During the years I worked in the Genealogy Section at the Webster Parish Library I often warned patrons who came to do research about the hazards of "climbing" your family tree. While you might find wonderful things about your heritage, there are hazards. Two immediately come to mind -- and I've actually seen both of them, along with some more bizarre findings, be uncovered by researchers.
The first is a problem that I jokingly say I am very much liable to find, since I have family roots in Southern Arkansas and that is the chance your "family tree doesn't branch" -- aka folks go to family reunions to get a date. It's common. I had to tell one patron that the reason his grandfather had been ostracized from the community and left the state was because the ancestor married his 11-year old niece.
A second possiblity is that you will find an ancestor "hanging" in that tree, literally. Most people aren't pleased to find that great-grandfather was a horse thief. My most interesting case of that sort was when a dear lady trying to establish membership in the United Daughters of the Confederacy contacted me to research her ancestor. She had read in one of my columns that her ancestor had been Mayor of Minden during the years just after the war and hoped, since he had such prominence locally, I'd know something about his war service. Sadly for her, I did recognize the name. The man in question was the Carpetbagger mayor who "lost" the election to Chaffe's Bull in 1872 and was appointed Mayor by Gov. Kellogg. He did have Civil War service, but in the Union Army. Not the record she wanted to find. He had also been "run out of town on a rail", as my mother would have said, after his term. So, when you start climbing that family tree, just be aware.
I mentioned in an earlier post Carlton Prothro's presentation at Mt. Lebanon last Sunday. During that talk he mentioned that a few years ago he and I tried to determine if his physician ancestor served in the Confederate Army. I went to one common source, Booth's Confederate Soldiers, and found no record of Dr. Prothro. Apparently, at that point, I "dropped the ball" and went no further. Carlton and I concluded that Dr. Prothro's service had been a family legend and that's where we let the subject lie.
However, during Carlton's talk a "light bulb" went off in my head and I realized that I had bypassed one of the most useful, not to mention interesting of all Louisiana Confederate Sources. The Confederate Pension Applications Database maintained by the Louisiana State Archives. As soon as I returned home from Mt. Lebanon, I got to my computer and searched for Dr. Prothro in the records. Bingo!!! There was an application filed by his widow in 1916, chock full of wonderful interesting information and detailing Dr. Prothro's service in two different Confederate units. In this case, there as also a mini "soap opera" as Olivia Boydstun Prothro's first application for pension was rejected for lack of evidence and she was forced to file a second with more supporting material. I was able to get the request in the mail and give the papers to Carlton yesterday.
So, if you ever wondered about your Confederate ancestor who fought for a Louisiana unit, it is probably worth clicking on that link and checking the Database. Many of the applications have detailed descriptions not only of service, but in the case of proving financial need, details of the post war life of the soldier, especially those who suffered disabiling wounds in service. Good luck in climbing your tree and I hope yours forks and is free of dangling relatives.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
True Progress
On occasion, I have been accused by some folks as being overly focused on the negative aspects of our local history. Usually because so much of my research, largely still unpublished, has centered around the injustices of the past in our area. Tonight, I used some of that research in my National Government class, and during the drive home thought about these numbers for a while:
1960 - Webster Parish Louisiana
Population - 39,701
Registered voters - 12,347
White voters - 12, 217 - 99%
Black voters - 130 - 1%
2010 - Webster Parish Louisiana
Population - est - 40,754
Registered voters - 25,594
White voters - 17,637 - 69%
Black voters - 7,957 - 31%
I am so very proud of the progress we as a people have made toward treating "all men as created equal" during my lifetime.
1960 - Webster Parish Louisiana
Population - 39,701
Registered voters - 12,347
White voters - 12, 217 - 99%
Black voters - 130 - 1%
2010 - Webster Parish Louisiana
Population - est - 40,754
Registered voters - 25,594
White voters - 17,637 - 69%
Black voters - 7,957 - 31%
I am so very proud of the progress we as a people have made toward treating "all men as created equal" during my lifetime.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Dixie Inn: A Chicken or the Egg Problem
I've been writing my column for the Press-Herald for 10 years now and there are several topics I've been requested to address that I've just not gotten done. I don't think it's entirely a problem created by my struggles with procrastination (although I'd like to wait until tomorrow to make up my mind about that), some hangups have been simple research problems. With my second job limiting me to weekend research, it's just tough to find research libraries open on the weekend. That's part of the problem, but in some cases it is simply the absence of good sources still in existence. Tonight at Dorcheat Seafood and Grill I was reminded of perhaps the most-requested column that I've not been able to produce as yet -- the story of Dixie Inn.
Dorcheat Bayou was the "street" that opened the settlement of Overton and then Minden, so the bayou area has a long history. We know that as early as the 1830s the east bank of Dorcheat was a hub of commerce. Known either as Murrell's Point or Minden Upper Landing, it was the site of warehouses and the steamboat landing for Minden. By the early 1850s, the Claiborne Parish Police Jury discussed constructing a bridge across the Bayou at that location. By 1864, not only was that bridge in place, it had been there long enough that it was reported in disrepair by Confederate General Polignac.
(As Polignac and his troops of Walker's Texas Division approached Minden from the west to establish Winter Quarters in the late Fall of 1864, he halted his army at the bridge and was afraid to take his troops across because of the ramshackle condition of the bridge. He even made a sketch of the state of the bridge for his journal. While he hesitated, a carriage of ladies bravely crossed right in front of the troops and the army was "shamed" into crossing. As another aside, all shipments of heavy equipment to Minden during the Civil War did not use the roads or bridges, they came by way of Red River, Loggy Bayou, Lake Bistineau and were unloaded on the east bank of Dorcheat.)
So, the east side of Dorcheat in the area of the two existing Highway 80 bridges was busy. One can only assume that something existed across the bayou on the west bank. But there is little in the record to indicate what might have been there, other than farm land. It is equally clear that the boom for what we know today as Dixie Inn came in the summer of 1941, when the Louisiana Ordnance Plant began construction. Even a casual glance will reveal that the houses that make up the main area of Dixie Inn date from that time as they mirror the style of the subdivisions in Minden built at the same time as the local area responded to a housing crush. The influx of workers, both for constructing the plant and the operating the facility brought thousands of folks to the Minden area and the residential community we call Dixie Inn emerged.
