Got a phone call tonight from Mrs. Noella Bostick, my 8th Grade Louisiana History teacher more years ago than I care to remember. The problem she wanted to discuss with me sounded very familiar. She was working with the Board of the Sheppard Street Cemetery -- the largest black cemetery in Minden -- and was hoping to find information about who were the earliest burials in the cemetery and perhaps a little about those people. As I've indicated before, in the written sources of local history, black residents are essentially non-existent prior to the 1970s. So, I had to tell her I really had no information and no real sources to consult. The cemetery association has the records of land ownership and dedication. I told her I will be on the lookout for any tidbits I can find, but I'm not hopeful.
The point of this title is the problems she described are so similar to the problems we have with the Minden Cemetery. Missing records and the biggest problem -- lost graves either from the land "settling" or from the terrible damage of the 1933 tornado. While I was considering that I realized another sad legacy from the years of segregation. By duplicating facilities, whatever problems were inherent in those facilities were also duplicated. A "double trouble" of sorts. We can't change history, but I can certainly wish our forefathers had used a little more wisdom in their choices.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Cameo Book
I received an inquiry from a "non-friend" on Facebook today about the possibility of publishing a book of my mother's Cameo columns from the Minden Press-Herald. Since even a "non-friend" was interested, I felt like I would share the status of that project on my blog. Been a week since I posted so it seemed like good timing. Plus this is sort of a Mother's Day present to Momma, it's something she would have wanted.
My mother's columns are of course now jointly owned by my sister and myself. That's not a problem, but I want to make it clear that she is a full and enthusiastic partner in this plan. We both have wanted to produce a book for years and I'll share a little of that story.
We first planned to publish a book as a birthday suprise for Momma in about 1999, when she had been doing the column for about five years. At that time it would have cost more than $25,000 to have it published by a reputable company and we would have needed to charge over $40 per book to pay for printing. It just did not seem feasible unless we cut out some columns. So, with that the option we discussed it with Momma and she didn't want to cut any columns. At that point we set the project aside.
As time moved forward and self-publishing became so affordable, I should have moved on the project and got out a book before Momma's death. She would have enjoyed having that on the market so much. However, I had no experience with self-publishing and was wary of the process. I had been blessed in that my books were solicited by the publisher, and the two or three submissions rejected by publishers I took as a sign those books didn't need to see the light of day. Plus, if you are familiar with the "publish or perish" rules of academia, you know that self-published books or vanity press books don't count in the academic world. So I hadn't used that process and I guess in some ways was too arrogant to consider going that way.
When I signed my contract for my most recent book, I had a verbal agreement with my editor that she would "pitch" a Cameo book to the publisher. I tried to get her to take on the Cameo book before my Echo book, but the marketing strategy of the company made them reluctant to publish a book by a deceased author. Then, my book did not sell very well, so the chance to get Momma's book commercially published, at least by that company, died.
After Brother Bill Ichter self-published his book, I decided it was time to tackle getting Momma's columns published. Suzanne and I have been sorting out which columns to include in the book. When we gave Momma her surprise 85th birthday party (of course we didn't dream when we gave that party it would be her last, but were so glad we made it an occasion) we asked the guests to tell us their favorite Cameo. So, we have a tentative list in mind. Suzanne is a talented artist and she will come up with a cover design.
I wanted to test the self-publishing first, so I am about half-way through a small project I will publish first, to "test the ropes." With my semester ending this week, I hope to have it wrapped before the end of May. At that point, I will move full force into the Cameo project. Many of Momma's columns are already in the computer, and the others will just need to be scanned in and formatted. So, the process won't take much time. Currently, I hope to have the book out in time for this Christmas.
I know that so many people loved Momma's columns. We used to joke about that, people loved and nearly memorized her columns, while mine basically put most folks to sleep. (My favorite story was the well-meaning gentleman who we saw in the Doctor's office after my first two pictoral histories were published. He told me he had received my book for Christmas, but had not yet been able to finish reading the book. This was in April and, of course, the punch line is that those first two books were just 125 pages of pictures with captions. No text. I had to wonder if he had even opened the book. LOL!!!) My eventual hope is to get most of Momma's columns published in book form with subsequent volumes to follow the first. The key will be to find out the "magic number" of columns to include in each book where there will be enough material but not so much to make it too expensive.
But for Momma's Cameo fans, a book is coming, I promise.
My mother's columns are of course now jointly owned by my sister and myself. That's not a problem, but I want to make it clear that she is a full and enthusiastic partner in this plan. We both have wanted to produce a book for years and I'll share a little of that story.
