HOFFPAUERE HOUSE
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The eerie sounds of a distant train whistle approached the Crowley Switch depot in 1892; amongst its passengers was a young man by the name of Percy Lee Lawrence, from Crawford, Mississippi. Mr. Lawrence would become employed by the Duson Brothers, as he began to firmly plant his roots as an influential citizen in the small community of Crowley-Switch. While stepping forward as one of the organizers and builders of the community’s grand, seven story financial institution still known today as the First National Bank; Percy Lawrence would eventually marry Mamie Duson, eldest daughter of W.W. Duson; founder of Crowley.
In 1906 Percy brought his bride home to a two and a half story Colonial Revival adorned with Doric columns; its interior walls, door frames and gorgeous grand entrance staircase bejeweled with beautiful cypress. This majestic grandeur was ornamented with seven coal burning fireplaces throughout its magnificent structure, and its foundation blanketed with quarter sawed, thin oak plank floors.
To the east of the grand entrance stair case was the handsomely designed library with fireplace, beveled glass book shelves, and ventilation windows looking out into the carriageway entrance hallway. These windows roll downward into the wall for cross ventilation. Ten foot cypress wood doors vanished cleverly inward into the wall allowing for entrance into this lavish room design especially for the academic scholar.
To the west of the entrance foyer was the charm of a southern formal parlor. Beaufort’s once graced the walls with lovely niches for displaying elegant statues, or vases of fresh flowers. Majestic ten foot windows delivered soft lighting as southern ladies sat for tea on any given afternoon, while a smoking porch, currently glassed in as a sitting room, offered refuge to the men on the east side of the house. Today, the formal parlor has been fully recovered and restored after becoming the bedroom of Miss Mamie Duson Lawrence during her golden years until her death in 1969. Hidden behind a bookshelf were the massive sliding doors that once led to the parlors entrance. The rare beauty of Beaufort Niches were redeemed by the Hoffpauere’s after becoming lost within darkened closets built to accommodate Mamie’s clothing storage, and have once again displayed their beauty and grace to a world of curious guest.
The eastern carriageway remains today as it did many years ago, and to the north; an exact replica has been built, while larger in length to accompany the needs of a today’s vehicle
Cradled beyond the grand staircase was the suitor’s bench nestled against its eastern base. A hallway leading to the carriageway directed its male visitor to a simple resting place while awaiting his beloved. A small angular coal burning fireplace faced him with warmth on winter days.
A formal dinning room enchanted with an elegant fireplace and beveled English Tutor windows hosted many holiday gatherings around a large family table throughout the passage of time.Beyond the staircase, to the west was a simple sitting room that was occupied once only by a chair and a small fireplace just off the back porch. This room appeared to be a retreating room of sorts, but today it is a beautiful bath retreat enchanted delicately with a crow’s foot tub.
The Billiard room often supplied its male visitors with a place to unwind and engage in a challenging game after dinner and before retiring for the evening. Today, the cue closet holds wine glasses for a bar designed of a rare wood known as curly pine plays host to many thirsty guest. A very unique square grand dating back to the 1800’s now cuddles a corner niche beneath a window of beveled glass.
An elevator shaft hidden behind ten foot doors once played host to the transport of those journeying to the second floor to retire for the evening, or perhaps delivering them to an aroma of coffee brewing in the early morning hours. Today it remains inoperable, but has a future of restoration in stored.
Four bedrooms and a nursery upstairs provided a place to slumber for the family of five. An outdoor sleeping porch was once utilized on warm southern summer evenings for retiring outdoors beneath a tent.
Service hallways were mapped throughout the house like tangled mazes while enabling the servants to cater to the needs of the residence without disturbance, and call buttons were mounted within every room for dispatching servants when needed. Today they have been remodeled into rooms and additions to rooms.
Its current owner, Bill Hoffpauere is a descendant to the original occupants, and he and his wife Katherine now reside in the beautiful historical home.
After purchasing this fine vintage treasure, the Hoffpauere’s commenced to restoring, recovering and remodeling. After weeks of washing down walls, doors frames and the grand staircase, the refined beauty of cypress wood began to surface through as a majestic reward for the consuming effort and sacrifice made by the Hoffpauere’s.
The carriage house that sits to the north west side of the property once housed a butler servant named George Key. This unique piece of history has its own story to tell, and gives a deeper meaning to the saying, ‘if walls could talk.’
Upon retiring for the evening into the carriage house, George Key would devote his time to working diligently toward a unique piece of artwork in which he had begun. Throughout the years his artwork would become in someway larger than life its self as it voiced his expression about the world around him. The neighborhood children were often allowed to explore his canvassed art world, but were told to remove their shoes upon entering. George Key had uniquely designed his world of refuge with a collage of faces from big screen movie stars to sales add models. Magazine clippings of many beautiful porcelain faces adorned the walls, ceiling and floors of the carriage house. Key’s work of art also spilled over upon each step of the stairwell leading down to the ground floor. He had varnished over his masterpiece allowing for a slick and healthy shine while protecting his creation from foot traffic.
Upon purchasing the property, the Hoffpauere’s discovered that most of the creation had been destroyed over the passage of time, becoming brittle to the touch. After careful consideration they managed to preserve a section above the kitchen pantry with plexy glass, and today all who have been honored with an opportunity to view its magnificence stand in aw before an octagon shaped masterpiece created by a small framed servant from Crowley’s historical passage of time known as George Key.
History touches the lives of all generations regardless of age, color and gender. The walls and floors of the magnificent main house carry the memories of a family as it began and developed, settled in and grew, circled the course of time, and expanded into farther generations.
The carriage house has also told a story of a very important character in that historical era; his unique form of self expression canvassed upon the walls as a display of another lifetime to future generations.
Both have left behind a legendary story of the lives that originally breathed life into the small village of Crowley Switch. Today the footprints and hand prints of these pioneer settlers are forever pressed within the cornerstones of historical buildings, homes, cultural events, government and financial developments across the horizon of the larger town we know today as Crowley, Louisiana. Although we have never known them, we see their smiles mirrored within the eyes of their off spring, they are here amongst us through the lives of descendants, cultural events, and legacies left behind.