James Akers, left, talks about St. Martinville history while visiting with Jean Biraben of Paris recently at the St. Martinville Cultural Heritage Center. Akers, born the day after Pearl Harbor, has had a love for history all of his life. — Patrick Flanagan / The Daily Iberian

ST. MARTINVILLE — The life of James Akers has been defined by history, from the day of his birth to the present.

Akers said he was born on a “terrible day” — Dec. 8, 1941 — the day after the Pearl Harbor bombing and the day that the U.S. declared war on the Axis Powers, thus beginning America’s involvement in World War II.

“The only good thing about it was it was the same day as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” Akers said.

Although Akers never attended college, he said he credits his capacity and love for history to the handiwork of two “excellent” teachers at St. Martinville High School who molded him for a life of research and discovery of  history’s many secrets. Those teachers were Mrs. George Eastin and Elma Hebert Resweber, Akers said.

Akers said his historical mind was cultivated from a lifelong love of reading.

“I’m an avid reader,” he said. “Even today, at 69 years old, I read at least 10 books a year, along with newspapers, periodicals and magazines.”

Yet, Akers’ expertise centers around his hometown, St. Martinville, of which his knowledge is almost limitless.

“I spent a lot of time researching at the courthouse and the church,” he said. “And any time a new tourist site opens up, I’m there.

While Akers has worked as a docent for Acadian Memorial for the past eight years, he said his work history is expansive, including stints as a waiter, a reporter with the Teche News, and a tour guide at St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church.

Akers true contribution to the historical knowledge of St. Martinville came in 1971 when he founded the Petit Paris Museum, where he said he worked until 1980. Likewise, Akers was a curator for the Maison Oliver home at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Park between 1976 and 1980.

In 1981, Akers left St. Martinville for Baton Rouge, where he worked for the K-Mart Corp. until 1994.

By the mid-1990s, Akers had returned to St. Martinville and began his career as a docent for the Acadian Memorial museum, where he is currently working.

St. Martinville Department of Tourism Director Brenda Comeaux Trahan, who also is the curator at Acadian Memorial, said Akers has been an “invaluable” asset to the museum. 

She said anytime there’s a question about the city’s past, Akers is her go-to-man, adding, “he’s always done enough research to trust his opinion on questions we have about this area.”

“James really loves being involved in the history of this unique city,” she said. “You can see it as he tells a story to the tourists here. And they sense it and see it. They even call for him and ask for him to be their guide.”

Akers’ historical involvement took on a new dimension four years ago when he helped organize “L’Ordre du Bon Temps,” or, “The Order of Good Times.”

Each October, Akers said he takes on the persona of Samuel de Champagne, the founder of Nova Scotia.

Dressed in traditional attire, including a black leather hat with gold plumage and a rapier, Akers portrays Champagne at the Order’s annual feast, which consists of about 40 men and women, who also are decked out in the clothing of the early-17th century.

“Samuel de Champagne started the first supper club in the New World in 1604,” Akers said. “Because of the long winters, the men were confined inside. You could go stir crazy stuck in a log cabin for months. They prepared food for a big banquet to keep the men busy. So each year we get a different French chef, and all the founders of the Acadian Memorial dress as Acadian men and women or Indian men and women and eat and drink wine.”

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