Barbe Pier

The pioneer Barbe family operated a public fishing pier and casino, beach, and park at this site as early as the turn of the twentieth century, and after the 1918 storm they planned and constructed a Pleasure Pier, Dancing Pavilion, and Bathhouse that extended 450 feet off the south shore of Lake Charles. The facility stood due west of their bathing beach at the end of the South Ryan Streetcar line and was designed for public gatherings, private parties, concerts and dances, and for swimming and water sports. It continued to thrive as a recreation spot through the Depression, World War II, and afterward, but its extreme exposure to wind and wave and increasing disuse in the face of more modern attractions led to decline. Its superstructure was lost, and by the 1970's only the pilings remained of this Shell Beach attraction.

Lake Charles, Louisiana · United States