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University begins restoration of home built by Charles CateBy SANDY SEAL Staff WriterUntil recently, time and Mother Nature had taken their toll on the Dameron Home Its spirit diminished and its body desecrated, the two-story Victorian house that Charles Cate built for his daughter in the late 1800s had become an eyesore for Pine Street travelers.But all that’s changing now. The house is receiving a new life, not to mentiom a new roof and a new paint job.Its owner. Southeastern Louisiana University, is currently working on phase 1 of the Dameron Home project — repairing the exterior of the home to prevent further deterioration Phases 2 and 3 involve the home’s restoration When they will take place depends on when the money becomes available, according to Joe Simon, assistant vice president for Institutional Advancement.“It’s going to depend on the state's financial situation,’’ he said “But if we can’t get the state funding, then we’ll try and raise the money privately.The house and its property were donated to Southeastern by Mertie Lou Fourmy Barnes, Cate's great-grand-daugher, in 1985, with the understanding the house would be fully restored to its original condition and used as a guest house or for another purpose to be agreed upon by SLU leaders and BarnesThe home was donated to the university and then-President J. Larry Crain in honor of Barnes' mother, Mertie Camilla Dameron Fourmy.When I gave the property to Southeastern, no one could foresee the economic conditions that were coming,” Barnes said “But the bottom fell out. Southeastern didn't have the money to do anything, and I didn’t have it to give them.It will really be a precious place restored, and I would love to see itdone, she added. I’m thrilled they're finally able to begin work on it.Even if the money becomes available and the home is restored, the old homestead itself will remain alive only through memories shared and handed down through time My mother was born and raised in that house, Barnes said, remembering tales she heard growing up. She's told me many times how she remembered as a little girl watching the lumber wagons sent out on the property by her grandfather to get big trees to take to the mill.“There used to be a big barn in the back of the house, she added That's where they kept the carriage Cate, though not the first settler, is credited by historians for bringing industry here and developing Hammond into a thriving city. He built the Dameron Home for his daughter. Lou Cate Dameron, and her family “It was built sometime after 1887 and before 1892,” Barnes said. My mother was born there in 1892, and her mother already had two young children When the Dameron children were growing up. Barnes said, Cate built another house for his daughter, but she refused to move.“When her children were married, her father built a one-story bungalow on Pine Street, and she agreed to moveNEW VIEW ON PINE—Chuck Briggs of Natalbany. an employee of the Southeastern Louisiana University physical plant, replaces a window pane in the Dameron Home at 601 North Pine St. The first phase will be complete with exterior repairs and a new roof. (Staff Photo by Randy Bergeron)there, Barnes said. It was beginning to be a bit difficult tor her to go up and down the stairs The house was rented after Barnes grandmother moved out It was later turned into two apartments — one upstairs and another downstairsThere have been a number of changes made, but they weren t structural changes, Barnes said.Simon said some things, such as fireplace mantels, have been stolen from the home during the years it stood vacant. The roof has been leaking badly, he said, and the inside of the home is in poor condition.The porch has been rebuilt, and the rotten wood is being replaced.” he said “We re going to replace the roof and paint the exterior, and hopefully we can finish phase 1 before the fiscal year ends June 30.The house will probably be painted a light gray and trimmed in white, Simon said. Barnes agreed with the colors chosen.We also want to add shutters later, he said.We want to fix up the house so it looks good, Simon said. There is an effort in the Chamber of Commerce to make Pine Street real pretty, because it’s the old entrance to the campus from Highway 190 We re trying to do our part by restoring the Dameron Home.”
Newspaper Details
Hammond Sunday Star
Hammond, Louisiana, US
Sun, May 09, 1993
Page 5
Full Page
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LA, USA 06 Oct 2024
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