We first planned to publish a book as a birthday suprise for Momma in about 1999, when she had been doing the column for about five years. At that time it would have cost more than $25,000 to have it published by a reputable company and we would have needed to charge over $40 per book to pay for printing. It just did not seem feasible unless we cut out some columns. So, with that the option we discussed it with Momma and she didn't want to cut any columns. At that point we set the project aside.
As time moved forward and self-publishing became so affordable, I should have moved on the project and got out a book before Momma's death. She would have enjoyed having that on the market so much. However, I had no experience with self-publishing and was wary of the process. I had been blessed in that my books were solicited by the publisher, and the two or three submissions rejected by publishers I took as a sign those books didn't need to see the light of day. Plus, if you are familiar with the "publish or perish" rules of academia, you know that self-published books or vanity press books don't count in the academic world. So I hadn't used that process and I guess in some ways was too arrogant to consider going that way.
When I signed my contract for my most recent book, I had a verbal agreement with my editor that she would "pitch" a Cameo book to the publisher. I tried to get her to take on the Cameo book before my Echo book, but the marketing strategy of the company made them reluctant to publish a book by a deceased author. Then, my book did not sell very well, so the chance to get Momma's book commercially published, at least by that company, died.
After Brother Bill Ichter self-published his book, I decided it was time to tackle getting Momma's columns published. Suzanne and I have been sorting out which columns to include in the book. When we gave Momma her surprise 85th birthday party (of course we didn't dream when we gave that party it would be her last, but were so glad we made it an occasion) we asked the guests to tell us their favorite Cameo. So, we have a tentative list in mind. Suzanne is a talented artist and she will come up with a cover design.
I wanted to test the self-publishing first, so I am about half-way through a small project I will publish first, to "test the ropes." With my semester ending this week, I hope to have it wrapped before the end of May. At that point, I will move full force into the Cameo project. Many of Momma's columns are already in the computer, and the others will just need to be scanned in and formatted. So, the process won't take much time. Currently, I hope to have the book out in time for this Christmas.
I know that so many people loved Momma's columns. We used to joke about that, people loved and nearly memorized her columns, while mine basically put most folks to sleep. (My favorite story was the well-meaning gentleman who we saw in the Doctor's office after my first two pictoral histories were published. He told me he had received my book for Christmas, but had not yet been able to finish reading the book. This was in April and, of course, the punch line is that those first two books were just 125 pages of pictures with captions. No text. I had to wonder if he had even opened the book. LOL!!!) My eventual hope is to get most of Momma's columns published in book form with subsequent volumes to follow the first. The key will be to find out the "magic number" of columns to include in each book where there will be enough material but not so much to make it too expensive.
But for Momma's Cameo fans, a book is coming, I promise.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Questions, questions, questions.
Another new batch of questions, I'm not so much looking for answers this time, because I really haven't worked on these, but it's amazing how one conversation on local history can produce so many questions as it moves forward.
At Tuesday night's meeting of the Dorcheat Historical Association Board the question came up if we had a photo of one of the actual steamboats that were used on Bayou Dorcheat during the roughly 75 years of the local steamboat era. Most people associate the word steamboat with images of the massive ornate boats like those used by modern-day casinos or in the movies. The reality is that the packet boats that frequented streams like Dorcheat were much smaller, simply because of the shallow draft necessary to travel in such streams, and not nearly so attractive. While so far as I know there is not an existing image of a boat that definitely was used on Dorcheat, there are images of similar boats. In fact Eric Brock and Gary Joiner compiled a photo book on Red River Steamboats for Arcadia Press a few years ago. It is no longer in print, but I'm sure Gary still has access to the images. So, that question is answered; however, it led to so many others.
The discussion turned to steamboat wrecks on Dorcheat and if any are still visible at times, like now, of low water. We know there was one wreck in the area of the old Highway 80 bridge on Dorcheat, extremely visible as late as the 1940s. The general consensus of those involved in the discussion -- Richard Campbell whose mother saved so much Webster Parish history and Larry Milford, who grew up in the McIntyre Community -- was that some of the remains of that wreck are still visible, just south of the "new" Highway 80 bridge. Moving on, we talked about another group of wood debris visible just south of the Interstate 20 bridge over the Bayou. We were not so sure about that one, Richard, who has much more experience with the Bayou than I, thinks that is merely tree stumps.
