Emile Judice Mouton House

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. She built the house in 1908, and the dwelling served as the family home for several generations. In the late 1920s, the building was rotated 180 degrees away from Souvenir Gate at University Avenue, to face the newly-built street, now named Versailles Boulevard. This house, built with Victorian-era sensibilities, inarguably possesses one of the largest turrets in Lafayette. However, the overriding significance of this house is not architectural, but rather due to the location of the hours marking the entrance to Souvenir Plantation, marking the development of Souvenir Heights subdivision in 1928, and due the notoriety attributed to the Judice and Mouton family members associated with it. Jean Alfred Mouton’s forbearers played a significant role in the development of the original town of Vermilionville and the City of Lafayette. Furthermore, both the Mouton and the Judice families were instrumental in furthering the progress of both the economy and education in both Lafayette, Scott, and several rural communities throughout Acadiana.