In a previous life, Richard Sale Barn was a vital link in Vermilion Parish’s cattle industry — a stockyard accessible on the bayou where farmers and ranchers gathered every Tuesday for livestock auctions.
Johnny Richard grew up on the property that hugs the Bayou Vermilion, where the old barn stands sentry for a bygone era. His grandfather, Jean Avery Richard, built the first structure and started selling cattle there. The business expanded with his son, John Avery Richard II, who built the wooden barn that now stands just outside the center of Abbeville — complete with a tiered auction arena that creates the perfect stage for live music.
“So many people would come to the sale on Tuesday to find out how everyone else was doing,” said Johnny Richard, who also ran a saddle-making and repair business out of the barn.
“‘How’s your crop growing? How are your cattle doing?’ You know, these were French-speaking people. My grandfather would sit right there with a straight-backed chair, and we were part of the industry that kept Vermilion Parish alive,”…