That led to another interesting discussion about an old bridge that formerly crossed Bayou Dorcheat. In the years prior to the digging of the bar pits and the creation of the Louisiana Ordnance Plant there was another road that ran in the area south of the Interstate and north of Highway 164 that bridged Bayou Dorcheat. I've heard about this for years, but have not yet found a map that indicates where the road started and where it ended, but the bridge is long gone.
That idea turned us to a discussion of the Overton Cemetery and the sad destruction of so much of the cemetery over the last 50+ years. The interesting question raised was one I had never fully considered. We know where the cemetery is located, but where was the town in relation to the cemetery? Clearly it sat on the Bayou, but north or south of the cemetery? My educated guess would be south, as if it were located much north of the cemetery it would leave very little room for the old Middle Landing on Dorcheat. Overton was the lower landing, then there was the middle landing which stood at the terminus of the extended route of today's Middle Landing Street, and finally the upper landing at Murrell's Point, which was on the east bank of Dorcheat at approximately the site of the "old" Highway 80 bridge. (Of course another question is precisely where was that landing?)
So, it is pretty amazing to see so many historical questions arise out of a casual conversation. Just another reminder of how much history there remains to learn. (Which is a wonderful job assurance for a history teacher . . . .)
At Tuesday night's meeting of the Dorcheat Historical Association Board the question came up if we had a photo of one of the actual steamboats that were used on Bayou Dorcheat during the roughly 75 years of the local steamboat era. Most people associate the word steamboat with images of the massive ornate boats like those used by modern-day casinos or in the movies. The reality is that the packet boats that frequented streams like Dorcheat were much smaller, simply because of the shallow draft necessary to travel in such streams, and not nearly so attractive. While so far as I know there is not an existing image of a boat that definitely was used on Dorcheat, there are images of similar boats. In fact Eric Brock and Gary Joiner compiled a photo book on Red River Steamboats for Arcadia Press a few years ago. It is no longer in print, but I'm sure Gary still has access to the images. So, that question is answered; however, it led to so many others.
The discussion turned to steamboat wrecks on Dorcheat and if any are still visible at times, like now, of low water. We know there was one wreck in the area of the old Highway 80 bridge on Dorcheat, extremely visible as late as the 1940s. The general consensus of those involved in the discussion -- Richard Campbell whose mother saved so much Webster Parish history and Larry Milford, who grew up in the McIntyre Community -- was that some of the remains of that wreck are still visible, just south of the "new" Highway 80 bridge. Moving on, we talked about another group of wood debris visible just south of the Interstate 20 bridge over the Bayou. We were not so sure about that one, Richard, who has much more experience with the Bayou than I, thinks that is merely tree stumps.
That led to another interesting discussion about an old bridge that formerly crossed Bayou Dorcheat. In the years prior to the digging of the bar pits and the creation of the Louisiana Ordnance Plant there was another road that ran in the area south of the Interstate and north of Highway 164 that bridged Bayou Dorcheat. I've heard about this for years, but have not yet found a map that indicates where the road started and where it ended, but the bridge is long gone.
That idea turned us to a discussion of the Overton Cemetery and the sad destruction of so much of the cemetery over the last 50+ years. The interesting question raised was one I had never fully considered. We know where the cemetery is located, but where was the town in relation to the cemetery? Clearly it sat on the Bayou, but north or south of the cemetery? My educated guess would be south, as if it were located much north of the cemetery it would leave very little room for the old Middle Landing on Dorcheat. Overton was the lower landing, then there was the middle landing which stood at the terminus of the extended route of today's Middle Landing Street, and finally the upper landing at Murrell's Point, which was on the east bank of Dorcheat at approximately the site of the "old" Highway 80 bridge. (Of course another question is precisely where was that landing?)
So, it is pretty amazing to see so many historical questions arise out of a casual conversation. Just another reminder of how much history there remains to learn. (Which is a wonderful job assurance for a history teacher . . . .)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Disturbing Numbers
Yesterday I "taught out" of my semester's notes for my State and Local Government class; so, in order to fill the remaining time I used them as guinea pigs for an activity I'm adding this fall to my National Government classes. By August it would seem that immigration reform will most likely be the "front burner" issue and I decided it would be a good idea to give the students a glimpse of the legal process to become a citizen that is being abused by illegal immigrants. One activity I had planned was to give the class some sample questions from the test required for gaining U.S. citizenship.
I went ahead and gave 20 of those questions to my 14 students in State and Local Government yesterday. Now, to be fair, not all of these students have taken National Government and we did not directly discuss many of these topics in State and Local Government as the U.S. Constitution and government only enters the class peripherally. Still some of the results were VERY disturbing. Below I'm going to list each question and beside the question provide the number of students in the class who answered the question correctly out of the 14 who completed the exercise.
