Hamilton Place

Judge Orther C. Mouton, great-grandson of Lafayette’s founder, Jean Mouton, purchased this property in 1919 and built a sizable Craftsman style home. It was modeled after the popular California Craftsman style Bungalow, a deliberate shift away from the more formal and ornate Victorian homes built in Lafayette during the preceding decades. Judge Mouton’s daughter, Marie Ruth, known as “Tante Ruth”, married Dr. Charles E. Hamilton in 1920. Sometime thereafter, she became the second owner of the home. The couple lived at Hamilton Place for the remainder of their lives. In 1913, Dr. Charles Hamilton began his medical career making house calls on horseback as far away as Coulee Croche near Cankton, LA. After serving in World War I, Hamilton resumed his practice in Acadiana. In 1920, Hamilton formed a medical doctor partnership in Lafayette that would be the beginning of his providing patients group consultation at no additional cost. Hamilton’s idea of group consultation was an innovative improvement in health care that benefited the people of Lafayette. Tante Ruth Hamilton led the cause for preservation of Cajun and Creole heritage and revival of the French language. She became known as the Queen of the Acadians.