Home Care In Plain Dealing, LA

George Paysinger made settlement in Bossier Parish, Louisiana in December, 1874, several years after emancipation.

George established actual residence on January 24, 1875, when he completed homestead entry #1039 at the Natchitoches, Louisiana Land Office, under the Homestead Act of 1862. George fulfilled all of the requirements, including building a house and time living on the land, to receive a patent on August 3, 1882. The 160.60-acre parcel was located just east of Plain Dealing, Louisiana and ran north toward the Arkansas border.

George was a master architect, builder, craftsman and a farmer. Among many achievements in his life George, as a former enslaved person, served as a Juror for the 2nd Judicial Court in Bossier Parish on April 3, 1882. During the years which homesteaders are required to make proof in support of their entries George Paysinger, his wife and five children made numerous improvements to the property. They cleared and fenced about fifteen acres; constructed two cabins for residences, a smoke house, corn crib, cotton house, and a wagon shelter. In addition, ten acres were cleared where they grew cotton/corn. George had neighbors with whom he had close relationships with for over twenty years, some during his enslavement.

Several of George’s neighbors and longtime acquaintances agreed to serve as the required witnesses to testify for his homestead entry. Cornelius Howell and Henry C. Wyche completed the two witness testimony statements. S. C. O’Daniel, R.E. Wyche, J. N. Bryan, Ernest Wyche, and at least one other also agreed to serve as witnesses on February 10, 1880 to provide final proof of claim. It is noteworthy that J.N. Bryan a former enslaver of George Paysinger is among these witness signatures.

The Bossier Banner published a notice on February 10, 1880, of the intention of George Paysinger to make final proof of his homestead claim on Tuesday, March 25, 1880. The publication listed the claim as #1039, for the east half of the southwest quarter and the west half of the southeast quarter of section 14, township 23, north of range 13, west of Louisiana Meridian. George completed the Final Affidavit Required of Homestead Claimants at the Natchitoches, Louisiana Land Office on June 3, 1880.

The Natchitoches Land Office ultimately issued Final Certificate #434 for homestead application #1039 on August 3, 1882.This 160-acre Homestead Land Patent was only a segment of the land George Paysinger acquired during his lifetime. Before the land patent was final, in 1877 the family that enslaved George prior to emancipation either deeded or sold him 140 acres. He also purchased another 160 acres from the Bossier Parish School Board in April 1885 and 40 acres of state land in 1887, totaling 500 acres. George lived out his life on the land he acquired and a portion of the land still remains with his heirs.

The Paysinger Desk

The desk was crafted by George Paysinger, who was also credited by some historians with building Orchard Place, the main residence on the Orchard Plantation in Bossier Parish. It is probably a vernacular version of a Federal style desk. It is hand made of heart pine. It originally had a drop-front and is dated to the middle to late 1800s. John Hamiter, great-grandfather of the donor and enslaver of George Paysinger, was the owner. The pine boards that the desk is made with are almost a full 2 feet in width. Mid-1800s virgin timber was used in the construction. The desk originally had four keyed locks. A complete restoration of the piece was completed in 2002 and is on display at the Bossier Parish Library History Center.

~ Contributed by Felix L. Scott Jr., descendant

Felix Lewis Scott Jr. is a 3rd great grandson of Louisiana Homesteader George Paysinger. Scott, a Colorado native, has experienced two distinctly different professions and is a 30-year entrepreneur. He apprenticed under his father's tutelage as a cement mason and like his 3rd great grandfather, became a proficient builder specializing in a wide range of concrete applications from flatwork/foundations to bridges and high-rise buildings. Scott later utilized education acquired at the University of Colorado to endeavor a career with the Colorado Department of Corrections. He fulfilled 22 years with the State of Colorado advancing to Facility Operations Manager before retiring. Scott and his wife Teresa also established and operated a successful local business, Ebony Salon, since 1991. Felix Scott Jr. is currently on a “retirement” exploration journey into his nuclear family and family history/genealogy; finding joy in unearthing extraordinary relations like his great-great-great grandfather George Paysinger.

Bureau of Land Management Land Patent Information

If you are looking for a quiet community to possibly retire in, you may consider the town of Plain Dealing in Bossier Parish.

This town, located north of Bossier City, was named after the antebellum Plain Dealing Plantation. The namesake had over 500 acres and was divided into three large plantations. According to a Bossier Press Tribune article, the name of the plantation was attributed to the character of the owner. George Oglethorpe Gilmer, who “sold the products of his farms and bought his needs in the regular channel of trade.”

In the heart of downtown, there are a number of locally owned businesses that have been there for years. Wayne Davis has owned Discus Oil Corporation, located in downtown Plain Dealing, since 1969. Davis has lived in the town for about 75 years, leaving only to go to college and live in Lafayette for a short period of time.

