These archived pages below are dedicated to capturing a few bits of the lost history of Berwick, Louisiana, as well as linking his memory of the personalities of its surrounding cities. Uncle Nina was very a colorful character writer and it’s quite evident in his Recollections of old Berwick.
Area residents of the early 1900s come alive as the archived stories by Mr. Nina Guzzetta unfold in “Recollections.” As witnessed by one of Berwick’s most well-known Patriarchs, the early days were hard, sometimes sad, mostly funny, he wrote a narration of the stories of the day as he experienced them. Although he was known for “stretching” plots and poetic license, he was most affectionately known for always having a whimsical tale to tell, or an anecdote about someone lost in the past, or the present!
Berwick, sometimes called “the west-bank” (of the Atchafalaya River), is located about 90 miles southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana and about 90 miles south of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Although situated on the Gulf coast in Cajun country, there is a tiny population of first- generation Sicilians whose personalities mixed well in this predominantly French culture. Nina’s family originated from Sicily, Italy in the early 1900s. One reason Berwick was chosen by these pioneers was that the climate was similar to that of Sicily, where the Guzzetta family had olive orchards and an olive oil business. It helped too that Uncle Charlie (whoever he was) came ahead of these pioneers to scope out Berwick, Louisiana. The author’s parents operated two businesses in Berwick, a dairy farm and a shoe shop.
These humorous narratives capture the French culture, its history and personalities with a generous dash of “Italian seasoning” and can be read by clicking the archived dates on the left side bar.
With permission from the author, excerpts of these stories were taken from “The Daily Review.” Here he blends his writing talents with his wit in “recollecting the good ole days.”
Recollections 1997 to 2000 by Nina Guzzetta
September 1997
January 1998
February 1998
March 1998
May 1998
June 1998
July 1998
October 1998
November 1998
December 1998
- December 4, 1998
- November 11, 1998
- November 18, 1998
- November 31, 1998
January 1999
February 1999
March 1999
- March 5, 1999
- March 12, 1999
- March 20, 1999
- March 27, 1999
April 1999
May 1999
- May 7, 1999
- March 29, 1999
June 1999
July 1999
September 1999
October 1999
November 1999
- November 5, 1999
- November 8, 1999
- November 12, 1999
- November 19, 1999
- November 26, 1999
December 1999
January 2000
February 2000
- February 4, 2000
- February 11, 2000
- February 18, 2000
- February 25, 2000
March 2000
- March 3, 2000
- March 10, 2000
- March 17, 2000
- March 24, 2000
- March 31, 2000
April 2000
- April 7, 2000
- April 14, 2000
- April 21, 2000
- April 28, 2000
May 2000
June 2000
July 2000
- July 7, 2020
- July 21, 2020