Ville Platte

Ville Platte means flat town in French, and Floyd Soileau made the name a trademark. He grew up speaking Cajun French, hosted a Cajun program on KVPI radio as a high-school junior, and opened Floyd's Record Shop after graduating in 1956. Swallow Records followed in 1957 and issued 265 singles and 151 albums over about forty years, among them Nathan Abshire and the Balfa Brothers. His publishing company took the name Flat Town Music in 1958, and his Jin label helped shape swamp pop, the rhythm-and-blues-tinged sound of south Louisiana.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Le Vieux Village and the Venus House — 16 mi
  A heritage park in Opelousas built around the Venus House of about 1791, the home of a free Creole woman of color, Marie Francois Venus, with an old schoolhouse, Methodist church and the visitor center's zydeco music exhibit.
• Prairie Acadian Cultural Center — 16 mi
  A National Park Service center in Eunice on the Cajun prairie, with exhibits on the Acadians who settled the prairies, a Courir de Mardi Gras display, free music and cooking demonstrations, and the shuttered Liberty Theatre nearby.

More markers nearby

• Evangeline Bank & Trust Company — steps away
• Fred's Lounge — 9.4 mi
• Calvary Baptist Church — 9.6 mi
• Plaisance School — 9.9 mi