New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-08-06

HOMER, Claiborne parish, I
July Is, 1880.
III. Crescent The 1ourishing village, or rather
incorporated town, which rejoces in the classic
appellaton Of Homer, is the seat Of the popuous
parish Of Claiborne, which is one Of the largest o
the upper tier of parishes on the Arkansas border
of the State. Homer is located very nearly in the
center of the parish and If one wishes to visit TINS
secluded town he must not calculate on reaching II
by public conveyance; but, coming to Mladen, u
p the Southern part of the parish, by stage, there
hire vehicle and animal, OF animal alone 1ind so
travel the nineteen or twenty miles which lie be-
tween the principal two settlements Of the parish.
speak indefinitely Of the distance between the
two points, for it is well-known through the coun-
try that on account of the crooked, lly, and gem
orally eccentric nature of the road, it IS nineteen
miles from Minden to Homer and nearly twenty
one from Homer to Minden. Indeed, the mile
boards along the road set forth this somewhat ex-
traordinary fact as any one who has ever Travelled
it will attest, and thus yindcate the reliability OF
this correspondent
Homer is a very prosperous town Of some seven
or eight hundred inhabitants, and is q compare
lively recent settlement 1t Is one Of the most PIC
turesque and pleasant places have yet seen in
Louisiana. The residences are built in good taste
and the business houses are numerous, substantial
and generally extensive. Two spacious brick
stores are now in process of erection, one of which
is being built by N. A. McCranie, and within the
walls of which will be the ice house which this
enterprising citizen intends to establish next sea-
son. The landing place of Homer is on the Dau-
chte bayou, twenty-five miles distant, which is
also the landing of Minden, from which il is but
two miles distant. This proximity to navigation
gives the Minden merchants an advantage over
those of Homer, which tells in the grocery trade
as hauling is an expensive item Of freight There
fore the mercantile operations Of Homer arc prn-
cipaly confined to dry goods, and the Minden deal
ers do most Of the grocery business Of the parish
Tile Dauchite il nayigable from three to six months
Of the year,
The prominent merchants Of Homer are r. Ia,
Capers, j. F.. Ieake Il Co., Smith * Nicholson,
Brown & Brother, Monk Ragland, Maxey \ Bar
ley, NJ. We'll & Co., A. MeCranie, 6. W. Price, and
Cheatham Il Munroe. U. ]. Scott, Esq, is Mayor
Of the burgh, and G. +. Carr Postmaster. hand
some new courthouse building is being put up,
ssnd will greatly ornament the town. The Homer
Wsllege Rev BAKER Clegg, President, and the
NJ Masonic Female College, l.. F, Wilcox, President,
y ire botk fourlshing institutions, occupying very
sfne buildings. An average of hundred pupils
attend the former and eighty the latter. There are
two chnrches-- Methodist Rev. Mr.. Armstrong,
and Baptist, Rev. w. Cary Crane. Here are pub
lished two newspapers, which are Of note among
the interior journals of the State. The Claiborne
Advocate VIM. Stran Custis, editor, and the
"Hofner Iliad, by w. Jasper Blackburn. Homer
is within about sixteen miles Of the Arkansas line
Minden is near the lower border Of the parish
and is very pleasant and lively town Of about
the same population Homer. It's business is
large and its trade of the steady and reliable de-
scription which builds up the substantial prosperity
Of a market. The mercantile establishments are
generally extensive, the larger dealers being
Chaffe * Co., Robinson & Lucas, f. D. WimberlJ
&Co, Webb 4 Grigsby, Ardis Co, D. j. H
MurrelI, j. G. Mckinney, r. A. Johnson and Ross
man & Co., druggists. r. A. Lancaster, Esq, il
Mayor and also Justice of the Peace, Notary Pub
lie and Postmaster, being one of the busy sort o
men who can attend to their own business because
of not troubling themselves to attend to that o
other folks. To Mr.. L., to Mr.. Jno. Ghafe, o
- Chatfe 4 Co.. and others this correspondent mus
acknowledge his indebtedness for attentions ane
courteous services 1.-THE Advertiser, n j. Sand
lin. editor, is published at Minden, the parish thu
having an extra supply of three newspapers.
MndeA has two Observation-Disclosures, Rev. $. S
Scott and Baptist Rev. n. ?. Moore. The Minde1
Female College is one Of the most noted ani
Successful institutions Of learning in the State.
Jvas Incorporated in 1854, bHt had been practical
in existence for many years previous. 1t has a
average attendance of no less than hundred an
ffty pupils, aud is well known throughout the Stat
for the general wisdom OF its management and th
thoroughness with which its educational course
inculGated | had the good fortune to be pfesen
/ at the concert with which the examination eNel
cises of the late session weref fanrlGaed. The ar
"A lists were the you6E Iaaiesof the institution an
4 their performances would have done credit to PR
fessional musicians. Miss Ettie Wright, of Rapidt
Il parsh Miss Elizabeth I. Chafee, of Ninden, Mis-
F A. Walker, of Bienyille parish and Miss Balel
| nartieularly distinguished themselves, as also di
Miss Legacy, by her performance on the harp. III
n Minden Male Academy is well-conducted lnstlt
II tjou, with an attendance of some sixty pupils.
II Lisbon is twelve miles east OF Homer, and is
II thriving post-ofiee settlement, where there Is
yery large Methodist church, and Messrs. A. Win
4 Leslie & Killgore and John Cook dc buslnes
scottsville is twenty miles northeast oil Home
and has church, open for the occupation OF
III denominations, and store kept by D. p Ihoml
II son & Bros. Colqnitt is twelve miles northeast
Homer has Methodist church and a store Ike
hV M9SSfS. M0f6ldHu u JlSlel. NVIuuii 10 tiftot
Il miles north of Homer: there is Methodist ehur
f there, and George Gordon and Reed " Cole g
the merchants. Hayneyille is twelve miles mort
- west OF Homer; has Methodist church and tg
stores kept by J. G. Taylor and Brown Br
Wiseyile is eighteen miles northwest of Hom'
and the only store there is that Of Lindsay
Martin. Shongaloo is twenty-five miles northw'
Of Homer, and J P. Smith has a store there. G
mantown, sixteen miles southwest of Homer a
near the road to Minden, was settled by colo
of Germans, who retain all the characteristics
the fatherland and maintain their integrity OF raj
1t is a fiourishing settlement, and store is kt
there by John Bopp. The Germantown people
held in much esteem Ythe people OF the par
for their industry, propriety of conduct and
fair and upright dealing which charaeterizes tn
business intercourse. At Forest Grove, six MI
east of Homer, Messrs Taylor Il McClendon ha
"a store.
The territorial area of Claiborne parish GO
prises over four hundred and thirty-five thouss
acres, Of which about thirtyfve thousand ae
are usually put in cotton, and about forty thousi
in cossl, leaving vast extent of territory until
The lands generally are much inferior to those
parishes lower down, and are held ut correspo
ingly less prices. They might be averaged, II