SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
DEMOCRAT THE ST. FRANCISVILLE
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 23, 2025
$1.00N
WEST FELICIANA
Council turns down zoning map
Leila Pitchford AROUND THE FELICIANAS
Former principal dies On deadline Friday afternoon, The Watchman and The Democrat heard that James Francis Hunt died July 16. Hunt was a longtime educator in East Feliciana Parish and was president of the Police Jury for several terms. The Hunts were a wonderful part of my high school years. Mr. Hunt was my first principal after my family moved to East Feliciana Parish. My first day was the start of 10th grade at Clinton Junior High. He had told my parents to have me stop in the office to set up my schedule. He went out of his way to make sure my schedule was as good as he could make it. That day was still tremendous culture shock, but his care helped ease the transition from Baton Rouge High to Clinton. A couple of years later, he and Miss Ginger took care of me the night my grandfather died while my parents dealt with things in Baton Rouge. Mr. Hunt will be missed on a personal level and by the parish. Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, July 24, at First Baptist Church of Clinton, 12329 Jackson Street. A second visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Friday, July 25, with funeral services to follow. Burial at Springhill Cemetery.
School is coming soon The first days of school are happening soon. Zachary and West Feliciana schools start Aug. 7. East Feliciana schools start Aug. 11. Parents and guardians should make sure they have taken care of all enrollments and fees, checking on transportation and getting supplies.
Bicycles sought Bicycles — new, used, any condition — can be dropped off between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday at the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office CRT building, 9946 West Feliciana Parkway, St. Francisville. All donated bicycles will be refurbished by Angola inmates to be distributed in the community.
School giveaway planned The Happi Llandiers organization will hold its annual school supplies giveaway from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Aug. 2. The material will be handed out as parents drive through the West Feliciana Middle School grounds.
Veterans’ memorial plans Plans for a memorial park for Clinton are developing and interest and support have been shown, according spokesperson Marsha Kemp. She said Clinton Mayor Mark Kemp and Jim Parker discussed various things with her at a recent meeting. Plans are to form a committee of veterans, their family members, and people from the community to further pursue the project. If interested call or text (225) 439-9705.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
STAFF PHOTO BY ROBIN MILLER
Though the doors of this historic building usually are locked, the grounds of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Clintonare open for exploration. The church is Carpenter Gothic Episcopal Church built in 1871 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A long, hot summer day on the grounds of
St. Andrew’s
BY ROBIN MILLER
Staff writer
The movie’s title came to mind while turning the car left on St. Andrew’s Street from Plank Road. It was called “The Long Hot Summer,” and as I drove from Church Street into St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church’s driveway, I wondered if the days were as hot as this one during the movie’s filming in Clinton. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were the leads in William Faulkner’s story about suspected arsonist Ben Quick, whose charisma wins the admiration of Will Varner, the richest man in town. Newman played Ben, Orson Welles played Varner, and Woodward played Varner’s straight-laced, schoolteacher daughter, Clara, whose dad decides to match her up with Ben. By 1957, when the movie was filmed, Welles was already a film legend. Newman and Woodward would get married afterward and become legends in their own right. And to think, they all gathered in East Feliciana Parish’s seat, the setting for the story’s fictional Frenchman’s Bend. The film was released in 1958. I’d first seen it years ago on a Saturday afternoon. Or was it a Sunday? Maybe on Turner Classics? It doesn’t matter. I just knew that I was walking through a piece of the movie’s history while exploring St. Andrew’s Church and its surroundings this month. A big part of the picnic scene, a key point in the story, was filmed on these grounds. Ben places the winning bid on Clara’s picnic basket at the church charity auction, and both retreat to a quiet place to share the food. Then Clara, harboring resentment, insults Ben. But Ben keeps his cool, because he knows Clara is secretly attracted to him. The small town’s giddy celebration fills the frame behind them, which somehow makes this day’s exploration ghostly. With the exception of the occasional passing car, only silence lingers outside the church’s locked doors. No blue-eyed Newman. No Woodward. No food or music. The stillness amplifies St. Andrew’s lone existence while calling attention to its fea-
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Joanne Woodward, right, as Clara, watches as Paul Newman, as Ben, claims her picnic basket at a church auction in the 1958 film, ‘The Long Hot Summer.’ The movie was filmed in Clinton, parts of it at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
A move to tie West Feliciana Parish’s land development code to a new zoning map failed by a single vote at a July 14 Parish Council meeting. The council is considering 13 pages of amendments to the zoning portion of the land code, along with a new map showing the parish broken into various zoning classifications. The parish is operating under a land development ordinance approved in 2023, but a new map had not been drawn at that time and has yet to be approved. Parish President Kenny Havard and proponents of the subdivision regulations and new zoning classifications say they are trying to retain the parish’s rural ambience by preventing uncontrolled residential growth, given the ongoing construction of a large data center in the parish. Opponents have said the restrictions go too far, especially for landowners with small tracts who want to divide them among their children. Havard expressed disappointment at the vote, but said he will continue pressing for a zoning map adoption, even if it requires voting every month on it. “I think we’re playing with fire,” Havard said during his monthly report to the council. “My number one goal is to protect the assets of this parish, and we’re not doing it.” Councilm member Tab Ballard had introduced the zoning amendments and new map in May, but
ä See COUNCIL, page 2G
West Feliciana School Board hears financial status amidst construction BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
tures that charmed filmmakers into setting up their cameras here almost 70 years ago. The structure stands in a remote, fairytale setting on the corner of St. Andrew’s and Church streets, and its Carpenter Gothic architecture is magical. Carpenter Gothic is characterized by pointed arches, steep gables and decorative wooden trim, and the trim along St. Andrew’s eaves looks like the snowy cover of a Christmas card. Some passersby would compare it to a gingerbread house, and they’d be right, because St. Andrew’s frilly trim hangs like batten lace from its gables. In a town where columned façades rule, St. Andrew’s is an anomaly — a photogenic anomaly that translates well on film. But it’s also an anomaly that has withstood time and elements since its construction in 1871, and its placement on the National Register of Historic Places preserves its story. The church also is commemorated by a state historic marker at the end of the long sidewalk leading to its entrance from Church Street. And though its doors usually are locked on weekdays, St. Andrew’s congregation still meets at 9 a.m. for Holy Eucharist three Sundays a month, along with morning
With construction underway on two projects, and a third one in the planning stage, the West Feliciana Parish School Board got a report July 15 on how the work will affect the district’s finances. Construction is nearing completion on the first phase of work to restore the old Julius Freyhan High School building for use as a school system central office and community center. The restoration was largely financed with a state legislative appropriation, but the funds were not enough to finish all of the work needed in the initial contract with Cangelosi Ward General Contractors. The board plans to finish the project with surplus local funds, and members approved a contract with Holly and Smith Architects to draw up plans for the second phase of construction for a possible bidletting in December. Work also is underway on an athletic field house at the West Feliciana High School stadium, which is estimated will cost $5.9 million when completed. The board allocated $2 million to the field house from the remainder of a construction bond issue
ä See ST. ANDREW’S, page 12G
ä See BOARD, page 2G