The Calcasieu Parish Courthouse is located at 1000 Ryan Street in downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana. It’s a beautiful court building with a green dome. I got into Lake Charles early and found some free off-street parking at the northeast corner of Pujo and Bilbo Streets (across the street from the Calcasieu Parish Public Library – 411 Pujo Street).
My former life as a police detective always found me in court buildings. I have discovered there is a specific flow to government buildings, and courthouses in particular. Go against the grain, and you will find yourself getting stuck. Being patient, polite, and professional (dressing the part also helps) will literally open doors.
As with other on-site research, I’d done my homework well beforehand. Today, I was after a civil case from 1932. Calling ahead of time and following up by email, I learned that many case files are housed off-site. If the file I was interested in were off-site, archives staff would need to pull it back before my arrival. Luckily, mine was kept on-site (microfilm). Doing my homework beforehand also gave me the point of contact’s name. Weeks before my flight from California to Louisiana, I had already spoken with a very helpful (and knowledgeable) staff person. I explained that the main reason for my cross-country flight was to make a copy of this file. I was assured the film would be waiting for me on our set date. Again, there is a flow to these things, and lining everything up well ahead of time helps everyone concerned.
The Archives Office is on the main floor. Just off this office is a small hallway leading to archived files and microfilms. A very old yet functional microfilm machine sits just inside this area. Taking photos of images from the microfilm is not allowed. Pages are printed (by you), and payment is made per page. I think it was a dollar a page from memory – but I might be off on this point.
Nevertheless, I only paid for what I printed. And I printed just about the entire file, 100 plus pages. Interestingly, this file documented a set of circumstances that led to my grandparents (Tassin/Theriot) meeting. She sued him – it’s a long story.
When I am working on-site like this, I take notes. The description of the microfilm roll, start, and stop image numbers are things of interest for later follow-up. In all cases, these notes go into the file/s for the involved persons. In some cases, like this one, I also prepare a report. My notes and any report I write will aid others who may wish to follow my steps later. They are also tools for me in the future.
Leading up to my visit to Calcasieu Parish, I learned that most of the records from 1910 and before burned in a fire – as did much of Lake Charles. Ironically, the fire alarm went off just as I was finishing up with my goodbyes to my helpful point of contact. It was time to leave – and in a hurry. I stood outside for some time chatting with people and never saw any smoke.
Aaron Tassin, MLIS 