My problem with information arises in the years between 1864 and 1941 and a major problem -- as reflected in the title of this post -- is that name we use today for the community, Dixie Inn. Newspaper clippings clearly indicate that by the time the Dixie-Overland Highway (Highway 80) was constructed (1930-31), the point where that new road intersected the existing road to Springhill was the site of filling stations and other businesses. However, the name "Dixie Inn" for the settlement doesn't appear in those newspaper accounts. That name first appears in print prior to the road construction, around 1924, but it appears as the name of the restaurant/dance hall/nightclub located on the site of today's Dorcheat Seafood and Grill along the west bank of Dorcheat. The restaurant was known as the Dixie Inn, but nowhere can I find, prior to the post World War II years the name used for the community, just for the restaurant.
So, I'm stuck at that point, was the restaurant named because locals already referred to the area as "Dixie Inn", or was the name for the settlement, and eventually the incorporated place created in the 1950s, taken from the name of the restaurant.
Anyone out there with a clue, let me know. Maybe with that behind me, I can go ahead and put together the story of the settlement . . . . unless I find another excuse for "putting it off."
Dorcheat Bayou was the "street" that opened the settlement of Overton and then Minden, so the bayou area has a long history. We know that as early as the 1830s the east bank of Dorcheat was a hub of commerce. Known either as Murrell's Point or Minden Upper Landing, it was the site of warehouses and the steamboat landing for Minden. By the early 1850s, the Claiborne Parish Police Jury discussed constructing a bridge across the Bayou at that location. By 1864, not only was that bridge in place, it had been there long enough that it was reported in disrepair by Confederate General Polignac.
(As Polignac and his troops of Walker's Texas Division approached Minden from the west to establish Winter Quarters in the late Fall of 1864, he halted his army at the bridge and was afraid to take his troops across because of the ramshackle condition of the bridge. He even made a sketch of the state of the bridge for his journal. While he hesitated, a carriage of ladies bravely crossed right in front of the troops and the army was "shamed" into crossing. As another aside, all shipments of heavy equipment to Minden during the Civil War did not use the roads or bridges, they came by way of Red River, Loggy Bayou, Lake Bistineau and were unloaded on the east bank of Dorcheat.)
So, the east side of Dorcheat in the area of the two existing Highway 80 bridges was busy. One can only assume that something existed across the bayou on the west bank. But there is little in the record to indicate what might have been there, other than farm land. It is equally clear that the boom for what we know today as Dixie Inn came in the summer of 1941, when the Louisiana Ordnance Plant began construction. Even a casual glance will reveal that the houses that make up the main area of Dixie Inn date from that time as they mirror the style of the subdivisions in Minden built at the same time as the local area responded to a housing crush. The influx of workers, both for constructing the plant and the operating the facility brought thousands of folks to the Minden area and the residential community we call Dixie Inn emerged.
My problem with information arises in the years between 1864 and 1941 and a major problem -- as reflected in the title of this post -- is that name we use today for the community, Dixie Inn. Newspaper clippings clearly indicate that by the time the Dixie-Overland Highway (Highway 80) was constructed (1930-31), the point where that new road intersected the existing road to Springhill was the site of filling stations and other businesses. However, the name "Dixie Inn" for the settlement doesn't appear in those newspaper accounts. That name first appears in print prior to the road construction, around 1924, but it appears as the name of the restaurant/dance hall/nightclub located on the site of today's Dorcheat Seafood and Grill along the west bank of Dorcheat. The restaurant was known as the Dixie Inn, but nowhere can I find, prior to the post World War II years the name used for the community, just for the restaurant.
So, I'm stuck at that point, was the restaurant named because locals already referred to the area as "Dixie Inn", or was the name for the settlement, and eventually the incorporated place created in the 1950s, taken from the name of the restaurant.
Anyone out there with a clue, let me know. Maybe with that behind me, I can go ahead and put together the story of the settlement . . . . unless I find another excuse for "putting it off."
Sunday, February 21, 2010
One Big Family?
Earlier one of the readers on the blog, Darrell, mentioned the ties between Claiborne Parish and Webster Parish history. This afternoon I went over to Mt. Lebanon to hear Carleton Prothro speak on his family ties to Mt. Lebanon at the Annual Meeting of the Mt. Lebanon Historical Society. Five years ago I spoke at the meeting explaining some of the ties between Minden and Mt. Lebanon. Last year I spoke about Minden and Mt. Lebanon's ties as back-to-back stops on the old stagecoach road across North Louisiana.
For years I had known about the many ties between the Rehoboth Church at Mt. Lebanon (now known as Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church) and Minden Baptist Church (now known as First Baptist Church of Minden). But more and more I've come to realize the many ties between the communities beyond religion. Several of the original settlers of Mt. Lebanon also owned large parts of Minden and many owned business in both settlements. Today, Carlton, explained how his direct ancestor came to Mt. Lebanon after the founding, probably lured by the Prothro who was an original settler at Mt. Lebanon and who owned property locally and is the namesake of Prothro Branch here in Minden.
Probably half of those in attendance at today's meeting "have feet" in both communities and in Gibsland. (Although I'm not sure the old Mt. Lebanon folks have forgiven the Gibsland folks for "stealing" the VS&P railroad in 1884.)
The pictures above is the old Rehoboth Baptist Church, constructed in the 1850s, that still retains much of the charm of old Baptist churches in its interior style. The Louisiana Baptist Convention was of course established at Mt. Lebanon in 1848.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Kennon and Lindsey and Pearce
Noted with interest this morning on Facebook the campaign to have Chris Gorman appointed as Lieutenant Governor for the interim term. It's no secret that my political views don't dovetail with his; however, he came and spoke to my Political Science classes during his campaign for Congress and I was impressed. I think he would be a good choice for Gov. Jindal and I would also be very grateful to have, even if just for the interim, a statewide official from North Louisiana, especially Northwest Louisiana, it's been a while and we could use the representation. My only problem is that this site seems official -- several siblings are members of the group -- and I wonder if they've found a loophole in Gov. Jindal's stated intent to only appoint someone that will not run for the vacancy in the Fall. Perhaps, since it seems the Gov's proposed amendment to abolish the job is DOA in the legislature, he has changed his mind. I can't see the value in a four month stint as Lt. Gov. for Chris, but, I am happy to see this movement.
Now, what the heck does that have to do with local history? If Chris Gorman did become Lieutenant Governor he would have some tenuous family ties to Minden and Webster Parish. In our history we have had three men from the Minden area occupy either the Governor's office or the Lieutenant Governor's office, technically two of them bear an asterisk by their name, but still they held office. Sadly, at present there is no sort of public recognition of any of these men in our parish.
