In the 1800’s a son of Etienne Vidrine, Edouard Vidrine, and his family went from the Ville Platte or Grand Prairie area to settle in the Pointe aux Tigre community in Ward 2 of Evangeline Parish (off Old Basile Road, about 7 miles from Eunice).  He built a log cabin on his small plot of land.  One of his sons, Estellie Vidrine, married to Evelyn Chapman of Pine Prairie, settled just south of and adjacent to Edouard in a log cabin.  Estellie began to buy land adjacent to his own and had acquired 200 acres when he started to build an Acadian style home place at the age of 45.  In the month of July of 1900, while splitting fence posts and smoking out a honeybee tree on his wooded property, there came up a thunderstorm.  He and his 10 year old boy, Edwin Vidrine, and a hired hand named Bellon had taken shelter under a tree when lightning struck them and killed Estellie Vidrine, knocked out Edwin and lightly struck Mr. Bellon.  My father, Willie Vidrine, was 6 months old at the time.  The relatives came from the Ville Platte area and finished building the Acadian house in a coup de main.

My father, Willie Vidrine, was the last family member to die, in 1985, and still owned 52 acres of his father’s estate, on which still stood the Acadian house with the stairway on the porch.  I acquired 6 acres in 1999, on which the old house stood.  I restored our Acadian house in 1999 and 2000, after which I sold it with 4 and one half acres land to my sister Marylene Vidrine Broussard.  The house still stands today.  It is all white with a white steel roof.  Edwin, who had been struck by the lightning died in his 30’s.  It was believed he died from a heart condition caused by damage from the lightning.

 

Written by: Herman L. Vidrine, age 77