Like most towns in Bossier Parish, Davis said the people are what make this community a nice place to live. “This is ‘small town USA.’ The people are like one big family. I think anyone would help out anyone else no matter the time of day or night,” Davis said. “You are five minutes away from good hunting and fishing [in Plain Dealing].”

But what separates this town from others with similar scenery could be the essence of this inviting town, captured best in a song on YouTube by Nick Holovaty. Holovaty, not a Bossier native, is a missionary in Evansville, Ind. A few of years ago, he traveled through Plain Dealing on his way to Shreveport and wrote the song. The lyrics take you through the attraction to the small town.

“Oh I’ll always cherish,

The jewel of Bossier Parish

There’s nowhere else I’d rather be

When the weather’s inviting

And the catfish are biting

Out on Cypress Bayou Number 3”

Of course, Plain Dealing is just one of the many jewels found in Bossier Parish. But, if you choose to make this town your home, you may not want to leave.

Mayor David Smith has lived in Plain Dealing for 38 years and sees the town as a great real estate investment.

“We are a friendly town. We are 25 miles from Bossier City. A lot of people that live here drive to Bossier for work, but we have a large jail facility made up of seven or 800 inmates and [that jail] provides jobs for local people,” Smith said. “We are seeing more and more people move here. Real estate values are pretty good. The cost of living isn’t that high and there are properties available for sale. This is a good place to live.”

Smith has owned one out of the two, oldest independently owned pharmacies in Bossier Parish (the town is home to both of the pharmacies). Though Smith sold the business, he still works two days a week as a pharmacist. Just up the road in the downtown area is the other pharmacy, Kelly Pharmacy, but Smith doesn’t see it as a competition.

“It’s a friendly competition. We are a town of 1,000. If we don’t have it they do and we work together,” he said. “My wife and I have lived in small towns all of our life. We brought [Walker Bros Drug] when I was 28. We raised our kids here. [Plain Dealing] is a close knit community.”

Watch Nick Holovaty’s video:

On a slightly overcast summer day Plain Dealing was bustling with people to celebrate the groundbreaking of a $110.5 million sawmill facility.

"This is a fabulous announcement," said Don Pearson, Secretary for Louisiana Economic Development.

The Teal-Jones Group broke ground with Gov. John Bel Edwards, Pearson, Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation and a host of regional and local collaborators on July 11.

"We are excited to invest in this project, one that will bring long-term prosperity, jobs and other development opportunities in rail and infrastructure to Plain Dealing," said Tom Jones, CEO of the Teal-Jones Group.

Teal-Jones is the largest privately owned timber harvesting and primary lumber product manufacturing company in British Columbia. The company began in 1946 in New Westminster, B.C., Canada.

Over 70 years Teal-Jones has expanded into the United States acquiring Southern Yellow Pine sawmills in Oklahoma, Virginia, Mississippi and now Plain Dealing, Louisiana.

"The Plain Dealing mill is an exciting and important step in our continued expansion," said Jones.

The Teal-Johns Group initially proposed Plain Dealing as the site due to its easy access to railway infrastructure. The 235-acre sawmill facility is underway and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.

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Edwards said, "this is a big deal, not just for Plain Dealing, not just for Bossier Parish, not just for Northwest Louisiana, but for the state of Louisiana."

The sawmill will produce a wide range of dimensional and specialty lumber products and is expected to bring in nearly 500 new jobs.

"We are gonna have about 125 new direct jobs averaging about $50,000 a year," said Edwards.

A competitive incentive package was offered by Louisiana to secure the project. The LED FastStart workforce development service will support this project by recruiting and training. Bossier Parish will offer a PILOT agreement which allows Teal-Johns Group to make property tax payments on an agreed schedule instead of paying the standard tax amount.

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Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at [email protected].

The dogwood tree blossoms are a symbol of spring in the South, and the tiny town of Plain Dealing played host to an annual celebration that marked their arrival for over fifty years. Do you know the history of the Dogwood Festival in Plain Dealing?

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers including De Soto’s chronicler recorded the natural beauty of what seem to be describing the areas of North Bossier and Plain Dealing. For hundreds of years, however, this beautiful hilly terrain proved difficult to travel, so the masses did not get to enjoy all of the splendor.

By the 1950s, there was enough desire to enjoy the blooming dogwoods that organizations like the Lions Club, the American Legion and several others joined the town officials of Plain Dealing to create a drive that would allow regular access through some of the landscape. The drive provided some areas that could be accessed with a vehicle and others that would suit equestrians, cyclists and pedestrians.

The first festival

In 1951, the first Plain Dealing Dogwood Festival was held in the springtime and it ran every subsequent year until 2003. The festival brought in thousands of visitors from all throughout the Ark-La-Tex and provided a range of fun activities which were really carried out over the course of a whole week, rather than just a day or weekend.