Robert F. Kennon was Mayor of Minden at age 23, District Attorney, Justice of the Court of Appeals,and Governor of Louisiana from 1952 to 1956. Kennon was a graduate of Minden High School and at least three houses that he called home still stand in Minden. Rep. Jean Doerge and I have talked before about the need to have some visible monument to Bob Kennon in Minden. Like Chris Gorman, I don't agree with many of his political stands, but Kennon was a honorable public servant and needs to be recognized in his hometown.
Coleman Lindsey served as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, but with an asterisk. When Gov. Richard Leche resigned in 1939 prior to indictment and eventual time in Federal prison, Lt. Gov. Earl K. Long moved up to Governor. Lindsey was at that point serving as Louisiana State Senator from Bossier Webster and as President of the Senate. He assumed Long's vacancy as Lieutenant Governor. Lindsey actually lived next door to Bob Kennon on Jefferson Street at the time of his term in office. After leaving the Lieutenant Governor's office he relocated to Baton Rouge and became a rather significant, and at times controversial, District Judge in the Baton Rouge area. Again, his name is largely unknown in Minden.
Our third parish resident to fill one of those two highest offices was Benjamin Pearce, who also has an asterisk by his name and in some ways a second asterisk regarding his Webster Parish ties. Pearce was a member of the family that founded Heflin. He served as the Confederate Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1864 until the end of the war and at the time of his service, Webster Parish did not exist. The Heflin area was part of Bienville Parish at that time, but today Pearce's home would have been in Webster Parish. He, too, escapes notice in discussions of our local history.
So, good luck to Chris Gorman and his supporters in this quest and I hope that in the near future we will see some sort of public remembrance of the service of Bob Kennon, if not Lindsey and Pearce, in our community
Now, what the heck does that have to do with local history? If Chris Gorman did become Lieutenant Governor he would have some tenuous family ties to Minden and Webster Parish. In our history we have had three men from the Minden area occupy either the Governor's office or the Lieutenant Governor's office, technically two of them bear an asterisk by their name, but still they held office. Sadly, at present there is no sort of public recognition of any of these men in our parish.
Robert F. Kennon was Mayor of Minden at age 23, District Attorney, Justice of the Court of Appeals,and Governor of Louisiana from 1952 to 1956. Kennon was a graduate of Minden High School and at least three houses that he called home still stand in Minden. Rep. Jean Doerge and I have talked before about the need to have some visible monument to Bob Kennon in Minden. Like Chris Gorman, I don't agree with many of his political stands, but Kennon was a honorable public servant and needs to be recognized in his hometown.
Coleman Lindsey served as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, but with an asterisk. When Gov. Richard Leche resigned in 1939 prior to indictment and eventual time in Federal prison, Lt. Gov. Earl K. Long moved up to Governor. Lindsey was at that point serving as Louisiana State Senator from Bossier Webster and as President of the Senate. He assumed Long's vacancy as Lieutenant Governor. Lindsey actually lived next door to Bob Kennon on Jefferson Street at the time of his term in office. After leaving the Lieutenant Governor's office he relocated to Baton Rouge and became a rather significant, and at times controversial, District Judge in the Baton Rouge area. Again, his name is largely unknown in Minden.
Our third parish resident to fill one of those two highest offices was Benjamin Pearce, who also has an asterisk by his name and in some ways a second asterisk regarding his Webster Parish ties. Pearce was a member of the family that founded Heflin. He served as the Confederate Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1864 until the end of the war and at the time of his service, Webster Parish did not exist. The Heflin area was part of Bienville Parish at that time, but today Pearce's home would have been in Webster Parish. He, too, escapes notice in discussions of our local history.
So, good luck to Chris Gorman and his supporters in this quest and I hope that in the near future we will see some sort of public remembrance of the service of Bob Kennon, if not Lindsey and Pearce, in our community
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
If These Walls Could Talk
Well, this didn't start out to be an architectural blog, but it seems everything that's crossed my mind to write about lately has been tied to buildings. Maybe I can apply for extra credit in that American Architecture class from 30+ years ago. LOL!!!
The last few days I've been intrigued as I drove into town from my house watching the progress on a building project. The building in question has been in my lifetime a skating rink, a bowling alley, an office building and a funeral home. Currently, it's nearing use for some other purpose. I'm curious to see what's next.
I had that on my mind last night as we had a Board of Directors meeting for the Dorcheat Historical Association in the back room of the museum, the future home of our Educational Center. The museum building has in its "lifetime" been home to an auto repair shop, a newspaper, a printing company, an office supply store and now, a museum. Just up the street on the corner you have a building I mentioned in an earlier post that has served as a bank, a drug store, a clothing store and is today a beauty shop.
Two blocks down is the Miller Building. It its 90 years of existence with a basement, main floor and upstairs office space, it has been home to so many different enterprises. Today, we have a church on the main floor, as a child I knew that building as TG&Y, earlier generations knew it as a drug store, in the recent past it has also been home to a bank and a photo studio and many other businesses of which I was either unware or I have forgotten. The basement has housed everything from a wrestling arena to beauty shops and health spas. Upstairs has been home to offices of doctors, lawyers and even the local draft board.
In short, old buildings, in addition to architectural character, often have fascinating histories that tell much about growth and change in our community.
The last few days I've been intrigued as I drove into town from my house watching the progress on a building project. The building in question has been in my lifetime a skating rink, a bowling alley, an office building and a funeral home. Currently, it's nearing use for some other purpose. I'm curious to see what's next.
I had that on my mind last night as we had a Board of Directors meeting for the Dorcheat Historical Association in the back room of the museum, the future home of our Educational Center. The museum building has in its "lifetime" been home to an auto repair shop, a newspaper, a printing company, an office supply store and now, a museum. Just up the street on the corner you have a building I mentioned in an earlier post that has served as a bank, a drug store, a clothing store and is today a beauty shop.
Two blocks down is the Miller Building. It its 90 years of existence with a basement, main floor and upstairs office space, it has been home to so many different enterprises. Today, we have a church on the main floor, as a child I knew that building as TG&Y, earlier generations knew it as a drug store, in the recent past it has also been home to a bank and a photo studio and many other businesses of which I was either unware or I have forgotten. The basement has housed everything from a wrestling arena to beauty shops and health spas. Upstairs has been home to offices of doctors, lawyers and even the local draft board.
In short, old buildings, in addition to architectural character, often have fascinating histories that tell much about growth and change in our community.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Losing Landmarks - Update
Well, I finally got the chance to go up to Sarepta and Shongaloo and confirm what I had guessed in my earlier post. The looming destruction of the old Sarepta High School building will remove the final landmark from the years of E. S. Richardson as Superintendent of Webster Parish Schools. (I honestly could not remember if the old Shongaloo building was gone.)
