Emelie Judice Mouton House

Despite the modifications that obscure the architectural significance of this house, the overriding significance is about the location and the importance attributed to the Judice and Mouton family members associated with the house. The location marked the entrance to Souvenir Plantation, a post-Civil War agricultural estate owned by Dr. G. W. Scranton, that was developed in 1928 into Souvenir Heights subdivision. Gertrude Scranton Judice bequeathed this property to her daughter, Emelie Alix Judice, when the property was known as Souvenir Plantation. Emelie was the wife of Jean Alfred Mouton, Sr., the grandson of former Governor Alexandre Mouton. Emelie built the house in 1908 and it served as the family home for several generations. Jean Alfred Mouton’s forbearers played a significant role in the development the original town of Vermilionville, and both the Mouton and Scranton-Judice families were instrumental in furthering the progress of Lafayette Parish economy and education. In the late 1920s, the house was rotated away from the end of Souvenir Gate to face the newly-built street, Versailles Boulevard. The house undoubtedly possesses one of the largest turrets in Lafayette.