Going through historic Opelousas documents, I often come across information that I like to share. Recently while looking over copies of early town ordinances I located information about the Opelousas Fire Company. The ordinances also included the names of many of our town’s inhabitants from 1820-1870. For those who love history and genealogy, these names may be of interest to you.
It seems the first fire engine for the Town of Opelousas was purchased by the Board of Police for $300 in 1828. During a meeting on Aug. 2, 1828, the board authorized Francois Náda to purchase the fire engine. That led to the official creation of the Opelousas Fire Engine Company and eventually the Opelousas Fire Company.