As I said, earlier, I'm not a foe of progress and am so happy that the students in area schools have new facilities, that need for new modern educational structures is one reason the passing of the Sarepta building is worth comment.
When E. S. Richardson came to Webster Parish in 1921, the parish operated 39 separate schools for white children (the issues regarding the black students is another topic for another time.)Many of those 39 schools were ramshackle one-room buildings from the 19th century. By 1928, those 39 schools had been consolidated into 10 campuses -- Cotton Valley, Doyline, Dubberly, Evergreen, Heflin, Minden, Sarepta, Shongaloo, Sibley and Springhill -- each with a state certified high school and each with a new building. In all cases except Evergreen the new buildings were brick structures. At least two of the schools, Sarepta and Sibley, actually had two new buildings as the first new construction at both places was destroyed by fire.
The centralized schools were only one of the many radical changes Richardson brought to Webster Parish. His reforms earned the nickname the “Webster Miracle” and he went all across the country speaking at educational conferences and even the Chicago World’s Fair of 1933, describing how Webster Parish had become a model for rural schools.
In addition to his educational leadership, Richardson’s marketing skills were truly amazing. A reading of the small notebooks he kept during his years as Superintendent reveal the many sophisticated – some might even say devious – methods he used to drum up public support for his school bond issues. Techniques that varied from personally driving the back roads of Webster Parish to speak with parents of students to inviting certain couples to dinner parties because a particularly difficult civic leader was dazzled by the charming wife of a School Board member. That board member was advised to be at the dinner and make sure that his wife appeared. It worked; the skeptical civic leader became a strong booster of the new schools.
So, as the last of his construction projects passes from the scene, I guess it is fitting that the physical legacy of E. S. Richardson continued in the Webster Parish School system for 74 years after he left us to become President of Louisiana Tech. He would probably be more proud of the new building than how long his work had endured, but I did want to tip my hat to his legacy.
As I said, earlier, I'm not a foe of progress and am so happy that the students in area schools have new facilities, that need for new modern educational structures is one reason the passing of the Sarepta building is worth comment.
When E. S. Richardson came to Webster Parish in 1921, the parish operated 39 separate schools for white children (the issues regarding the black students is another topic for another time.)Many of those 39 schools were ramshackle one-room buildings from the 19th century. By 1928, those 39 schools had been consolidated into 10 campuses -- Cotton Valley, Doyline, Dubberly, Evergreen, Heflin, Minden, Sarepta, Shongaloo, Sibley and Springhill -- each with a state certified high school and each with a new building. In all cases except Evergreen the new buildings were brick structures. At least two of the schools, Sarepta and Sibley, actually had two new buildings as the first new construction at both places was destroyed by fire.
The centralized schools were only one of the many radical changes Richardson brought to Webster Parish. His reforms earned the nickname the “Webster Miracle” and he went all across the country speaking at educational conferences and even the Chicago World’s Fair of 1933, describing how Webster Parish had become a model for rural schools.
In addition to his educational leadership, Richardson’s marketing skills were truly amazing. A reading of the small notebooks he kept during his years as Superintendent reveal the many sophisticated – some might even say devious – methods he used to drum up public support for his school bond issues. Techniques that varied from personally driving the back roads of Webster Parish to speak with parents of students to inviting certain couples to dinner parties because a particularly difficult civic leader was dazzled by the charming wife of a School Board member. That board member was advised to be at the dinner and make sure that his wife appeared. It worked; the skeptical civic leader became a strong booster of the new schools.
So, as the last of his construction projects passes from the scene, I guess it is fitting that the physical legacy of E. S. Richardson continued in the Webster Parish School system for 74 years after he left us to become President of Louisiana Tech. He would probably be more proud of the new building than how long his work had endured, but I did want to tip my hat to his legacy.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Fred C. McClanahan Builders
If anyone reading this blog knows what happened to this company, please let me know. I'm helping on a project and we need to see if we can track down any records from the company. McClanahan built most of the new commercial construction in Minden during the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in the boom after the L & A Railroad came to Minden. The old First Baptist Church and at least one home that still stands in the Downtown Residential Historic District were McClanahan projects. I know that the family remained in Shreveport and our area and that the son of the owner ran for Congress as a Republican in 1960, but would like to find if any company records still exist.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Dodging the Falling Political Dominoes
Almost lost in the excitement over last weekend’s Super Bowl victory of the New Orleans Saints was the other big news story from New Orleans, the election of Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu as Mayor of New Orleans. That event opens up much political discussion, but that’s not what this blog is all about. I do want to discuss the possible impact that election may have locally on our underappreciated gem, the Germantown Colony Museum.
In May, when Landrieu assumes his new office, several things will take place (in fact one key development will already be underfoot by then). By law a few things must occur. Gov. Jindal will appoint a temporary successor to serve until a special election can be called to fill the vacancy. Since the next election of the normal cycle to choose a Lieutenant Governor doesn’t is not scheduled until the Fall of 2011, the Louisiana Constitution requires a special election because more than a year remains in Landrieu’s unexpired term. That means we will be voting on a “one-year” Lieutenant Governor this Fall. Governor Jindal has stated that he will only appoint someone to fill the interim position who will not run for the job in the Fall. In addition, Gov. Jindal has indicated he wants to seek passage of a Constitutional Amendment to abolish the job of Lieutenant Governor. He hopes to have that amendment passed by the Louisiana Legislature in the session beginning March 29 and see it placed on the same ballot as the race for the interim Lt. Gov in the Fall.
All of these factors have made this a very complex political situation. Sitting politicians hoping to climb the ladder must evaluate their options. What value is there to vacating your current office to run for Lt. Gov. and waking up on the morning after the election to find you have been made a lame-duck if the people agree to abolish the office you just won? Before that is the question of if such an amendment will gain passage in the Louisiana Legislature. All of those things bear watching, if you are a supporter of the Germantown Colony Museum as they develop over the next few months.
Currently in Louisiana we are operating two museum systems. The oldest, the Louisiana State Museum System is under the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism which at present operates under the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Gov. Jindal has proposed that the responsibilities in the area of Culture Recreation and Tourism be divided between other existing agencies if his plan to abolish the job is approved. The second museum system operating in Louisiana has been created by Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, appropriately named the Secretary of State Museum Division. Secretary Dardenne has particularly focused on small museums in North Louisiana. The Eddie Robinson Museum opening today in Grambling is part of the system and, since 2008, the Germantown Colony Museum has been part of that system.
