In Evangeline Parish Sunday, a celebration a century in the making. KATC'S Chris Welty was there for the festivities and learned more about the town's unique history.
"A hundred years ago, on this past Wednesday, March 9th, the town of Basile was incorporated as a village...population 267.
So we are celebrating one hundred years of the incorporation of the village of Basile which has now grown into the town of Basile."
The quaint town of Basile incorporated in 1911 was not the original location of where the town is today. About four miles southeast of downtown, was a settlement with nothing more than a post office and a train track.
"The rail line came through what was supposed to be the town of Saint Louis...this was supposed to be Saint Louis, Louisiana."
When the post office closed and it moved to its current location, settlers decided to keep the name of Basile. Lionel LeJune a resident for 88 years says he's proud of the changes that have occurred in Basile over his lifetime.
"To me what it did was all for the better because we've got bigger and better sewage and more service for the people."
Darrel LeJeune, Chairman of the Basile Centennial Celebration says one of the greatest things about living in Basile is that everybody knows everybody, and he hopes that within the next one hundred years, things will stay the same.
"A lot of places like to grow and we would really like to remain a small town. we would like to bring in some more businesses, but nothing major. We'd like to keep it a small village where people understand each other, know each other."
With a century behind them residents say they hope their town will continue to prosper in the next one hundred years.
cwelty@katctv.com


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