John Nickerson House

This Victorian style building was the second home built in Sterling Grove National Register Historic District. The first home was Charles Mouton Plantation house, featured on page 6 of this book. John Nickerson House was named after the architect who built the house after moving here from Simcoe, Ontario, Canada in 1890. His family lived in this house for several generations. Nickerson and his wife, Elizabeth Ransome, arrived in Lafayette after John’s successful trip to California during the Gold Rush. He purchased a two-acre tract at the edge of town, designed the house, and built it with the help of two carpenters brought with him from Canada.
In 1900, John Nickerson’s son, John Cameron Nickerson, married Isabelle Judice, whose father, Alcide, founded the Town of Scott. Alcide also was a Lafayette Parish School Board Member for many years, and the first President of the Board. John and Isabelle’s daughter, Bella Nickerson, married World War II Veteran, Richard Chappuis, and their family became the third and fourth generations to live in the house. The Nickerson, Judice, and Chappuis families made significant contributions to civic, educational, economic and social developments throughout Lafayette Parish.