My Grandfather’s Syrup Mill

The enclosed are photographs of my Grandfather, Ulysses Samuel Couvillion’s syrup mill on Yellow Bayou in Central Louisiana. He is the one in the middle with the white apron, a neighbor, Joe Voiselle, is to his left. The rollers are used to crush the sugar cane, fed into the machine by the small boy in the middle of the photograph. Note one cane is going through the crusher. The mule, or mules, walks around the mill to provide power for the crusher.

From the left: Lyman Voiselle; Unknown, possibly Albert Moreau; Lester E. Couvillion; Henry “Guy” Couvillion leaning on his crutch and Joe Voiselle.

The caption on the back reads: “U.S. Couvillion, Jr. (Brother), Huey Riche, (Neighbor) and Joseph Bordelon (neighbor) at Syrup Mill.”

The juice from the crushed cane goes through a pipe to a holding barrel and is let into a baffled pan. The fire under the pan was maintained by Jules “Sweet Papa” DuFour at about 1,000°. As the juice traveled through the pan the water was boiled off and thickened. Using a hygrometer and a lot of experience Papa Sam drained the syrup. It was canned by Henry “Guy (pronounced “Gee”) Couvillion.