When Joey and I first began learning about the history of our home, I knew I wanted to know more than simply the year it was built.

I wanted to know the people.

Who walked through these doors before us? Who sat beside these windows? Who chose the details that are still here more than a century later?

That curiosity eventually led us back to J.C. and Katie Shepherd, two of the earliest people firmly connected to the story of our home, and to the beginnings of this part of Shreveport.

The Early Story of the Neighborhood

Our home dates to the early twentieth century, and the paper trail for the property reaches back into the development of the Colonial Hill Subdivision, which was platted in 1906.

That means the Shepherd family was here while this part of Shreveport was still taking shape. It is strange and wonderful to think about that now, surrounded by mature trees, old houses, and streets that feel as though they have always been here.

Back then, the neighborhood story was still being written.

J.C. Shepherd and the House

J.C. Shepherd was a local contractor and plasterer. Contemporary newspaper material identifies him with the building trades, which makes the surviving craftsmanship in our home especially interesting to us.

One of the most fascinating pieces we have found is a historic real estate advertisement for the house. It describes the residence as having been originally constructed by a contractor for his own home and highlights features such as hollow tile construction, a tiled roof, hand plastered walls, a garage, and an apartment above.

Because J.C. himself worked as a contractor and plasterer, that wording certainly makes us curious. At the same time, I want to be careful not to claim more than the records actually prove. We are still searching for the original construction record, plans, and other documents that might tell us exactly how the house came together.

Two old plaster planters still stand at the front entrance. I cannot yet prove that J.C. made them himself, but knowing his trade makes details like those feel even more worth preserving and researching.

And Then There Was Katie

The more research I do, the more interested I become in Katie Shepherd.

Her name appears again and again in the records connected with the family and the property. We have found her under several name forms, including Kate E. Strickland, Katie Stricklin Shepherd, Katie S. Shepherd, Mrs. J.C. Shepherd, and even the spelling Mrs. J.C. Shepard.

A 1902 newspaper notice places Kate E. Strickland at a Methodist parsonage for her marriage to Robert T. Scott, before her later marriage to J.C. Shepherd. In 1923, an obituary for her father identifies Mrs. J.C. Shepard as his daughter and says his funeral would be held from her residence at 837 Jefferson.

Later records keep tying Katie to the property, including a 1930 property notice, a 1936 mortgage index entry, and a 1940 building permit for repairs to the residence.

I am also following leads into Methodist records, women’s society records, and local archives because I would love to learn more about Katie’s life beyond property paperwork.

What did she look like? Which rooms did she love most? What did she plant outside? What did Sundays look like here?

Those are the little questions historical records usually cannot answer, but they are the questions that make a house feel human.

And yes, I am still determined to find a verified photograph of Katie.

More Than an Old House

The longer we live here, the more I realize that owning an old house is a little like being handed a book with most of the chapters already written.

We get to add our chapter, but we also have the privilege of learning about the people who came before us.

That is what The House on Jefferson has become for me.

It is our home, of course. It is where we live our everyday life, gather with family and friends, practice our faith, cook supper, work in the garden, and make new memories.

But it is also a house with a story that began long before us.

And we are still uncovering it.

Come Along as We Keep Searching

There is much more to tell about J.C. and Katie Shepherd, the families who followed them, the original features of the house, and the history of this little corner of Shreveport.

I plan to share the discoveries as we make them.

If you love old houses and local history, I would love to know: if the walls of an old house could answer just one question, what would you ask them?