People attending the festival were in for a treat! The kids could participate in fishing tournaments and Easter Egg hunts. Artists were able to submit works for competition, display or sale. There was a mystery treasure hunt with a cash prize that could happen to go unsolved from one year to the next. Live music, square dances, equestrian and Harley rides, and fun-runs were also favored activities. Perhaps one of the most esteemed attractions was the parade which was filled with marching bands, floats, dancers and various groups. Of course, what big festival and parade would be complete without the coronation of its very own beauty queen?

Dogwood royalty

The Dogwood Queen, as she was titled, was first crowned in 1952 and then every year following. The pageants mostly included evening-wear and swimsuit categories, and the contestants were asked to answer questions for a panel of several professional judges.

The Dogwood Queen of 1969, Charlotte Hamiter (formerly Charlotte Giles), still lives in Plain Dealing today, where she owns and operates Giles Snack Shop on Palmetto Avenue.

“It was a whole week of festivities that everyone in the town joined into,” said Hamiter, who had attended the parade every year throughout her childhood.

“Everybody enjoyed it, they participated in it…it used to be a family deal. You couldn’t get down the streets on the day of the parade because of all the people.”

As the Dogwood Queen, Hamiter competed in the Bossier Parish pageant where she placed third and was then asked to be Miss Army Recruiter for North Louisiana.

“I went to a different pageant, a different parade, every weekend for a year and a half! I was a senior in high school and I was representing Plain Dealing.”

More festivals in the future?

The dogwoods on the drive have decreased greatly in their numbers, and thus decreased in some of their splendor, over the years but are still lovely to see. During the final few years of the festival, Hamiter said the activities had dwindled a bit and it had become more centered around arts and crafts.

Because of issues the town was having with policing the crowds and being able to handle the clean-up after the festival closed, Plain Dealing decided not to continue the annual celebration from 2004 on. There are whisperings though, among the town folks, that with a new Town Council and a new Mayor, there might just be a chance the festival will be brought back for future generations to enjoy.

Featured image courtesy of Richard A. Seaton and the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center

PLAIN DEALING, La. — From Louisiana Economic Development:

Teal Jones Group owners Tom and Dick Jones announced that the company is evaluating Bossier Parish for a planned $110.5 million southern yellow pine lumber plant. The new sawmill would support 125 new direct jobs, with average annual salaries of $47,000, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project would also support at least 369 indirect jobs, for a total of 494 prospective new jobs in Louisiana’s Northwest region. The production facility would generate up to 120 construction jobs at peak construction.

The planned production facility would produce a wide range of dimensional and specialty lumber products. Teal Jones has secured through its partners major sawmill, planer, kiln drying and ancillary equipment required for the project, ensuring that the mill in Bossier Parish can be built on time and within the specified budget.

“Louisiana’s wealth of timber resources has made it a prime destination for lumber and sawmill investment over the past several years,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “The proposed plans by Teal Jones and partner investors would bring tremendous economic activity and good jobs to Louisiana’s Northwest region. On behalf of the State of Louisiana, I welcome this proposed new project and all of the economic benefits that would follow.”

The company plans to locate the greenfield facility on 235 acres in Plain Dealing in Bossier Parish, which features easy access to rail. The facility will be ideally located in close proximity to transportation and railway infrastructure, as well as to timberlands.

Teal Jones expects to source southern yellow pine timber from their landowner partners in this project, as well as other regional suppliers. In addition to lumber, the company plans to sell residual fiber products, including chips and sawdust, to local pulp and pellet plants.

“The level of support and engagement we’ve received from the folks at the Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation, North Louisiana Economic Partnership, the local community and officials, and the state has been incredible,” said Tom Jones, CEO of Teal Jones. “At full capacity, this mill will have a production capacity of 300 million board feet, with world-class productivity and lumber recovery, and a competitive product mix. This will give Teal Jones and its partners a competitive advantage in the region for years to come.”

Teal Jones is a 70-year-old, family-owned company based in British Columbia, Canada. The company is the largest privately held forest products company operating on the western coast of Canada. Along with its B.C. operations, Teal Jones operates southern yellow pine mills in Antlers, Okla.; Martinsville and Kinsale, Va.; and Liberty, Miss. The Plain Dealing project would represent the company’s first investment in Louisiana.

“We are so excited for the town of Plain Dealing and the surrounding areas,” Plain Dealing Mayor Shavonda Stumon said. “The number of jobs and economic opportunity will be a great benefit to Plain Dealing. As mayor, I look forward to working with Teal Jones and its partners.”

To secure the project in Bossier Parish, the State of Louisiana offered the company a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart – the No. 1 ranked workforce development program in the nation for the past 12 years. Additionally, the company is expected to utilize the state’s Quality Jobs program. The company is also pursuing a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreement with local taxing entities.

“The Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation (GBEDF) has been working with so many of our local and state partners, from LED to the Town of Plain Dealing and the Parish of Bossier, to welcome Teal Jones and their partner group to Bossier,” said Lance Mosley, Board Chairman of the Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation. “We are delighted to have them as part of our community and welcome them knowing they will enjoy many years of success and prosperity in Bossier and Northwest Louisiana.”