In 1901 Mr. W.A.J. Lewis, commissioned to be built a house on East Alabama Street Street in the small township of Ruston Louisiana. by 1902 the family, consisting of husband and a young bride, Kaletah Moreland Lewis, moved into the house to live there until their deaths, rearing four sons (W. Ardis Lewis, H. Moreland Lewis, T. Hunt Lewis and William A. J. Lewis)and contributing to the growth of the town and it's young business community.
W.A.J. Lewis along with L.M.Kidd and M.B.Kidd were the founders and original stockholders of the firm Lewis and Co. (originaly it was called "Kidd and Lewis") Older than the city of Ruston itself the business was organized in Trenton, Louisiana, on the banks of the Ouachita River in 1865.The Business has the enviable record of 132 years of uninterrupted operation, still prospering in Ruston. And while the nature of the business has changed from a general mercantile store to a high quality fashion store, there is probably no other firm in North Louisiana that has continiously served its customers for so long.
The Lewis house has beeen described as a "Greek Revival Queen Anne" Victorian House. The Lewis House is distinguished among Ruston's older residences because of it size, its age, it intricate massing, and the variety and quality of it details. The Lewis home is one of only seventeen two story residences from the period. Of the seventeen most are severly altered. The Lewis home has Tuscan columns and a relatively dynamic asymetrical composition consisting of a wraparound gallery set between two protruding gabled wings. The massing is further enlivened by a second story proch and a separate gallery gable marking the entrance. Moreover, while virtually all major openings on the other seventeen examples are of the plain square head variety, the Lewis house features two Palladian motifs.
The Lewis house was owned by the Lewis family until 1987, when it was purchased by its current owner. It is still a useful and functioning private residence. The information for this site was provided by the Division of Historic Preservation, Louisiana. Without their assistance this page would not have been possible. If you have any other information about this home please email me: Rebecca Maloney
If you have questions, contributions, or problems with this site, email:
Coordinator - Rebecca Maloney
State Coordinator: Marsha Bryant
Asst. State Coordinators: Available
If you have questions or problems with this site, email the Parish Coordinator. Please to not ask for specfic research on your family. I am unable to do your personal research. I do not live in Louisiana and do not have access to additional records.