1. What is the supreme law of the land? - 9 out of 14
2. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constituion. What are these words? - 9 out of 14
3. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? - 12 out of 14
4. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? - 13 out of 14
5. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence - 0 out of 14
6. Name one branch of the government. - 13 out of 14
7. Who is in charge of the Exeuctive Branch? - 7 out of 14
8. What are the two parts of the U. S. Congress? - 6 out of 14
9. How many U. S. Senators are there? - 3 out of 14
10. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? - 5 out of 14
11. In what month do we vote for President? - 8 out of 14
12. What are two Cabinet positions? - 6 out of 14
13. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States? - 2 out of 14
14. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence - 9 out of 14
15. There were 13 original states. Name three. - 10 out of 14
16. Who was the first President? - 13 out of 14
17. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. 9 out of 14
18. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s - 14 out of 14
19. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. 12 out of 14
20. Name one state that borders Canada. - 11 out of 14
Now I guess the one that disturbed me the most was question #5. To me, the Declaration of Independence is the single most important document in our history. The phrases in question -- among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" -- defines what it means to be an American citizen. I'm a little unclear how from the nine students who knew that Jefferson was the principle author of the document, none knew those key words. That result along is causing me to change slightly how I teach the Declaration in American History. Those inalienable rights are the one thing I want to make sure my students recognize.
All-in-all, it was a sobering experience to see how little the students really know about our nation and a challenge to do a better job of teaching. (By the way, I didn't provide the answers in the blog -- sort of tease to perhaps make some folks uncomfortable . . . . LOL!!!)
I went ahead and gave 20 of those questions to my 14 students in State and Local Government yesterday. Now, to be fair, not all of these students have taken National Government and we did not directly discuss many of these topics in State and Local Government as the U.S. Constitution and government only enters the class peripherally. Still some of the results were VERY disturbing. Below I'm going to list each question and beside the question provide the number of students in the class who answered the question correctly out of the 14 who completed the exercise.
1. What is the supreme law of the land? - 9 out of 14
2. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constituion. What are these words? - 9 out of 14
3. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? - 12 out of 14
4. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? - 13 out of 14
5. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence - 0 out of 14
6. Name one branch of the government. - 13 out of 14
7. Who is in charge of the Exeuctive Branch? - 7 out of 14
8. What are the two parts of the U. S. Congress? - 6 out of 14
9. How many U. S. Senators are there? - 3 out of 14
10. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years? - 5 out of 14
11. In what month do we vote for President? - 8 out of 14
12. What are two Cabinet positions? - 6 out of 14
13. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States? - 2 out of 14
14. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence - 9 out of 14
15. There were 13 original states. Name three. - 10 out of 14
16. Who was the first President? - 13 out of 14
17. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. 9 out of 14
18. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s - 14 out of 14
19. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. 12 out of 14
20. Name one state that borders Canada. - 11 out of 14
Now I guess the one that disturbed me the most was question #5. To me, the Declaration of Independence is the single most important document in our history. The phrases in question -- among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" -- defines what it means to be an American citizen. I'm a little unclear how from the nine students who knew that Jefferson was the principle author of the document, none knew those key words. That result along is causing me to change slightly how I teach the Declaration in American History. Those inalienable rights are the one thing I want to make sure my students recognize.
All-in-all, it was a sobering experience to see how little the students really know about our nation and a challenge to do a better job of teaching. (By the way, I didn't provide the answers in the blog -- sort of tease to perhaps make some folks uncomfortable . . . . LOL!!!)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Hidden History
I'm reminded of the Ray Stevens' song, It's Me Again Margaret, because once again the urge to blog has struck and the topic is the history right under our noses that escapes notice. Seems like the only thing I blog about.
Monday night I presented a program on the Civil War in Minden at the Dorcheat Historical Association's A Night for the Museum. As almost always happens when I present a program, history and historical information just seems to crawl out of the woodwork. Three different people came forward and spoke to me either about historical topics of which I was not aware or with artifacts of our past.
One man told me of being shown a huge collection of Civil War artifacts found by a man spading up his garden in Sibley. The fellow speaking to me was shown all the items over 40 years ago, and the man who owned them is long dead and I would imagine the articles were scattered. However, the quantity of artifacts described indicate that there was some sort of sizeable presence of Confederate forces in that area at some point during the war. I've never seen that documented before, so it adds a little to the knowledge of Confederate activity in our area.
