Believe it or not, there was a brief time when Lewisburg's peaceful streets were barricaded and deserted, sirens drowned out the sound of waves lapping at the lakefront, and the graceful moss hanging from our trees flashed red and blue from all the police, fire, and emergency trucks cordoning off the area. It was September 15, 2000. Who would've expected on a lazy Friday afternoon, emergency vehicles, federal agents, fire trucks, news trucks, reporters and photographers would descend on quiet, old Lewisburg. The next day, headlines in the Times Picayune read," Man digs up hidden danger on lot",and "Explosives found on Lewisburg property!"
According to longtime Lewisburg resident, Jane Kolb, “It certainly was a surprising ruckus, resulting from a "clean up" in my backyard! Jane, who lives a stone's throw from the Seven Sisters Oak, described it as one of the most unexpected and exciting events of her 60 years living in Lewisburg! And that's saying a lot, since Jane and her family have lived in Lewisburg for decades, experiencing hurricanes, tornadoes, and expansive growth surrounding her property. Sonny Kolb, her husband, grew up in Lewisburg in the 1950’s when, as a young boy, he had the run of the entire pristine wooded area. His parents had to mount a siren on the back porch to call him when it was time to come home.
Like most local boys, he collected turtles and snakes, and brought friends, including his wife-to-be (Jane), fishing in the Dendinger Canal in the back of Lewisburg; also taking family to the back of Lewisburg by Crystal Lake to target shoot. According to Jane, "This was way before there were any homes near here. Only in later years, came the influx of others to enjoy the beauty of the area. We were here when the property that included the Seven Sisters Oak was all virgin Louisiana forest owned by William B. Reilly, of Blue Plate Mayonnaise fame. I remember sitting at the picture window in our old house watching Tom Doby clearing the land across the street to sell lots, back in the 60’s.”
Jane and her husband, Sonny, were just starting to rebuild a new home after living for 39 years in the old summer house Sonny’s parents had built in 1950. While tearing down the old house and clearing the lot, Jane’s son, Jep, lifted an old, rusty sheet of tin that had been lying in the yard for close to 30 years, and was shocked to find enough dynamite to blow their property all the way to Covington! So, you can imagine the look on her face when she was called at work in New Orleans and told about the surprise in her backyard .
According to a Times Picayune article, " For 30 years, residents of the Lewisburg neighborhood near Lake Pontchartrain lived, played, and walked the dogs oblivious to an unknown danger buried in their midst. Friday, during a yard clean-up, someone lifted an aging sheet of tin roofing off the ground, and eight sticks of "dynamite like" explosives were discovered. Long forgotten, they were likely placed there more than 30 years ago."
Jane believes that her son had found explosives Sonny’s dad had purchased to clear a path to a camp they had in the swamp between Fontainebleau State Park and Lacombe. Of course, this was long before the threat of terrorism made dynamite impossible to come by. Unused for 30 years, the dynamite silently held its threatening power, as it laid underneath the tin.
The TP newspaper reporter interviewed another long time Lewisburg resident, Alice Lawton, who said she walks dogs past there everyday. Alice said, "it's kind of shocking, but what you don't know- doesn't bother you. Strange things like this seem to happen in Louisiana in old neighborhoods all the time". Sirens wailing, Sheriff’s deputies and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, reinforced by the state police, arrived at the scene and evacuated the neighbors.
Apparently, the sticks were about 3 feet long and 2 inches in diameter and severely deteriorated -making it extremely unpredictable and dangerous. They were identified as the type of explosives designed for seismic work in oilfield exploration, but apparently perfect for blowing up stumps.
Explosives experts decided it was necessary to destroy the hazardous explosives at the site. The sticks were cut down the middle, smothered with diesel fuel and set ablaze. Hoping the old, unstable dynamite would not detonate as it burned, everyone held their breath! Authorities were unsure how much damage the explosives would have caused if they had detonated, so they were taking no chances!
As the process of assessing the situation, clearing the area, and burning the dynamite took several hours- Jane’s neighbors had ample time to mill among the news vans, fire trucks, and police cars, watching their kids play, chatting and catching up on neighborhood news over a "Dixie beer "or two.
Now, how many neighborhoods can boast a "block party" like that?