The locations of the Savoy and Thibodeaux-Leblanc community schools have been solved by considerable research and the help of dedicated readers of this column. There is another old community school for children of St. Martin Parish established in the late 1800s or early 1900s for which the location is yet to be found. Where was the Anse Judice community school?

    It is known that the school was in the vicinity of the city of St Martinville. With the school board records missing for the years 1890 through 1912, the major sources of information are the memories of our parents and grandparents, old newspapers, and some courthouse records. So far, however, the location of the school remains a mystery.

    I suspect that the school was built where a Judice family lived and on a road that resembled the handle of a cup. An earlier column about Grand Anse discussed the naming of “Anse” communities as coming from the French word anse, the cup’s handle.

    In 1918 Osward Durand was given the right of way by the school board on the Anse Judice School property for a rice flume for a period of two years, an indication that Mr. Durand’s farm must have been adjacent to the school.

    There are other clues which may help in locating the school site: In 1920 the teacher of the school was Arthemise Berard and in the year 1921 the teacher was Hilda Thomas. In 1922 Luc Guilbeau was appointed as transfer school bus driver for a three year period at the rate of $75 per month for the horse-drawn bus. His route was classified as Bus Route No. 1 and started at Cade to St. Martinville and from St. Martinville to the Anse Judice School and then back to St. Martinville High School.

    The school was closed just prior to 1930. In March of 1930 the school board accepted the highest bid of Albert Olivier for the sum of $102 for the old Anse Judice School building.

    If anyone can provide additional information about the Anse Judice School please contact me.

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