A second man showed me and actually gave me a plain paper copy of a photograph of his grandfather and grandmother. The grandfather in question served as Sheriff of Webster Parish for 12 years during the early 20th Century and although I have written about him on several occasions, I had never before seen his picture. It was good to put a face to the name I knew so well. A few years ago, while Ted Riser was still Sheriff, we were trying to put together pictures of all the Webster Parish Sheriffs. I don't know if Gary Sexton continued the project but at least I now know where one image can be obtained.
The third man brought the original letters filed by his grandfather to apply for a Confederate Pension from the State of Louisiana. The grandfather was not from this part of the state, so it really wasn't local history, but this was the first time I had been shown the actual letters. I've used many of those files and seen the microfilm copies of pension files, but it was fun to see the "real thing."
These are examples of the reasons I am so glad we finally have a first-class museum in Minden, and, as I've said before, I still have faith that some of those artifacts stowed away in the attics of Minden might yet be revealed and eventually be on display at the Dorcheat Museum.
Monday night I presented a program on the Civil War in Minden at the Dorcheat Historical Association's A Night for the Museum. As almost always happens when I present a program, history and historical information just seems to crawl out of the woodwork. Three different people came forward and spoke to me either about historical topics of which I was not aware or with artifacts of our past.
One man told me of being shown a huge collection of Civil War artifacts found by a man spading up his garden in Sibley. The fellow speaking to me was shown all the items over 40 years ago, and the man who owned them is long dead and I would imagine the articles were scattered. However, the quantity of artifacts described indicate that there was some sort of sizeable presence of Confederate forces in that area at some point during the war. I've never seen that documented before, so it adds a little to the knowledge of Confederate activity in our area.
A second man showed me and actually gave me a plain paper copy of a photograph of his grandfather and grandmother. The grandfather in question served as Sheriff of Webster Parish for 12 years during the early 20th Century and although I have written about him on several occasions, I had never before seen his picture. It was good to put a face to the name I knew so well. A few years ago, while Ted Riser was still Sheriff, we were trying to put together pictures of all the Webster Parish Sheriffs. I don't know if Gary Sexton continued the project but at least I now know where one image can be obtained.
The third man brought the original letters filed by his grandfather to apply for a Confederate Pension from the State of Louisiana. The grandfather was not from this part of the state, so it really wasn't local history, but this was the first time I had been shown the actual letters. I've used many of those files and seen the microfilm copies of pension files, but it was fun to see the "real thing."
These are examples of the reasons I am so glad we finally have a first-class museum in Minden, and, as I've said before, I still have faith that some of those artifacts stowed away in the attics of Minden might yet be revealed and eventually be on display at the Dorcheat Museum.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Taking Secrets to the Grave
If you've read this blog before you know I "love" to complain about lost history because those who lived the history don't record or share their memories. Well, I'm back at it tonight as I prepare for this week's classes.
Right now I'm in the midst of the "HueyLongathon" I have every semester. In my Louisiana History, Louisiana Government and American Government classes I have my students watch Ken Burns' "Huey Long" and write an essay on Huey's career. I sincerely believe that one cannot understand the history of Louisiana and its government without spending some serious time learning about Huey. He is the most transformational political figure in any state in American History. For my American Government students, the stated political goals that Long was advancing cut to the core of one of the two most consistently divisive issues in American politics -- the role of the state in the lives of individuals. We are seeing that battle played out in the streets today with the Tea Party movement and Huey's programs provide a wonderful chance to look at that issue in context. So, each semester I see the video at least four times. This semester I've seen it four times and this week will see it for a fifth time with my Louisiana History students.
Each time I "teach" Huey, I am reminded of probably the greatest single frustration in my local research. Starting in 1983, I began seeking to interview someone who was present on Thursday night, November 9, 1933, when Huey made a speech outside the Webster Parish Courthouse (the 1905 courthouse that was torn down in 1970) here in Minden. Huey was in the middle of a speaking tour attacking FDR and the programs of the New Deal, throughout the state he had been making charges about our local Judge Harmon Drew in each speech. According to T. Harry Williams, a plot had been hatched here in Minden to kill Long on that night. The plan was that when Long attacked Drew, the Judge would stand to answer the charges. Williams claimed that when Drew stood, there were armed men placed throughout the crowd who would open fire on Long.
Williams never identified his sources and the Drew family has long objected and labeled the story as false. Harmon Drew actually studied under T. Harry at LSU and discussed the issue with the Professor. Harmon believes that Williams only talked to those in the Long camp and also strongly believes his grandfather would not have been involved in such a plot. Having done my Master's Thesis on John Sandlin, a contemporary politician to Drew and Long, I agree with Harmon. I find it unthinkable that the Harmon Drew I came to know through research would have been involved in such a plot.
