NEWS RELEASE
UNITED HOUMA NATION SET TO ACQUIRE HISTORIC DAIGLEVILLE SCHOOL AFTER BEING NAMED HIGHEST BIDDER AT PUBLIC AUCTION
HOUMA, La. (March 4, 2024) – The United Houma Nation is set to acquire the Daigleville School after the tribe was announced the highest bidder at the public opening of the bids held on February 28, 2024, at the Terrebonne Parish School Board offices in Houma, Louisiana.
Daigleville School, located at 8542 East Main Street in Houma, was once an all-Indian high school. The first Houma Indians to graduate from high school in Terrebonne Parish graduated from Daigleville School 140 years after the local school board had been incorporated. Due to its historic significance the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The tribe’s restoration of the School is still in the planning stages but will likely include the use of historic tax credits to support the first Museum of the Houma Indians, according to UHN General Counsel and Urban Planner Michael Billiot. “Ownership can be the first step in a process of refurbishment of historic properties with historic tax credits,” said Billiot. “Subsequent steps may include filing an application with the IRS and adherence to guidelines for the restoration of historic buildings.”
“The United Houma Nation is proud to be acquiring this unique piece of local native history that means so much to our tribal citizens,” said UHN Principal Chief Lora Ann Chaisson. “We would like to thank our supporters who made this possible as well as the members of the Terrebonne Parish School Board for their continued support,” Chaisson said.
Attorneys for UHN and the School Board will now draft the legal documents that allow for the transfer of the building’s title from the School Board to the tribe, according to Billiot.
ABOUT THE UNITED HOUMA NATION
The United Houma Nation (UHN) is the largest Tribe in the State of Louisiana, with the majority of our 19,000 tribal citizens residing along the coastal bayous of Southeast Louisiana. The UHN’s six-parish service area encompasses coastal Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, St. Mary, St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes. Our mission is to preserve our tribal heritage and to educate the community about our history. For more information on the United Houma Nation, visit www.unitedhoumanation.org.
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