08/27/2026
THE FOLLOWING IS A WONDERFUL REVIEW WE RECEIVED FROM KATIE JO REED REGARDING THEIR VISIT TO THE W. H. TUPPER GENERAL STORE MUSEUM TODAY! THANK YOU KATIE!!!!
We finished schoolwork about 1 pm and then took the girls to the Tupper Museum in Jennings. If you are from the Lake Charles, Lafayette, or the Kinder area and have never been, I would highly recommend going. I know a lot of us locals have been before (I've been 4 times lol) and it's still just as interesting as the first time.
It's a museum that features many items from an old general store that closed its doors in 1949 I believe. Once they closed the doors to the store, they put all the store items into storage until 1991 when the items were donated to Jennings from one of the Tupper family members.
Our kids got to see and learn about the kinds of things people would have purchased and used in everyday life many years ago. Most are still used today. Some just may be packaged differently or upgraded to modern things.
They saw items ranging from fabric and thread to baby items, toys, seasonings, syrup, medicine, and farming tools and supplies. It was a great way for them to see how general stores served as an important part of a community by providing people with many of the things they needed. A lot of people had to travel to the original store by horse and buggy.
The kids also learned about how people did everyday tasks before electricity and modern conveniences. They saw old irons that were heated on a stove or over a fire and learned how people would use them to press their clothes.
This field trip gave the kids a hands-on look at what life was like in the past. They learned how people cooked, farmed, cared for babies, played, cared for their homes, purchased goods and took care of everyday needs before many of the conveniences we have today. Bring your kids and you will enjoy it also.
It was a great history lesson because they were able to see real objects from the past instead of just reading about them in a book. They got to compare life in the past with life today and see just how much everyday life has changed over the years!