On the other hand, I think Williams was correct in one way. I think there was a plot hatched by local anti-Longites who were friends of Judge Drew to assassinate Senator Long on that night. I think the presence of Long aide, Louie Jones of Minden, at that speech was precisely as Williams' believed, to allow Long's bodyguards to be able to locate the men in the plot and neutralize them before they could take action. That is basically what happened as the events unfolded.
Anyway, over my 27 years of seeking I came up with precisely one person who remembered that night and was willing to discuss the events. She told me in detail about what made a great impression on her that evening. Her parents had bought her an ice cream cone at the drug store and just as Huey started to speak, the top scoop on her cone fell to the ground. She was crushed. I guess that's what one can expect from the memory of a 10-year old. Now, nearly 77 years after the speech, I am convinced I'll never get a first hand account, I can only hope that someone shared with their family and the story emerges one day.
On a positive note, I'm looking forward to tonight's premiere of "Treme" on HBO. I was impressed by the clip I have seen where John Goodman's character is so angered by the journalist who suggest New Orleans should not be rebuilt. It reminds me of how we discuss in my Louisiana History class the role New Orleans filled as the 2nd most important city in this country in the Antebellum years and how ridiculous it was to suggest it not be rebuilt. Can't wait to see this Louisiana story.
Right now I'm in the midst of the "HueyLongathon" I have every semester. In my Louisiana History, Louisiana Government and American Government classes I have my students watch Ken Burns' "Huey Long" and write an essay on Huey's career. I sincerely believe that one cannot understand the history of Louisiana and its government without spending some serious time learning about Huey. He is the most transformational political figure in any state in American History. For my American Government students, the stated political goals that Long was advancing cut to the core of one of the two most consistently divisive issues in American politics -- the role of the state in the lives of individuals. We are seeing that battle played out in the streets today with the Tea Party movement and Huey's programs provide a wonderful chance to look at that issue in context. So, each semester I see the video at least four times. This semester I've seen it four times and this week will see it for a fifth time with my Louisiana History students.
Each time I "teach" Huey, I am reminded of probably the greatest single frustration in my local research. Starting in 1983, I began seeking to interview someone who was present on Thursday night, November 9, 1933, when Huey made a speech outside the Webster Parish Courthouse (the 1905 courthouse that was torn down in 1970) here in Minden. Huey was in the middle of a speaking tour attacking FDR and the programs of the New Deal, throughout the state he had been making charges about our local Judge Harmon Drew in each speech. According to T. Harry Williams, a plot had been hatched here in Minden to kill Long on that night. The plan was that when Long attacked Drew, the Judge would stand to answer the charges. Williams claimed that when Drew stood, there were armed men placed throughout the crowd who would open fire on Long.
Williams never identified his sources and the Drew family has long objected and labeled the story as false. Harmon Drew actually studied under T. Harry at LSU and discussed the issue with the Professor. Harmon believes that Williams only talked to those in the Long camp and also strongly believes his grandfather would not have been involved in such a plot. Having done my Master's Thesis on John Sandlin, a contemporary politician to Drew and Long, I agree with Harmon. I find it unthinkable that the Harmon Drew I came to know through research would have been involved in such a plot.
On the other hand, I think Williams was correct in one way. I think there was a plot hatched by local anti-Longites who were friends of Judge Drew to assassinate Senator Long on that night. I think the presence of Long aide, Louie Jones of Minden, at that speech was precisely as Williams' believed, to allow Long's bodyguards to be able to locate the men in the plot and neutralize them before they could take action. That is basically what happened as the events unfolded.
Anyway, over my 27 years of seeking I came up with precisely one person who remembered that night and was willing to discuss the events. She told me in detail about what made a great impression on her that evening. Her parents had bought her an ice cream cone at the drug store and just as Huey started to speak, the top scoop on her cone fell to the ground. She was crushed. I guess that's what one can expect from the memory of a 10-year old. Now, nearly 77 years after the speech, I am convinced I'll never get a first hand account, I can only hope that someone shared with their family and the story emerges one day.
