Dancehalls in St. Mary Parish

Chester’s Cypress Inn

Owner Bobbie LaRose: Chester Boudreaux, Sr. converted his father’s old grocery store in a dancehall in the 1930s. The dancers wanted food, so a kitchen was added. The dancehall was popular in the 1940s but was closed close to 1950 when the activity around Morgan City slowed after World War 2. Now the building houses a popular restaurant that draws people from the surrounding area for their famous fried chicken. Chester’s Cypress Inn 1995 LA-20 Donner, LA (985) 446-6821 Mentioned here: http://blog.ponderosastomp.com/2011/05/rising-tides-threaten-the-swamp-pop/ ...

Nee-kette’s

Eric Castille: This was a smallish bar down the road from the new high school, same side of the road as Walter Angelle’s Club. It was owned by Carlene Berard’s parents. ...

T Noon’s Place

Also known as the New Lake Inn Owner was T-Noon Bailey “The little fella with the biggest spot on the Levee” Cocktail Lounge “Wine, liquor, beer, mixed drinks, soft drinks” Dancehall- “Beautiful Dance floor, always good music” “If you don’t drink or don’t dance…just come out and visit.” “Live it up on the Levee” Photo courtesy of Regina Duval ...

The Pavillion

Fulton C. Felterman, Jr.: “(The Pavillion) was built in Patterson about 1900 or earlier, torn down in the 1930s and the lumber used to build a gymnasium at Patterson High School. Later, the gym was moved to Hattie Watts Elementary School and still later the building became an American Legion Post.” ...

Charenton Beach Dancehall

Photos courtesy of Wanda Viguerie Bailey Wanda Viguerie Bailey: “Dancers kicked the bottles off the floor while dancing to keep them off of the bandstand. Every year, the dancefloor would be damaged by the pulse of water from the Atchafalaya Basin spillway. The floor would be warped in such a way that the dancers would learn to dance with the grain in order to move smoothly.” 1970s: The hall was elevated on stilts and fights were common: Ray Brassieur, Nick Spitzer   ...

Shell Inn

Pat Tatum: “The Shell Inn was a restaurant and lounge that had a banquet room with a dance floor in Morgan City. It also had a bowling alley on a separate room as well. They had bands play there occasionally. I went to Sacred Heart Academy and we had our Junior/Senior banquet there. Years later the owner sold it and it was turned into the Canata’s Supermarket. The owners were Nick and Ned Russo.” ...

Merry Inn

Pat Tatum: “on old 90- now 182- between Amelia and Morgan City- owner was ‘Frenchy’ Louviere- probably opened in the late 1940s. S.J. Landry said he went there in the early 1950s while in high school.” ...

Rose Club

Listed in “Readers recall clubs where they danced to Louisiana Music” from The Daily Advertiser, December 29, 1998: “Readers of The Daily Advertiser were asked to submit names of’ the clubs where they danced to Louisiana music in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, with a brief recollection of what the club was like and who played there.” ...