Louisa Lamy McGuire was born in Ouachita Parish on October 6, 1803, to French parents Louis Michel Jean Francois Lamy and Felicite Roy. Louisa married the American, Dr. Robert Forbes McGuire, around the time the first steamboat came up the Ouachita River. They were the parents of five children, but all of them died young. She lived long enough to outlive her parents, her siblings, husband, and children. She passed away on February 4, 1882, at her home on DeSiard bayou. What she is best remembered for is what she left behind in her will. Louisa stipulated that her home become a sanctuary for widows and orphans. She left bequests for the Masons. Her husband played a huge part in bringing Masonry to the area. A lodge in Monroe is named for him and an Order of the Eastern Stars chapter is named for Louise. Louise’s biggest bequest was her husband’s law office on Wood Street and books to begin the first public library in Monroe. The library lasted until around 1900 when the books were given to the brand-new Monroe City High School for their new library. Sixteen years later, the original library building was being used to store coal! It was cleaned out and once again served as a public library. Louisa is considered the grandmother of the Ouachita Parish Public Library system.

There are no known photographs of Eliza Pinkston, only accounts of her bravery in books and national papers. She was born enslaved in Ouachita Parish and was given her freedom when Emancipation came. By 1876 she was married to Henry Pinkston, a vocal supporter of the Republican party. Unfortunately, that brought unwanted attention from the “Democratic Rifle Clubs.” In the middle of the night, masked men broke into the Pinkston home, drug out Henry and murdered him. Eliza’s one year old daughter was killed in her arms, and she was brutalized. Thinking they had murdered her, the men left. Eliza survived and was taken by the Union occupational army to safety. Eliza’s testimony of her story before a Congressional committee charged with investigating the 1876 election frauds sent shockwaves throughout the nation. Eliza’s words were splashed in headlines as far away as New York City. Her brave testimony helped shine a spotlight on the intimidation African American voters were experiencing in the South. Eliza eventually moved to Canton, MS where she passed away in April 1883.

Mary Goss came to the area around the turn of the last century with her husband (it is said) when the couple stopped in Monroe as part of a performing dog show. Mary decided Monroe was a good place to settle. After her husband’s death, Mary went to work as a housekeeper in the Herrin home. After saving about one hundred dollars and borrowing a hundred more, Mary set up a food stand at old five points that catered to an African American clientele. She would prepare huge baskets of lunches and sell them to the men working on the railroad. At the age of fifty though, Mary became ill with cancer. After her passing in 1918 her will was opened and it was discovered Mary was a rich woman. The bulk of her money went to charity. The chief beneficiary was the Home of the Good Samaritan on Winnsboro Road. It was a home for orphans and “wayward girls.” Mary stipulated that her money would help fund a “regular” orphan’s home if one were ever built in Monroe. In 1924 that happened with the opening of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home. One of the cottages was named for her, which is now the site of Joy cottage. Mary also left behind money for a home for the elderly and infirmed African American community. She felt she needed to give back to those who had helped her succeed. The Mary Goss Nursing Home still bears her name.

Thanks to Louisa McGuire, Eliza Pinkston, and Mary Goss for leaving Monroe such a legacy to look to. May their names never be forgotten.