On a positive note, I'm looking forward to tonight's premiere of "Treme" on HBO. I was impressed by the clip I have seen where John Goodman's character is so angered by the journalist who suggest New Orleans should not be rebuilt. It reminds me of how we discuss in my Louisiana History class the role New Orleans filled as the 2nd most important city in this country in the Antebellum years and how ridiculous it was to suggest it not be rebuilt. Can't wait to see this Louisiana story.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Healing Wounds to Tell the Story
I can still remember 42 years ago tonight, as I sat watching Gomer Pyle USMC the dreaded "special report" interruption of the conclusion of the show. One of my first clear memories is that of Walter Cronkite interrupting Momma watching As The World Turns to announce the Kennedy Assassination while I sat in front of the TV playing. Since that time, any interruption of programming -- even in this day of the 24-hour news cycle -- chillls me because of that first memory. Of course, on that night 42 years ago the announcement was the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
In light of that anniversary and the death of Rodney Seamster, I felt I needed to express a problem that has bothered me for a long time. Perhaps this is a problem I shouldn't air publicly, but clearly I've not learned yet when to shut up. That problem is preserving the local record of the Civil Rights Era from the viewpoint of the black community.
I am a child of the Civil Rights Era. I grew up during the desegregation battles -- Blaine A. Gilbert et al v. Webster Parish School Board was filed during November of my 2nd grade year. As a result, in January, two months later, Beverly Hampton came to Mrs. Hortman's room at Richardson and sat across the aisle from me as one of the eight black children to first desegregate an all-white school in Webster Parish. (I even caught the Chicken Pox from her as a present for my 8th birthday.) More than 8 years later, as my 11th grade year at MHS began, we saw the merger of Minden High and Webster High as part of the "final act" of that law suit. My chosen field in graduate studies was the Civil Rights Era. Although I have shied away from writing about it much in the newspaper -- a mixture of cowardice and not wanting to "rock the boat" for the newspaper -- I have continued the research and am still wrestling with the process of writing a "real book" on the subject. Even if I never complete that project, the notes will be available for someone else to tackle that chore after I'm gone.
During my years of research I have become more and more troubled about how we will preserve the entire story locally. The "white" side can be written easily from the newspaper stories of the day, but the other side, the side of those fighting for their rights is not as easily ascertained. Until the late 1950s, the only mention of any news from the black community was Robert Tobin's column, "Negro News" that ran periodically in the local newspaper. I was made very aware of the total vaccuum of "black" news by two different situations that took place when I worked for the Webster Parish Library. The first was the problem that arose when contacted by descendants of black local residents seeking obituaries -- they simply didn't exist in local news until the 1970s. The second involved the athletic successes of Webster High School. I had a relative of Wilbert Frazier, the star Webster High basketball player who went on to Grambling and the ABA, contact me seeking information about Webster's back-to-back appearances in what was considered the national championship game for black high schools in 1961 and 1962. Scouring the Minden and Shreveport newspapers I was disappointed to tell him the only mention was a one-paragraph article in the local paper headlined -- "Wolves lose in Houston tournament."
Beyond the news blackout is another problem. Many of the senior citizens in the black community can still not bring themselves to trust a white researcher and black researchers have not really focused on our area. I understand the roots of that distrust. Personally I have run into problems because I have not taken a strong enough stance in my newspaper columns regarding those years. That creates doubts as to whether I will give the story a "fair shake" and whether it is worth sharing with me. Along with that is the idea that the "past is the past" and leave it buried. As a historian I cannot support that idea, all history, good or bad, if told fairly and factually is useful.
The depth of the problem was really driven home to me about three years ago when a historian from San Francisco State University contacted me as he researched a tragic historic event that took place here in Minden in 1946. At that time he planned to make a book-length manuscript totally about the Minden incident. I contacted several members of the black community and got them to agree to talk with the researcher. He came to town, talked to all of them, and essentially was given nothing to work with. Minden ended up being about a two-page discussion in his eventual book.
Every time I talked with Rodney Seamster, we discussed putting the past behind us and working toward combining local black and white history to tell the whole story. But Rodney had so many projects and I was frankly too lazy to push the issue. Now Rodney is gone. I am proud to report that through the work of Schelley Brown and the Dorcheat Museum we have made great strides in this area. Dr. Roy Phillips and Mr. James Smith worked for months compiling a black history project for the museum. Part of their research has already been used in exhibits at the musuem and more is to come. That project has done much to fill the void, but there is so much more that can be done.
The part that is most troubling is that we have a success story here in Minden. I know that many have felt I was being a trouble maker by wanting to discuss the subject. But in Minden we moved from a city that saw that horrible lynching in 1946, from being a commuity at the forefront of the investigations of the United States Civil Rights Commission, from being in a parish that was one of the first to be sued by the United States government for intentional voting discrimination, to becoming a community where today we have a "majority minority" City Council in a community without a "majority minority" population. Are we color-blind? Not yet, but we have made a quantum leap just in my lifetime.
