Here’s one way to discover some of your hometown’s lost history

HOMER, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Someone suggested that Claiborne Parish Historian Wes Harris should examine the backs of the buildings surrounding the Claiborne Parish courthouse because he might find them more remarkable than the fronts of the buildings. So with camera in hand, Harris inspected the exteriors of Homer’s oldest buildings.

Here’s what he discovered :

Over the decades, renovations of building facades have meant removing or covering some original architectural features. Such makeovers were usually utilitarian in nature, with little regard for enhancing appearances. While some late 19th-century buildings have been restored beautifully, some retain modifications from the mid-to late-20th century, bestowing a patchwork of eras and styles.

The rear of the buildings, however, retain much of their original design, except for the many bricked-up windows. No longer needed to provide light in the days before electricity, those openings—and there were many in most buildings—have been plugged with masonry to repurpose a room or keep out burglars. In some cases, the back side of buildings on Homer’s courthouse square was once obscured by other structures that no longer exist.

Metalwork on the rear of the square’s buildings especially stands out. The intricate metalwork around the windows on the rear of the Homer Masonic Lodge is remarkable.

At one time, most of the structures on the square were mercantile stores, often with law and medical offices upstairs. The retail buildings accepted deliveries and loaded goods into customers’ wagons through rear doors or loading docks. Since merchandise was shipped in wooden crates and barrels, moving it into and out of a building scarred up thresholds and door facings. Some building owners installed cast iron thresholds to reduce wear and tear.

Thresholds could be ordered with the building owner’s name cast into it. While those thresholds could signify pride in building ownership, they also served to direct freight deliveries to the correct door.

And surprisingly, few of these named thresholds remain today.

One bears the name J. W. Holbert , which refers to a well-known North Louisiana attorney and businessman who split his time between offices in Homer and Shreveport. Holbert was an early director of Homer National Bank, as he had previously offered loans himself and engaged in other business ventures.

And according to newspapers of the day, Holbert never lost a case as a criminal defense lawyer.

The threshold at the rear door of the Ford Museum in downtown Homer, formerly known as Hotel Claiborne, bears the name of A. K. Clingman. This makes sense because Clingman built Hotel Claiborne in 1890.

Clingman also owned one of the largest plant nurseries in the South and attempted to build a railroad between Homer and Minden. In 1893, he found himself in the middle of the Ramsey-Tuggle Feud and managed to fight off legendary outlaw Tom Kinder, who came to Clingman’s house to kill him.

Adolphus “Dolph” McCranie followed in his father’s footsteps by operating a mercantile store. The younger McCranie’s store in the 600 block of North Main Street in Homer offered clothing, shoes, dry goods, and farm supplies. His two rear door thresholds abbreviate his name “A. McCranie.”

One building on the square in downtown Homer featured a mortician’s work area in the basement. Wagons could back right up into the basement to deliver and take away coffins. But at some point, water must have become a problem in the basement. The grade of the land was raised about three feet, rendering the big basement door difficult to access. Some of the bricked-up basement windows are now below ground level.

One feature on the front of the buildings on the square in downtown Homer cannot be ignored, thanks to Beverly Smith of the Claiborne Abstract Company. She researched the history of structures surrounding the courthouse and arranged for plaques denoting the years of their construction.

Next time you’re on the square in downtown Homer, look at the buildings closely. Imagine the light all those currently shuttered windows let in. Imagine what they would look like if restored to their late 1800s appearance.

Homer has one of the few true courthouse squares left in North Louisiana.

If you live in a town or city that still has rows of historic commercial buildings, check out the back door loading docks. It’s an easy way to learn more about your hometown’s history.

If someone’s name appears at a back door, search for it on newspapers.com or in your local library’s archives.

This is just one of the methods you can use to find your hometown’s lost history.

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