Add an Article Add an Event Edit

Town Of Duson

498 Toby Mouton Road
337-873-6754

"Duson Station" as it was first known , was laid out by Mr. Parkerson with the Louisiana Western Railroad. Other stations along the route ware laid out approximately every five miles or so towards Texas. In 1880 the line was completed to Houston with the last 6 ½ miles of track completed between Orange, Texas and the Sabine River. This completed the railroad line from New Orleans to Houston. Regular passenger and freight service was inaugurated on August 30, 1880. The Louisiana Western Railroad was absorbed by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1900 and later was merged with the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The first resident of the area was Thomas Floyd. William Perrin owned and operated the first grocery store. Soon other residents arrived. Joseph Gustave Bertrand also bought property around 1880 and built the first two-story building. The bottom floor was a saloon and store and the upstairs was his residence. He was also the first postmaster. Jack Davis bought up property and formally open and dedicated the "Jack Davis Addition" and began selling lots.

The Village of Duson, Louisiana was incorporated on December 16, 1909 is on the western portion of Lafayette Parish. To incorporated into a village required 250 residents. Section 29-30 and part of 32 were used to have sufficient residents, and the name of "Duson" was taken from the early land developers C. C. and W. W. Duson.

Adolph De Jean was the first Mayor. Early records of his administration were destroyed by fire. Sixteen other mayors have been elected.

The oldest building in Duson is said to be the "Old Town Hall". It was built about 1900. It was also used as Lafayette Parish Library. The first school was built about 1903. The second school was built about 1928 to accommodate the growing students.

Around 1910, DR Ulysses Arriteig built the first Hospital. It burned down several years later and never rebuilt. DR Raphael Sidney Hernandez later purchased the property and established an office in Duson about 1933 and retired in 1969.

Early 1924 phone service was from Lafayette with only a party line. This was upgraded in 1946 and connected to Rayne. In 1961 Duson was given its own exchange by Southern Bell Telephone.

Gulf States Electric extended service to Duson in the mid 1920's and later street lights were install before 1930.

In early 1930's US90 was rerouted along the railroad tracts to Rayne. Prior to that the "Old Spanish Trail" went thru Duson.

Construction of St Theresa Catholic Church was completed in October 1927. The St Theresa Cemetery was purchased in 1934. It was next to the private "Floyd Cemetery" which was the first cemetery in Duson. Later it was added to the St Theresa Cemetery. A Granite marker was erected on the site to honor the Floyd ancestors buried there.

Cotton farming was the main agriculture for the area. Three cotton gins were in Duson until the mid 1960s. Fires destroyed two and the third was torn down

Large landowners surrounding Duson hinders the growth of this community to this date. Therese Wynhoven Mouton published a book in 1993 entitled "Duson-the town that cannot grow which explains this landlocked community.