Since the office of the Secretary of State will rise to 2nd in command under Gov. Jindal’s plan to abolish the office of Lieutenant Governor, it would seem that the Secretary of State’s Museum system would be on solid ground. However, the wild card is the political future of Secretary Dardenne. The system of museums including Germantown is largely a creation of his vision and hard work. Dardenne is considered among the leading candidates to run for Lieutenant Governor IF that office is not abolished by Constitutional Amendment. That is where the questions for Germantown emerge.
If Dardenne runs and wins the Lieutenant Governor’s office, will he not seek to bring those museums who are largely his “baby” under control of his new office? If he runs for the office and loses, will the new Lieutenant Governor seek to remove the Secretary of State’s Museum system from that office and bring it under his control? That could possibly lead to a nightmare scenario for Germantown, as it is possible that in this time of budget cutting a new Lt. Gov. and a new Secretary of State might find Dardenne’s museums as simply a holdover problem created by a now unemployed office holder, Dardenne. It seems possible that new office holders might renege on the funding promises that have been given to Germantown and perhaps, return the museum to local control, where the lack of funding has limited the museum for so long.
Probably the safest bet for our museum would be the abolition of the office of Lieutenant Governor and for Secretary Dardenne to remain in his present position as Secretary of State. I can actually see the Louisiana State Museum falling under Dardenne’s office, ending the present situation where the two systems compete in many ways and securing a place for Dardenne’s “own” system, including Germantown.
In short, as a political junkie I would be watching these developments closely. But, as a local historian and a long-time member of the Germantown Colony Museum Commission, I know I have a vested interest in how this little political drama unfolds, and if you are a supporter of local history, you too have a “horse in this race.”
In May, when Landrieu assumes his new office, several things will take place (in fact one key development will already be underfoot by then). By law a few things must occur. Gov. Jindal will appoint a temporary successor to serve until a special election can be called to fill the vacancy. Since the next election of the normal cycle to choose a Lieutenant Governor doesn’t is not scheduled until the Fall of 2011, the Louisiana Constitution requires a special election because more than a year remains in Landrieu’s unexpired term. That means we will be voting on a “one-year” Lieutenant Governor this Fall. Governor Jindal has stated that he will only appoint someone to fill the interim position who will not run for the job in the Fall. In addition, Gov. Jindal has indicated he wants to seek passage of a Constitutional Amendment to abolish the job of Lieutenant Governor. He hopes to have that amendment passed by the Louisiana Legislature in the session beginning March 29 and see it placed on the same ballot as the race for the interim Lt. Gov in the Fall.
All of these factors have made this a very complex political situation. Sitting politicians hoping to climb the ladder must evaluate their options. What value is there to vacating your current office to run for Lt. Gov. and waking up on the morning after the election to find you have been made a lame-duck if the people agree to abolish the office you just won? Before that is the question of if such an amendment will gain passage in the Louisiana Legislature. All of those things bear watching, if you are a supporter of the Germantown Colony Museum as they develop over the next few months.
Currently in Louisiana we are operating two museum systems. The oldest, the Louisiana State Museum System is under the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism which at present operates under the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Gov. Jindal has proposed that the responsibilities in the area of Culture Recreation and Tourism be divided between other existing agencies if his plan to abolish the job is approved. The second museum system operating in Louisiana has been created by Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, appropriately named the Secretary of State Museum Division. Secretary Dardenne has particularly focused on small museums in North Louisiana. The Eddie Robinson Museum opening today in Grambling is part of the system and, since 2008, the Germantown Colony Museum has been part of that system.
Since the office of the Secretary of State will rise to 2nd in command under Gov. Jindal’s plan to abolish the office of Lieutenant Governor, it would seem that the Secretary of State’s Museum system would be on solid ground. However, the wild card is the political future of Secretary Dardenne. The system of museums including Germantown is largely a creation of his vision and hard work. Dardenne is considered among the leading candidates to run for Lieutenant Governor IF that office is not abolished by Constitutional Amendment. That is where the questions for Germantown emerge.
If Dardenne runs and wins the Lieutenant Governor’s office, will he not seek to bring those museums who are largely his “baby” under control of his new office? If he runs for the office and loses, will the new Lieutenant Governor seek to remove the Secretary of State’s Museum system from that office and bring it under his control? That could possibly lead to a nightmare scenario for Germantown, as it is possible that in this time of budget cutting a new Lt. Gov. and a new Secretary of State might find Dardenne’s museums as simply a holdover problem created by a now unemployed office holder, Dardenne. It seems possible that new office holders might renege on the funding promises that have been given to Germantown and perhaps, return the museum to local control, where the lack of funding has limited the museum for so long.
Probably the safest bet for our museum would be the abolition of the office of Lieutenant Governor and for Secretary Dardenne to remain in his present position as Secretary of State. I can actually see the Louisiana State Museum falling under Dardenne’s office, ending the present situation where the two systems compete in many ways and securing a place for Dardenne’s “own” system, including Germantown.
In short, as a political junkie I would be watching these developments closely. But, as a local historian and a long-time member of the Germantown Colony Museum Commission, I know I have a vested interest in how this little political drama unfolds, and if you are a supporter of local history, you too have a “horse in this race.”
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Losing Landmarks
Minden recently saw the demolition of Fuller’s Garage, the first auto repair shop in Minden, built during the years of World War I. I received a Facebook message from Tony Mullins at Sarepta High School telling me that the days of the old building at Sarepta are numbered. That building is either the last or the next to last of the schools built by E. S. Richardson during his massive building campaign for Webster Parish Schools between 1921 and 1930. (Y’all will have to help me out with Shongaloo. I honestly can’t remember if they took down the old building and my vehicle has been ill and I couldn’t risk being stranded up in Wiseville, so I didn’t go check.)
I am not a “wild-eyed” preservationist. I fully recognize the right of private property owners to make choices about their own property. I am also a realist and know that in this current climate where government is viewed as the enemy and taxes are considered bad, no matter their usage, by so many, the day of ever saving any old public buildings has probably ended. Still, it doesn’t hurt to mention at times that old landmarks are important and if they can be saved, it is of value to our community to preserve them when possible.
We’ve seen examples of both here in Minden. I think many people recognize that it would probably have been a wiser – a very expensive, but wiser – decision to save the 1905 Webster Parish Courthouse. We ended up destroying it for a street that is largely a traffic hazard and while I wouldn’t call that old building beautiful, it was unique, the round courtroom under the cupola in particular. It also was the scene of so much local history, serving as both the Courthouse and in later years the Minden City Hall.
