When Teresa Hull Havens was a girl, she often passed the Merryville house she lives in now.
“One day I’m going to live in that big white house,” she would tell her mother. “Mamma would always say, I hope you do Teresa, I hope you do.”
Havens decided to begin a career in real estate with DeRidder’s Exit Realty when her husband of 42 years, Elton, urged her to remain active and engaged after her home-schooled children left the nest.
Once a thriving community, because of the abundance of lumber and sawmills in the early 1900s, Merryville is a much quieter community today.
There is little evidence of the economic growth said to be impacting all of Southwest Louisiana.
Residents interested in agricultural, hunting and fishing endeavors, peace and quiet, affordably priced property, putting distance between them and the hustle and bustle of the city or between them and the nearest neighbor, consider Merryville ideal.
The Merryville Museum, founded in 1981, acquires, preserves and maintains information, artifacts and memorabilia pertinent to the area’s history. Located nearby is the Burks Log Cabin built in 1883. The Merryville Heritage Festival celebrates the unique heritage of Southwest LA and the area known as “No Man’s Land”.
Most architecture representing the area’s rich culture and history has been torn down.
It was 2007 when Havens and her husband purchased what many consider to be one of Merryville’s remaining landmarks built in the early 1900s.
The Merryville Agricultural School was the only school of its kind in Imperial Calcasieu, the area that included Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis parishes, according to an online history of Merryville’s schools by Opal Moore.
“This was a school,” Havens said about her home. “That’s the reason for all the sidewalks.”
Havens said the house is thought to be one of the remaining school buildings on the property after the main building burned.
The sidewalks may not be the only remaining evidence of the early campus.
“The previous owner said, I want to tell y’all something up front,” Havens recalled. “The house is haunted.”
Two paranormal groups have made three visits to the building. Equipment picked up the laughing sounds from children that are thought to be from the time the house was used as a school.
“We don’t call them ghosts,” Havens said. “We call them angels.”
Havens indicated that if there are ghosts – and she has never seen any but her husband did -- it is possible their favorite song is an iconic hymn.
“We had a cassette recorder and player and every time you hit rewind, it started again right at the beginning of Amazing Grace.
In addition to being one of the first school properties, The Havens home has a second claim to fame. It is the first in Merryville to have plumbing.
The third claim to fame is the large annual Easter egg hunts held at one time on the property which is located next to the Merryville First Baptist Church.
Merryville native and resident, 27-year-old Mary Catherine Pitre remembers the Easter egg hunts, including being decked out in Easter finery like the other participants.
The over 100-year-old house has also been used for wedding receptions.
The lawn has areas shaded by oaks and a beautifully gnarled cedar tree possibly older than the home.
The 2,800-square-foot house has 12-foot ceilings. Large transoms still work and kept air circulating before the days of air conditioning. The home has two sets of pocket doors. Most walls are covered by painted beadboard or wallpaper.
The furnishings, collectibles and décor make the past comes to life inside the Havens home.
A DeRidder friend told Havens to stop by and find out if the crystal chandelier he had in the shed would work for her new living room. It was perfect.
A New Orleans friend saved a sofa from the waters of Hurricane Katrina for Havens.
She purchased lamps from the Bon Wier estate of Lena Hughes. Her cameo collection, some of which belonged to her grandmother, and her Flow Blue china collection are extensive.
Her Bible collection includes one from the 1700s and she finds it hard to pass up old photographs she finds in antique stores. She keeps these in an antique photo album.
The Elcie Maycee dolls that fill the living room are from Havens’ childhood. Some of her baby clothing and her wedding dress are displayed in other rooms. In one of the home’s bedrooms is a leather jacket, which has belonged to Havens’ husband since he was 16.
“I have gotten to where I no longer buy anything that I can’t live without and I also figure out where I can put it before I get it home,” she said about her love of antique and vintage shopping.
“Mamma never liked old stuff,” Havens said. “I think I was born in the wrong time period.”
For a while the Havenses did not have a TV. Havens said that’s because she envisioned herself baking cookies with the grandkids in her large kitchen and spending time together making memories.
“There are only so many memories you can make NanNay,” her grandchildren suggested.
Havens added TVs.
“God has blessed us,” she said about her home and the keepsakes it holds. “We’ve had other homes and I never felt like those homes would be our forever home. It’s just a good feeling to know you’re where you’re supposed to be.”
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