Yet a few short years ago this same street would be jammed with slow moving traffic as motorist lined up to get their Saturday supply of ice at the ice factory. Fisherman lined up to load up their boats for the weekend of recreational and commercial fishing. Stay at homes stocked up with ice for beer, soft drinks and ice cream for the Sunday outdoor barbecue parties.

There was almost the same amount of hustle and bustle on week days as the mood went from play to work. The Ice Factory was the largest single employer in town because it was a packing and shipping center for fresh and frozen vegetables.

Way back in 1911, when LaPlace was just a wide spot in the road, an entrepreneur by the name of Armand Montz began to pack shallots in ice in the crates and then further pack the crates themselves in ice so that the rail cars would reach their destination up north still containing shallots that were as fresh as those just picked. Chicago, Illinois was one such Northern market.

The venture was a complete success but the ice bill was horrific. He then decided to build his own ice factory. This required putting down water wells to have a steady supply of cheap water. The well water demanded treatment before it could be used so a water treatment plant was added.

He began buying shallots and other vegetables from other farmers to add to those from his own farm. It wasn't long before he was able to ship upwards of 10 refrigerated cars per day. By this time he also had refrigerated trucks for both short hauls and long hauls.

He soon realized he had an over abundance of water so he laid down pipe lines to furnish domestic water to the town. The four Fairbanks Morse diesel generators had enough extra power that he was able to string up poles and wires around a 25 mile radius to furnish domestic electricity to the town. This included the area from Garyville, LA to St. Rose, LA. This went on until 1927 when he sold the franchise to L P & L company. The water works shut down in 1969.

A. Montz shipped fresh vegetables nationwide. In 1939 he started experimenting with frozen foods and was the first food processor to successfully freeze okra and corn on the cob for commercial consumption. He shipped frozen foods until about 1958-1961. During and after this time sugar cane became the principle crop covering a period from 1967 to about 1970.

He bought new tractors only to tear them apart and fix them to do the job at hand. He had to widen each tractor to fit the wide furrows. Everything had to be made special. He was the first to fit his cane carts and tractors with the huge balloon tires that would float over the mud in the fields instead of bogging down as the iron shod wheels were prone to do. It is common practice to use rubber in the modern cane wagon and tractor of today.

A Montz never stopped experimenting. He experimented with fertilizers. He experimented with seed. He was constantly trying to improve on what ever he found at hand. Nothing was perfect. Everything could be improved.

Armand Montz, Sr. departed from this world in 1968 still looking for the sometimes elusive better way, with the knowledge that he had found many better ways in his lifetime.

A fire, a tornado, and vandals have reduced the factory to shambles. Although nothing remains of the glory, it is only an illusion. Nothing can erase history and heritage. The memory lives on in the hearts of those who still remember the old days.

Gerard Montz, a grandson of Armand, and his cousin Gilbert Maurin have teamed up to carry the torch on high to see that the memory is kept alive. They have started a small museum on the premises in one of two remaining structures where countless artifacts are on display. There are many photographs taken through the years depicting scenes of interest on the wall.

They both hold down jobs, Gerard is a paralegal and Gilbert is a woodworker, so it must be a spare time endeavor with them. We wish them well and thanks for the memory.

If you have any stories regarding the history, life and times of Mr. Montz and the Montz businesses that were so much a part of the remarkable development and history of St. John Parish, we would like to hear from you so we can share them with others on our community web site. You can contact us by sending e-mail to www.stjohnparish.com or by writing to Gerard Montz at P.O. Box 51, LaPlace, LA 70069-0051.