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This 100-plus year old Queen Anne Victorian was built in the 1880's by Giovanni (John) Anselmo Rusca. Rusca first arrived in Natchitoches, Louisiana at the end of the Civil War in June, 1865. The trip to the United States began when he left Torricdella, Switzerland at the age of 16 to travel to the newly discovered oil field of western Pennsylvania for work. He shipped out from Genoa, Italy and arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1857. Vowing to never set foot aboard a boat again, due to horrible sea sickness, he remained in the United States where he registered as a soldier in the Confederate Army. He was taken prisoner and finally released at the end of the war in Shreveport. He heard of a family living in Natchitoches who were originally from Novaggio, only 10 to 15 kilometers from his home in Switzerland. Rusca traveled to Natchitoches and met Maria Theresa Delmonico. Maria's father, a fresco painter, was hired along with his four cousins, by the Catholic Church in Switzerland, to decorate the interiors of the new Catholic Church in Natchitoches. Maria Theresa was 15 and Giovanni was 24 when they married July 19, 1865. Together they had nine children. Giovanni Rusca (now known as John Anselmo) became a very successful merchant in Natchitoches. His general merchantile store was located at the corner of Poete and Jefferson Street. The store offered everything from candy to furniture and was successful until his death at age 78, on July 13, 1920. Maria Theresa passed away some 29 years later at age 99 on January 4, 1949. The home has changed hands several times since the Rusca family left it in 1949. Some adjustments have been made, but much of the home's architecture, such as the front doors, the turned balustrades, the gabled bay, and the cypress pocket doors in the dining room, have remained intact throughout the years. This beautiful historic home, in the heart of Natchitoches, has been totally restored by its present owners, William Dan Dyess and Desiree Dyess, and is now a bed and breakfast. For reservations call 318-238-2585. |