On the other hand, Citizens Bank did a magnificent job of restoring and saving the old Bank of Webster Building in downtown Minden. I hope the same thing may eventually happen to the other two old bank buildings left in downtown. The Old First National Bank, which is probably better known as Vivian’s to most of my generation and today houses a beauty shop (my apologies for not knowing the name of the current business), and the old Bank of Minden with the green tile facade and the clock. I know that a couple of Tourism Commission members are Facebook friends of mine and they may wander over this direction, so just a brief message to you. I certainly don’t want to inject any MORE strife into your dealings, and also don’t want to infringe on the property rights of the Crawford family or their future plans for the building. But, if it does ever become available, that building needs to be a tourism office in the heart of downtown. The green tile and the clock are among the first things that catch the eye of visitors. I do so hope that one day the McCullough Tower Clock will be restored to working order. That’s an expensive project, but one I hope the public will someday embrace, even if the building remains private property.
What I really wanted to say is, as we lose some landmarks to the inevitable ravages of time and benefits of progress, let’s be mindful of ways we can save some of the familiar structures that have been part of our communities for decades.
I am not a “wild-eyed” preservationist. I fully recognize the right of private property owners to make choices about their own property. I am also a realist and know that in this current climate where government is viewed as the enemy and taxes are considered bad, no matter their usage, by so many, the day of ever saving any old public buildings has probably ended. Still, it doesn’t hurt to mention at times that old landmarks are important and if they can be saved, it is of value to our community to preserve them when possible.
We’ve seen examples of both here in Minden. I think many people recognize that it would probably have been a wiser – a very expensive, but wiser – decision to save the 1905 Webster Parish Courthouse. We ended up destroying it for a street that is largely a traffic hazard and while I wouldn’t call that old building beautiful, it was unique, the round courtroom under the cupola in particular. It also was the scene of so much local history, serving as both the Courthouse and in later years the Minden City Hall.
On the other hand, Citizens Bank did a magnificent job of restoring and saving the old Bank of Webster Building in downtown Minden. I hope the same thing may eventually happen to the other two old bank buildings left in downtown. The Old First National Bank, which is probably better known as Vivian’s to most of my generation and today houses a beauty shop (my apologies for not knowing the name of the current business), and the old Bank of Minden with the green tile facade and the clock. I know that a couple of Tourism Commission members are Facebook friends of mine and they may wander over this direction, so just a brief message to you. I certainly don’t want to inject any MORE strife into your dealings, and also don’t want to infringe on the property rights of the Crawford family or their future plans for the building. But, if it does ever become available, that building needs to be a tourism office in the heart of downtown. The green tile and the clock are among the first things that catch the eye of visitors. I do so hope that one day the McCullough Tower Clock will be restored to working order. That’s an expensive project, but one I hope the public will someday embrace, even if the building remains private property.
What I really wanted to say is, as we lose some landmarks to the inevitable ravages of time and benefits of progress, let’s be mindful of ways we can save some of the familiar structures that have been part of our communities for decades.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Write It Down!!!!
Since I tend to go “over the river and through the woods” to get to my point at times, let me jump directly to the point at the first and ramble later. I truly believe that all history is of value and needs to be recorded and remembered. So, those memories you have of events in your life, write them down, please. Someone, somewhere, will be glad that you did.
Last week I got a phone call from a cousin of mine. (Our grandfathers were brothers, but his grandfather was 18 years older than mine, so we are of different generations and have never met.) He had come across a copy of one of my books in Barnes and Noble and wanted to share some stories of his growing up years here in Minden. In the space of a 45 minute conversation I learned so many things I didn’t know about local history.
He recalled the story of Bonnie Parker coming into his father’s grocery store on Main Street a few days before she and Clyde Barrow met their fate in Bienville Parish. His father hadn’t been convinced it had really been Bonnie until he traveled to Arcadia and saw the pair as the Conger’s had them laid out for public viewing.
He remembered as a small child in the years just before World War II a United States Army Calvary unit camping in Minden near the railroad tracks. I haven’t yet been able to track down a precise time for that event, but the memoires were so vivid, I am convinced he was remembering correctly.
He described the location of a camp ground used by some Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. An event confirmed when an old Confederate veteran returned to the site and helped dig up some artifacts the troops had buried during the war.
He told me a story others of his generation had repeated about visiting the old site of Overton. He mentioned riding his bike beyond where Middle Landing Street ends, following the old road all the way to the Crichton property that was the site of that old Middle (Overton) Landing. As others had discussed, he described seeing the piers and foundations of the many warehouses on that site – piers and foundation that have long vanished under bar pits and are gone forever. He described seeing at least three old steamboat wrecks visible on Dorcheat, including one in an area where I had been convinced I saw such evidence a few years back during low water.
In short, it was a fascinating conversation that reminded me again of the treasure trove of information so many of us have stored in our brains that reveal much about local history. I hope each of you who read this will make an effort to record things you remember about your years growing up, wherever that may have been. In these days when self-publishing is so available (more about that in a later post), you may well have enough information to publish your memories in a book. But please, put them in a form where they can be found and won’t leave us when you go on to your reward. Momma left so much written down, but hardly a day passes when I don’t wish I had her here to answer a question I am asked about the past. If you value the past, which you probably do if you’ve bothered to read this far. Write it down!!!
Last week I got a phone call from a cousin of mine. (Our grandfathers were brothers, but his grandfather was 18 years older than mine, so we are of different generations and have never met.) He had come across a copy of one of my books in Barnes and Noble and wanted to share some stories of his growing up years here in Minden. In the space of a 45 minute conversation I learned so many things I didn’t know about local history.
He recalled the story of Bonnie Parker coming into his father’s grocery store on Main Street a few days before she and Clyde Barrow met their fate in Bienville Parish. His father hadn’t been convinced it had really been Bonnie until he traveled to Arcadia and saw the pair as the Conger’s had them laid out for public viewing.
He remembered as a small child in the years just before World War II a United States Army Calvary unit camping in Minden near the railroad tracks. I haven’t yet been able to track down a precise time for that event, but the memoires were so vivid, I am convinced he was remembering correctly.
He described the location of a camp ground used by some Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. An event confirmed when an old Confederate veteran returned to the site and helped dig up some artifacts the troops had buried during the war.
He told me a story others of his generation had repeated about visiting the old site of Overton. He mentioned riding his bike beyond where Middle Landing Street ends, following the old road all the way to the Crichton property that was the site of that old Middle (Overton) Landing. As others had discussed, he described seeing the piers and foundations of the many warehouses on that site – piers and foundation that have long vanished under bar pits and are gone forever. He described seeing at least three old steamboat wrecks visible on Dorcheat, including one in an area where I had been convinced I saw such evidence a few years back during low water.
