Lunchtime Lagniappe at the LA Sports Hall of Fame & NW Louisiana History Museum-Wells House Re-Vision of a Natchitoches Historical Home.
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum was host to a capacity crowd Friday, January 27 for this month’s installment of the popular “Lunch & Learn” program concerning the ongoing renovations of the Tauzin-Wells House. Preservationist Marcy Frantom was joined by Pam and Curt Felch, who purchased the historic house located at 607 Williams in 2017. Ms. Frantom gave a presentation in which she detailed some of the history of the house and of its often colorful owners as well as details of the restoration efforts. The exact date of the house’s construction cannot be definitively proven as there are missing and incomplete records, but the best guesses are 1776 or 1777, making it one of the oldest structures in Natchitoches parish. The house has had several names through the years from Tauzin-Wells, Buard Wells, Wells House, and its current name, Murphy Trading House in recognition of its primary use as a place of commerce.
Pam and Curt Felch, the current owners of the house spoke of the journey that led them to owning and restoring a priceless piece of area, and indeed Louisiana, history. Pam originally hails from south Louisiana, while Curt is an architect from Detroit, Michigan. It was their intention to retire to Louisiana on land Pam inherited. Circumstances intervened and the couple started a search around the state. A stop in Natchitoches found them passing by the property as the then owner was in the yard. A discussion ensued, followed by a two-hour tour. The rest was, as they say, history.
The Natchitoches Parish Journal would like to welcome the Felch family to our community and commend them for the fantastic job they have done in restoring a priceless piece of our state’s rich history.
The next “Lunch and Learn” will be February 17 and will feature Ms. Carrie Mordorf, Superintendent of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, who will speak on the restoration of, and plans for, the Natchitoches train depot.
