90-year-old bench returns

ERATH - A part of Vermilion Parish history returned home Christmas Day. On Thursday, David Speyrel and two of his friends loaded a heavy cement bench into his truck and brought it to the home of Jim Domingues, located south of Erath. The bench was under a pecan tree in the backyard of Speyrel’s home in Lafayette.
What makes this cement bench so unique is that it is 90 years old and it has names of 10 Vermilion Parish Police Jurors, along with the name of the treasurer, secretary and who the president of the jury was at the time engraved into the top of the bench.
When Speyrel purchased his home a few years ago, he noticed the bench in the backyard and did not think much of it. It was painted green and dirty. Eventually he used a pressure washer to clean it and remove the paint off the top of the bench. It was then he read how old the bench was (1925) and the names on the bench.
“We got the
pressure washer and cleaned it,” said Speyrel Friday morning. “We started reading it, saw the history of it and where it was from. I have family from Erath and I began speaking to them about the bench.”
The bench was brought to the Domingues house because of Jimmy Domingues Sr.,who was a long-time police juror in Vermilion Parish. Speyrel’s connection to Vermilion Parish is the fact that his mother and Jim Domingue Jr.’s mother-in-law are sisters.
Speyrel’s was aware of Jimmy Domingues Sr.’s police jury connection.
Jimmy Domingues Jr. was happy to see the bench in his father’s backyard.
“You can not put a value on this. You can not,” said Jimmy Domingue Jr. “This is a good Christmas present for the parish.”
Speyrel, who is a Louisiana State Trooper, said he has no idea how long the bench has been at the house or how it arrived.
The two men were able to recognize a few names on the bench.
Ward 1: Desorae ----- (unreadable)
Ward 2: Elodice Brasseux
Ward 3 R.J Montagne
Ward 3: J.C Harrington
Ward 4: Jos. U. Frederick
Ward 5: Elias ----- (unreadable)
Ward 6: C. Harrington
Ward 7: J.P. Jones
Ward 8: E.E. Broussard
Ward 9: C. Vincent
Ward 10: (unreadable)