In short, it was a fascinating conversation that reminded me again of the treasure trove of information so many of us have stored in our brains that reveal much about local history. I hope each of you who read this will make an effort to record things you remember about your years growing up, wherever that may have been. In these days when self-publishing is so available (more about that in a later post), you may well have enough information to publish your memories in a book. But please, put them in a form where they can be found and won’t leave us when you go on to your reward. Momma left so much written down, but hardly a day passes when I don’t wish I had her here to answer a question I am asked about the past. If you value the past, which you probably do if you’ve bothered to read this far. Write it down!!!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Cut If You Must -- But Make Those Cuts "Fair and Balanced"
One problem at the forefront of my mind, because it is at the forefront of me eating and I love my food, is funding for higher education in Louisiana. As many of you know, there have been substantial budget cuts from the state for higher education in Louisiana over the past eighteen months. The main reason is that because of protected funding either in statutory law or in the Louisiana Constitution, the only two areas open to discretionary cuts in times of crisis are higher ed and health care.
Currently, my institution, Bossier Parish Community College, is having to deal with record enrollments at the same time as substantial, bordering on 25% from peak levels, cuts in state funding. Certainly, there is a great deal of self-interest in this for me, it is my main livelihood. But it goes deeper than that, I chose to return to education after working in other fields. I believe public education is the foundation for a successful society and is key to building a stronger Louisiana. In the current circumstances, I can see that foundation as being at serious risk. So, I’ve got a few thoughts.
First, let me emphasize that there is clearly waste in higher ed and many ways money can be saved. Duplication of services, particularly at the four-year level is rampant and inefficiencies can be found everywhere in the various systems. Of course, those things need to be fixed, but they need to be fixed in a context where all areas of state government are equally at risk, not where the burden will be disproportionally borne by only two segments of government.
I truly worry about the quality of service we will be able to offer our students in light of these cuts. And before someone says that money doesn’t solve all problems or suggest I’m saying teachers won’t “teach” to their full capabilities because of pay issues, let me provide two concrete examples that trouble me.
The first is in service provided to students. Now, my classes are pretty much “snaps” for students. My office contact with students usually comes in the form of students dropping by to “shoot the bull” or similar situations. That is not true for many other faculty members, particularly those in areas such as math or accounting, where being able to meet with the instructor during office hours is vital to student success. At present, the financial realities of budget cuts, combined with the requirements for face-to-face classroom time mandated for accrediting purposes, has made the only area open for cuts the hours in the office. Last fall, in order to cut faculty expenses, we at BPCC had an additional course added to our basic classs load. In order to meet the contract requirements for contracts already in place the only way to balance the additional classroom time was to reduce our office hours by four per week. While the faculty bore the burden of additional class preparation and management time for the extra class, the students had their chances to meet with faculty reduced by 40%.
In the next few days, we will learn how many days it will be necessary for faculty to be furloughed – off work without pay – during this semester. Once again, you cannot furlough classroom time. So, the answer pnce again will be faculty absence during those important office hours. Now, some might say faculty should show up for work, even without pay. Perhaps that’s true, but would you show up for work without pay?
Even more significant is the impact on the quality of faculty members that may occur with cuts in pay. Once again, this doesn’t really impact me. First, (although I hope my Chancellor doesn’t see this) I think I may be overpaid. I still find it difficult to believe I’m paid as well as I am to teach subjects I love. I’m also not a “high-demand” instructor. I’m fifty-one years old without a terminal degree and my writing and research is largely limited to Louisiana. You won’t lose me to another state, but that’s not true for all faculty members.
Last fall, I applied for three different faculty positions at schools similar to BPCC in Texas. If I had been hired for any of those jobs, my base pay would have increased by 40%. History teachers are a “dime-a-dozen”, but the fields such as math, science, nursing, etc are different. If our pay levels remain stagnant or in some cases drop, how long will be able to keep the excellent faculty members we have today. And if we lose the “best and the brightest” among our faculty, the quality of education in Louisiana will slowly drop.
So, I urge each of you to speak to your state legislators, to speak to Governor Jindal and simply ask this. Please, as the legislative session begins, prove to us that the talk of higher education being a priority and vital to the success of our state is not mere lip service. In this upcoming session take some concrete steps to correct the current situation where the brunt of budget cuts hits only two areas of the budget. Spread the necessary cuts to all areas and preserve the possibility of quality higher ed in Louisiana.
Currently, my institution, Bossier Parish Community College, is having to deal with record enrollments at the same time as substantial, bordering on 25% from peak levels, cuts in state funding. Certainly, there is a great deal of self-interest in this for me, it is my main livelihood. But it goes deeper than that, I chose to return to education after working in other fields. I believe public education is the foundation for a successful society and is key to building a stronger Louisiana. In the current circumstances, I can see that foundation as being at serious risk. So, I’ve got a few thoughts.
First, let me emphasize that there is clearly waste in higher ed and many ways money can be saved. Duplication of services, particularly at the four-year level is rampant and inefficiencies can be found everywhere in the various systems. Of course, those things need to be fixed, but they need to be fixed in a context where all areas of state government are equally at risk, not where the burden will be disproportionally borne by only two segments of government.
I truly worry about the quality of service we will be able to offer our students in light of these cuts. And before someone says that money doesn’t solve all problems or suggest I’m saying teachers won’t “teach” to their full capabilities because of pay issues, let me provide two concrete examples that trouble me.
The first is in service provided to students. Now, my classes are pretty much “snaps” for students. My office contact with students usually comes in the form of students dropping by to “shoot the bull” or similar situations. That is not true for many other faculty members, particularly those in areas such as math or accounting, where being able to meet with the instructor during office hours is vital to student success. At present, the financial realities of budget cuts, combined with the requirements for face-to-face classroom time mandated for accrediting purposes, has made the only area open for cuts the hours in the office. Last fall, in order to cut faculty expenses, we at BPCC had an additional course added to our basic classs load. In order to meet the contract requirements for contracts already in place the only way to balance the additional classroom time was to reduce our office hours by four per week. While the faculty bore the burden of additional class preparation and management time for the extra class, the students had their chances to meet with faculty reduced by 40%.
In the next few days, we will learn how many days it will be necessary for faculty to be furloughed – off work without pay – during this semester. Once again, you cannot furlough classroom time. So, the answer pnce again will be faculty absence during those important office hours. Now, some might say faculty should show up for work, even without pay. Perhaps that’s true, but would you show up for work without pay?
