A CAPITOL DAY

(MARCH 9, 2018) Well, even on vacation you have days like today. Yes, this was one of those day where I wished I had done a little more planning.  I started the day in Shreveport and was undecided if I wanted to drive directly to Beaumont, Texas or spend some more time in Louisiana.

I left the hotel and headed south on Interstate 49 still undecided on where I was going. I figured I would play it by ear and make a decision to either head east toward Baton Rouge or west to Beaumont once I got to Interstate 10.

I stopped at a Louisiana Welcome Center, to grab a cup of coffee. Yes, Louisiana Rest Areas offer free coffee to travelers. While I was there enjoying my coffee I was talking to one of the staff who told me that I really should visit Baton Rouge. He told me that I could park at the Old Capitol and tour it an then walk a few blocks to the "new" Capitol.

The attendant told me to be sure to go to the top of the new capitol for a wonderful view and then stop on the 1st floor to see where Huey P. Long was shot. The more I talked to this gentleman the more convinced I was that I should go to Baton Rouge.

Back on the road, I programmed the GPS to take me to the Old State Capitol. I had planned on Going south on I-49 and then Head east on I-10, but the GPS has other plans and routed me east on U. S. Route 190.

Two and a half hours later I arrived in the Baton Rouge Area and cross the Mississippi River on the Huey P. Long Bridge. I made my way south along the river to North Street to the Old Capitol. Like most cities parking is horrible and I ended up playing to park in a Private downtown Lot.

I spent about an hour on the self guided tour of the Old Capitol which is where Governor Huey P. Long Served before the New Capitol Was Built.  There is a special exhibit here dealing with the assassination of the Senator Long, including the pistol that Dr. Carl Weiss used to shoot the senator.

The Old Capitol is well worth a visit and the employees are more than happy to share their knowledge with visitors.

After finishing my tour of the Old Capitol I made the half mile walk up 4th street to the new and current Louisiana State Capitol.  The Capitol is unlike any other. It stands 34-stories tall and is the tallest building in Baton Rouge.

Visitors can take an elevator to the 27th Floor Observation deck. There is definitely a wow factor here as you can see for miles in any direction. It affords you a wonderful view of the Mississippi
River and the oil refineries to the north and the LSU Campus to the South. Today was a perfect day for my visit as it was sunny and crystal clear.  What a magnificent view it was.

On the way back down I go off the elevator on the first floor and was able to visit both the House and Senate Chambers.  Neither body was in session and I was able to snap a few pictures of each chamber.  Before leaving the first floor, I made my what to the hallway when on September 8, 1935, Dr. Carl Weiss shot former Governor and then Senator Huey P. Long.

On that day Long was at the Capitol attempting to oust his long time political opponent, Judge

Unrepaired Bullet Hole

Benjamin Pavy. A about 9:20 p.m. after passing a bill to effectively remove Pavy, Dr. Carl Weiss, who was Pavy's son-in-law approached Long and shot him with a pistol from about 4-feet way. Long's bodyguards immediately shot and killed Weiss. The Louisiana Kingfish died on September 10, 1935 at 4:10 a.m.

There is a plaque in the hallway marking the site of the assassination along with an unrepaired bullet hole.

Huey P. Long had one of the grandest funerals in Louisiana History. His body dressed in a tuxedo lay in an open casket in the capitol rotunda. Some 200,000 people were in Baton Rouge for his funeral which was held on the Ground of the Capitol Building. He was buried on the south lawn of the capitol and today his grave is marked by a large statue.

For more information on the assassination of Huey P. Long - click this link

Grave of Huey P. Long

After spending about an hour at the capitol it was time to head west toward Beaumont, Texas where I plan to spend the night. This is where the ordeal begins.  From the top of the Capitol building I could see Interstate 10 was at a stand still in all direction. I decided to head back west the same way I had come on U. S. Route 190.  Right after crossing the river my GPS indicated that the faster Route was indeed Interstate 10. So once on the west side of the river I followed the GPS routeing back to Interstate 10.

All way well until I got to Lafayette and I hit my first slow down. From Lafayette to the Texas Border Interstate 10 is under construction virtually the entire way. There are only a few spots that you can do the speed limit of 70 or 75 miles per hours. Most of the time speed are more like 45 to 55.

Once I crossed the Sabine Rive and entered Texas, traffic got really slow and heavy.  The first exit in Texas is Exit #878, and I needed to go to Exit 849. That 29-miles took me almost an hour and a half. Most of the delay was due to construction and lane closures.  But at exactly 7:00 p.m. I pulled into the Comfort Suites here in Beaumont.

This was the longest day of the trip so far both miles wise and time wise.  Tomorrow should be better as I will spend most of it in this area before heading south of Houston to a hotel near the Johnson Space Center.


TODAY'S MILES:  459

TOTAL MILES:  1569

Here is a short video from my visit to the Louisiana Capitol Buildings