Biography

Douglas L. Villien Sr. is a Baton Rouge land planning consultant and author of two books, Forgotten Baton Rouge and Between the Crossroads. He served as a city planner for Baton Rouge until his retirement in 2001. He is a native of Abbeville and a graduate of University of Southwestern Louisiana. His work was recently featured in Country Roads Magazine. The Old State Capitol Museum will host an exhibit on Forgotten Baton Rouge from November to December 2016.

Schedule

3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Capitol Park Museum, Third Floor
Discussion
Remembering Baton Rouge

4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Bookselling Tent
Book Signing

Images of America: Forgotten Baton Rouge

For nearly two centuries, Baton Rouge remained a sleepy little river town. Situated on the first bluffs of the Mississippi River north of the Gulf of Mexico, it was prime real estate for habitation. Images of America: Forgotten Baton Rouge collects a plethora of lost images of this city’s greatest period of expansion: from the 1890s to the 1930s. This era began when Louisiana State University moved to the grounds of the old US Army arsenal, followed by a corporate decision from John D. Rockefeller to build a Standard Oil Company refinery at Baton Rouge. These historic decisions, coupled with the forward-thinking actions of bold businessmen and politicians like Robert A. Hart and Huey P. Long, changed the face of the city forever.