Even more significant is the impact on the quality of faculty members that may occur with cuts in pay. Once again, this doesn’t really impact me. First, (although I hope my Chancellor doesn’t see this) I think I may be overpaid. I still find it difficult to believe I’m paid as well as I am to teach subjects I love. I’m also not a “high-demand” instructor. I’m fifty-one years old without a terminal degree and my writing and research is largely limited to Louisiana. You won’t lose me to another state, but that’s not true for all faculty members.
Last fall, I applied for three different faculty positions at schools similar to BPCC in Texas. If I had been hired for any of those jobs, my base pay would have increased by 40%. History teachers are a “dime-a-dozen”, but the fields such as math, science, nursing, etc are different. If our pay levels remain stagnant or in some cases drop, how long will be able to keep the excellent faculty members we have today. And if we lose the “best and the brightest” among our faculty, the quality of education in Louisiana will slowly drop.
So, I urge each of you to speak to your state legislators, to speak to Governor Jindal and simply ask this. Please, as the legislative session begins, prove to us that the talk of higher education being a priority and vital to the success of our state is not mere lip service. In this upcoming session take some concrete steps to correct the current situation where the brunt of budget cuts hits only two areas of the budget. Spread the necessary cuts to all areas and preserve the possibility of quality higher ed in Louisiana.
When in the course of human events
Well, I decided to start blogging again. Any of you that know me very well know that I have an almost dysfunctional need to explain, justify, and rationalize things that I do. So, this first post will mostly be dedicated to doing just that. The reason for the title of this post is fairly simple, one of the ways I "explain, justify and rationalize" (maybe I need to just use the acronym EJR to save space), my overwhelming need to EJR, is by using the Declaration of Independence to claim I'm not dysfunctional, I'm merely American. You probably know that the Declaration of Independence was a relatively bizarre document because the Founding Fathers were the first people who really felt a need to explain to the world, in detail, the causes and justification for their revolution and new nation. So, I'll steal Tom Jefferson's first line as the title of my introductory blog post where I EJR my reason for blogging.
I had a blog under this title, before, and it may well be floating out there somewhere in cyberspace. I just can't find it anymore. I stopped it basically because it seemed to me that posting comments on a blog was the ultimate in narcissism. I guess I've reached the point where I'll just have to embrace my narcissism and post away
Another logical question might be, "couldn't this be handled by sharing my wonderful information on Facebook?" Perhaps, but that's not a good option to me for several reasons. First, Facebook is not a "verbose narcissist friendly" platform. It takes me more words to introduce myself than are allowed in a Facebook status. (As for Twitter, forget it. It takes me more than 140 characters to even START to say anything. Plus, "tweeting" in public seems like something my mother would have told me not to do.) Second, even though I'm addicted, Facebook has not been a good place for me to share ideas. I have many Facebook friends that I'm not even sure precisely who the "friend" is that suggested I add these other persons as "friends." Political comments on Facebook that were misunderstood or were taken in the wrong way by folks not accustmoed to political comments have cost me some very significant things over the past year. I have a few goals left in life, one of those is to once again be allowed to teach a Sunday School class. Further political comments on open Facebook are only going to prevent that goal from every being reached. If someone bothers to come over here and read, I will assume they probably know me and know me well enough to know my heart, a lot of those folks on Facebook, particularly my "brothers and sisters" in Christ who told me I needed to ask for forgiveness or that I was a fake Christian because of my political beliefs probably won't appear on this blog, I hope.
With that said, the posts on this blog will not mainly be political. However, I was a political junkie before I became a political historian. I teach politics, I read politics, I watch politics, so politics will appear here, it is inevitable. The real purpose of this blog is to discuss various topics related to local history in the Minden area. These will be topics that don't merit a full version of my newspaper column, topics I'm researching for upcoming columns or books and anything related to local history that crosses my mind. That's the reason for the name of this blog, I live in North Overton (more or less) and in essence, Minden first emerged as a northern suburb of Overton.
Now, I already know that my first post, probably coming later today, is actually going to be on a political topic, but one that I don't think is controversial enough to get me fully expelled from church, I hope.
I hope someone is reading this, and if you are, welcome. Many times the things I post will be asking for comments, so it will be good if there are readers. Talking to yourself isn't very productive, BELIEVE me, I KNOW!!!!
I had a blog under this title, before, and it may well be floating out there somewhere in cyberspace. I just can't find it anymore. I stopped it basically because it seemed to me that posting comments on a blog was the ultimate in narcissism. I guess I've reached the point where I'll just have to embrace my narcissism and post away
Another logical question might be, "couldn't this be handled by sharing my wonderful information on Facebook?" Perhaps, but that's not a good option to me for several reasons. First, Facebook is not a "verbose narcissist friendly" platform. It takes me more words to introduce myself than are allowed in a Facebook status. (As for Twitter, forget it. It takes me more than 140 characters to even START to say anything. Plus, "tweeting" in public seems like something my mother would have told me not to do.) Second, even though I'm addicted, Facebook has not been a good place for me to share ideas. I have many Facebook friends that I'm not even sure precisely who the "friend" is that suggested I add these other persons as "friends." Political comments on Facebook that were misunderstood or were taken in the wrong way by folks not accustmoed to political comments have cost me some very significant things over the past year. I have a few goals left in life, one of those is to once again be allowed to teach a Sunday School class. Further political comments on open Facebook are only going to prevent that goal from every being reached. If someone bothers to come over here and read, I will assume they probably know me and know me well enough to know my heart, a lot of those folks on Facebook, particularly my "brothers and sisters" in Christ who told me I needed to ask for forgiveness or that I was a fake Christian because of my political beliefs probably won't appear on this blog, I hope.
With that said, the posts on this blog will not mainly be political. However, I was a political junkie before I became a political historian. I teach politics, I read politics, I watch politics, so politics will appear here, it is inevitable. The real purpose of this blog is to discuss various topics related to local history in the Minden area. These will be topics that don't merit a full version of my newspaper column, topics I'm researching for upcoming columns or books and anything related to local history that crosses my mind. That's the reason for the name of this blog, I live in North Overton (more or less) and in essence, Minden first emerged as a northern suburb of Overton.
Now, I already know that my first post, probably coming later today, is actually going to be on a political topic, but one that I don't think is controversial enough to get me fully expelled from church, I hope.
I hope someone is reading this, and if you are, welcome. Many times the things I post will be asking for comments, so it will be good if there are readers. Talking to yourself isn't very productive, BELIEVE me, I KNOW!!!!
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