Again, as I think of Rodney's death, I can't help but chide myself for not working harder and hoping that before I go I'll be able to help make progress in preserving the stories of our past in those pivotal years before all those who know the stories are gone.
In light of that anniversary and the death of Rodney Seamster, I felt I needed to express a problem that has bothered me for a long time. Perhaps this is a problem I shouldn't air publicly, but clearly I've not learned yet when to shut up. That problem is preserving the local record of the Civil Rights Era from the viewpoint of the black community.
I am a child of the Civil Rights Era. I grew up during the desegregation battles -- Blaine A. Gilbert et al v. Webster Parish School Board was filed during November of my 2nd grade year. As a result, in January, two months later, Beverly Hampton came to Mrs. Hortman's room at Richardson and sat across the aisle from me as one of the eight black children to first desegregate an all-white school in Webster Parish. (I even caught the Chicken Pox from her as a present for my 8th birthday.) More than 8 years later, as my 11th grade year at MHS began, we saw the merger of Minden High and Webster High as part of the "final act" of that law suit. My chosen field in graduate studies was the Civil Rights Era. Although I have shied away from writing about it much in the newspaper -- a mixture of cowardice and not wanting to "rock the boat" for the newspaper -- I have continued the research and am still wrestling with the process of writing a "real book" on the subject. Even if I never complete that project, the notes will be available for someone else to tackle that chore after I'm gone.
During my years of research I have become more and more troubled about how we will preserve the entire story locally. The "white" side can be written easily from the newspaper stories of the day, but the other side, the side of those fighting for their rights is not as easily ascertained. Until the late 1950s, the only mention of any news from the black community was Robert Tobin's column, "Negro News" that ran periodically in the local newspaper. I was made very aware of the total vaccuum of "black" news by two different situations that took place when I worked for the Webster Parish Library. The first was the problem that arose when contacted by descendants of black local residents seeking obituaries -- they simply didn't exist in local news until the 1970s. The second involved the athletic successes of Webster High School. I had a relative of Wilbert Frazier, the star Webster High basketball player who went on to Grambling and the ABA, contact me seeking information about Webster's back-to-back appearances in what was considered the national championship game for black high schools in 1961 and 1962. Scouring the Minden and Shreveport newspapers I was disappointed to tell him the only mention was a one-paragraph article in the local paper headlined -- "Wolves lose in Houston tournament."
Beyond the news blackout is another problem. Many of the senior citizens in the black community can still not bring themselves to trust a white researcher and black researchers have not really focused on our area. I understand the roots of that distrust. Personally I have run into problems because I have not taken a strong enough stance in my newspaper columns regarding those years. That creates doubts as to whether I will give the story a "fair shake" and whether it is worth sharing with me. Along with that is the idea that the "past is the past" and leave it buried. As a historian I cannot support that idea, all history, good or bad, if told fairly and factually is useful.
The depth of the problem was really driven home to me about three years ago when a historian from San Francisco State University contacted me as he researched a tragic historic event that took place here in Minden in 1946. At that time he planned to make a book-length manuscript totally about the Minden incident. I contacted several members of the black community and got them to agree to talk with the researcher. He came to town, talked to all of them, and essentially was given nothing to work with. Minden ended up being about a two-page discussion in his eventual book.
Every time I talked with Rodney Seamster, we discussed putting the past behind us and working toward combining local black and white history to tell the whole story. But Rodney had so many projects and I was frankly too lazy to push the issue. Now Rodney is gone. I am proud to report that through the work of Schelley Brown and the Dorcheat Museum we have made great strides in this area. Dr. Roy Phillips and Mr. James Smith worked for months compiling a black history project for the museum. Part of their research has already been used in exhibits at the musuem and more is to come. That project has done much to fill the void, but there is so much more that can be done.
The part that is most troubling is that we have a success story here in Minden. I know that many have felt I was being a trouble maker by wanting to discuss the subject. But in Minden we moved from a city that saw that horrible lynching in 1946, from being a commuity at the forefront of the investigations of the United States Civil Rights Commission, from being in a parish that was one of the first to be sued by the United States government for intentional voting discrimination, to becoming a community where today we have a "majority minority" City Council in a community without a "majority minority" population. Are we color-blind? Not yet, but we have made a quantum leap just in my lifetime.
Again, as I think of Rodney's death, I can't help but chide myself for not working harder and hoping that before I go I'll be able to help make progress in preserving the stories of our past in those pivotal years before all those who know the stories are gone.
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