It is located in the old residential section ofRuston a few blocks from the downtown area and has been altered very little since the 1926remodeling.The following features date from the original 1884 period of construction:1. The basic plan and configuration of the house, including the polygonal bay on thenorth side.2. Most of the windows with their molded surrounds and pediment shaped tops,3. The rear gallery columns.4. The two remaining chimneys,5. All but one of the mantels, The original mantels are heavy in proportion andfeature boldly molded panels and deeply cut flutes.6. Most of the interior moldings, doors, door surrounds, etc.7. The paneled wainscoting in the hall,8. The staircase with its heavy balusters and faceted, paneled newel,The following features date from the 1926 remodeling:1. The present facade treatment with its Palladian looking combination of a colossalTuscan pedimented portico surmounting a wide single story gallery.2. The denticular entablature which surmounts the building.3. A few of the windows.4. The present front doorway with its fanlight and side lights.5. The fluted pillars in the central hall.6. The Adamesque mantel in the north parlor.7. The wide columnar opening in the dining room.8. The denticular frieze in the north parlor.9. It appears that the rear porte-cochere dates from 1926, hut this is not certain. If itwas built after 1926, it certainly was not much afterwards.Recent changes include the loss of the upper half of one of the north chimneys, thereplacement of a set of pocket doors with a vinyl accordion style door, and the installation of a rearfire escape. In our opinion these changes should be regarded as minor given the total scope of thehouse's historic architectural fabric.To the rear of the house is a five bay garage which is contemporaneous with the 1926remodeling. It is listed as a contributing element because it dates from the period of significance andbecause it illustrates the type of outbuildings pretentious 1920's residences had.Specific dates 1926 remodelingBuilder/Architect Builder for 1926 remodeling T. L. JamesThe T. L. James House is locally significant in the area of architecture because it is thefinest example of the Colonial Revival style in the city of Ruston.The Louisiana Historic Structures Survey has identified 718 50+ year old buildings in LincolnParish, most of which are in the city of Ruston. Virtually all of Ruston's older structures date from thelate nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The majority of Ruston’s older residences representthe Queen Anne Revival or bungalow styles. The James House is one of about fifty residenceswhich show some Colonial Revival influence. Most of these, however, are merely irregularly massedQueen Anne Revival houses with Colonial columns or else plain cottages.The T. L. James House is conspicuous among this group because it is the only one whichfeatures a colossal pedimented portico. This marks it as the apogee of the Colonial Revival style inthe city. The house has a handsome distinctive neo-Georgian articulation which links it with highstyle tendencies of the day in larger cities. This cannot be said of many of Ruston's other periodhouses, most of which are neither stylistically advanced nor architecturally pretentious.The home now called the James House was built by Colonel Thomas CunninghamStandifer. He purchased the land from Robert E. Russ for $450 on January 3, 1884, and proceededsoon thereafter to build the house. It remained in the Standifer family until 1913, T. L. Jamespurchased the property in 1921 and remodeled the home in the Colonial Revival style in 1926.

The T. L. James House is a two-story wood frame residence which reflects the late Italianate and Colonial Revival tastes. Built in 1884 by Colonel Thomas Cunningham Standier and remodeled in 1926, locals usually refer to it as "The Big House."Standifer, a colonel during the Civil War, maintained a general merchandise store at Old Trenton. He purchased the entire block #6 from Robert E. Russ for $450.00 cash on January 3, 1884 and built the house the same year as Ruston began as a new town. The present front, including the columns, were added by Mr. T. L. James in 1926.The house is built with square nails, and the trim is white pine from Michigan. The downstairs ceilings are 13 feet high. There was originally a lightered (pitch pine) picket fence around the block.The home remained in Col. Standifer's family until the death of Mrs. J. D. Barksdale (Olive Standifer) in 1913, when it was purchased by Mr. G. A. Adams who already had bought the northern half of the lot from the Standifer heirs.Mr. T. L. James, then living in Dubach, purchased the home in 1921, moving here with his wife and six children in the summer of 1921. James created one of the largest construction companies in the South, building many highways, bridges, and buildings. The property was later maintained by the T. L. James &amp; Company, Inc. for corporate use. T. L. James died in 1944 and Mrs. James died in 1964. The structure and grounds were extensively remodeled in 2022 to serve as a special events venue.

T. L. James Home - "The Big House"

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The museum is located in the Kidd-Davis House which dates to 1885, one year after the founding of Ruston. In that year, Leroy Madison Kidd, a merchant from the neighboring town of Vernon in Jackson Parish, moved his business to the recently established railroad town of Ruston. He bought an entire block from Robert E. Russ, city founder and namesake of Ruston. Kidd then sold the property to Charles H. Harris, who started construction of a house in 1886. Either during construction or soon after, Harris sold the property and the new house to Captain Milton B. Kidd, brother and business partner of the original owner of the lot. The Kidd family occupied the house until 1921 when it was sold to the Robert Wesley Davis family. 

The museum interior has been restored to its turn of the 20th century appearance.  Exhibits featuring local history occupy the upper floor.

Historic Downtown Ruston Walking Tour

Esma's Alley

Introduction

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