Another Puzzler

Some reading this blog may be aware of the many gaps in the collections of old Minden newspapers. The first local paper was published in the late 1840s, yet we have few issues preserved anywhere until 1878, when a five year run of one local paper exists in microfilm, then we go into a fifteen year gap until 1898. From 1898 forward, there are some papers preserved from nearly every year, but with some very "untimely" gaps at moments when significant events occurred locally.

Before last night, so far as I had known, prior to 1878 we had one or two issues of the Minden Herald from the 1850s, and nothing else (despite the fact that on a couple of occasions during the 1860s as many as three papers were being published in Minden.) While I was organizing my research plan for a Saturday morning trip to Hill Memorial Library at LSU, I stumbled across an item in the archival collection I had not recalled seeing before - a listing for a single copy of the Minden Democrat dated September 11, 1868. I have been a fairly regular researcher at Hill and I did not recall seeing that listing in my prior visits. The last time I had been to Hill was in the summer of 2008. Seeing this "new" listing, I made a note to add that item to the top of my research list for this morning.

This morning when I got to Hill and requested the item, the really puzzling part began. The catalog listing said that the issue was in a format I had never before seen in my research. When I asked the librarian what the format abbreviation meant, she told me that it indicated the newspaper was on a CD -- very odd. Almost all the newspapers in the collections at most archives are in either bound hard copy form or in microform where the copies were made from the hard copies in the library's possession. She, like me, had never before seen a newspaper archived in CD format. This issue of the Democrat was given to the LSU libraries in the form of scanned TIF images burned onto a CD. The library does not have and never has had the original paper copy. The year of donation is not clear, either, but I am almost certain (as certain as a confused old man can be) that this record was not part of the collection two and one-half years ago when I last visited.

To "get" a copy, all I had to do was simply copy the four images to my laptop and I am bringing them back home to read and enjoy. However, I have already submitted a request to the LSU libraries to see if they can tell me the source of the images. Somewhere out there, someone has an issue of the Minden Democrat in great shape that they chose to share with the LSU library. The historian -- or maybe just the plain old nosy person in me -- has to wonder who they might be and what other local history treasures they might own. I'm looking forward to getting home and working with the actual newspaper image, but I'm more excited over the possibility that this newspaper copy might open the door to more of our lost historical record emerging from the mysts of the past.

Wonders of Digital Documents

It seems lately every time I begin to research a topic I am amazed at the volume of digital documents that are becoming available and can be accessed and printed from one's computer desktop.

Yesterday, while researching on Ancestry.com, I stumbled across a relatively new listing for Confederate Pardon Applications. Intrigued, I ventured over and out of the 400+ Louisiana applications in the collection, two had obvious ties to Minden. One was that of John C. Chaffe, the emigree from England who became a prominent businessman in Minden and then moved to New Orleans where he enjoyed even greater success. He was a brother of Christopher Chaffe, Thad Andress' direct ancestor.  John Chaffe's appeal to President Andrew Johnson was brief and effective. A single letter resulting in a pardon being granted within a few weeks.

The second file dealing with Minden history was more involved and more fascinating. It was the pardon request of Gen. Thomas Moore Scott, of Homer, the namesake of Minden's Sons of the Confederate Veteran's chapter. Scott's road to a pardon took the better part of two years and many documents that contain tidbits and clues to local history. Probably the most "bizarre" is Scott's request for a recommendation from W. Jasper Blackburn, the "scalawag" newspaper publisher and Congressman from our area. Blackburn, the former editor of the Minden Herald during the 1850s and the editor of the Homer Iliad through the war years, was a staunch foe of the Confederacy. He even stood trial for a capital offense against the Confederate government. After the war, he became prominent in Republican politics and served part of a term in Congress representing Northwest Louisiana as a Republican. It was during this time that Scott appealed to Blackburn for help, and Blackburn complied, sending a very personal letter to the U. S. Attorney General in Scott's behalf. The strange part is that at this very same time, Blackburn's newspaper office was being vandalized by former Confederates in Homer -- where Scott was residing.

Not going to share any more, because this is obviously going to be fruit for future newspaper columns. But the sources one can now access, without leaving home, are truly amazing to someone who began doing this kind of research nearly 40 years ago in what now seems like the "Stone Age" compared to modern research. I think it makes the promise of understanding more about our past very exciting. I'm also reminded of a line in Ken Burns' Civil War, discussing the enigmatic nature of Robert E. Lee. That particular quote discusses Lee's penchant for not revealing his innermost feelings and says the General kept those secrets from the "picklocks of biographers." I have to wonder if one day the Internet and digitization (if that's a word) might well get past those locks and place hidden and forgotten documents at our fingertips to give us greater insight into Lee and other iconic figures of our history.

Germantown Colony Museum - Update

Secretary of State Jay Dardenne came to Minden today to swear in the members of the Board of the Germantown Colony Museum, returning a official local voice to the governance of the museum as it moves forward under control of the Secretary of State's office. He also annouced that finally, the architect for the planned Visitor's Center has been selected and confirmed, removing yet another stumbling block to starting work on the museum construction project. He expressed the hope that perhaps the Visitor's Center could be finished by the end of 2010.

I'm sure that's a very, very optimistic hope. This is a government project, with all the red tape involved, plus we are in a time of budget cuts that is going to cause much distress for all spending involving cultural promotion. In addition, the Secretary may well be moving up to become Lieutenant Governor after the fall election, which could cause further delay while the transition takes place and some staffers move on with their boss to his new job.

But with all that said, this is still excellent and exciting news. When the first shovel of dirt is turned on the project, of course, the news will be even better. Once a government project starts it seldom is completely abandoned. Seeing work underway will reassure some that still have grave doubts about the future of the Colony. Considering the rocky history of the Colony, those doubts are understandable, but I think the Colony is more secure than it has ever been, under state control.

At the top of this post is a picture of the Countess' Cottage at Germantown in May 1940, when the remains of the colony were in ruins. Today, after the intervention that began in 1975 with the generous donation of the Krouse family and the establishment of the Germantown Colony Museum under the Webster Parish Police Jury, things look very different on site. The deterioration was stopped and progress was made. But it was always a slow, unsteady progress, simply because of the scarcity and uncertainity of funding. I truly hope and believe that the placing of the museum under control of the State of Lousiana will one day create a positive change that will continue and enhance the efforts made since 1975 to preserve the remaining buildings at Germantown. The story of the Germantown settlers, their trials, tribulations, self-sufficiency and endurance is truly the story of the values and work ethic that made our nation great. (And that's coming from a bleeding-heart, liberal Democrat . . . . LOL!!!)

So, keep your eyes open for big things coming at the Germantown Museum.

(By the way, for anyone who read my earlier post about the consequences of Secretary Dardenne's possible rise to become Lieutenant Governor and its impact on the two museum systems in Louisiana, I did get to ask him that question this afternoon. He said it is something that is on his mind, and -- quite properly -- it is way too early to consider the consequences of him winning higher office. I am just very pleased, as a local historian, to see ANY state official show interest and support for local historical attractions. I appreciate his efforts and he might well get me to vote for him, even if he is a Republican -- sorry Gorman supporters, nothing against Chris if he does decide to run in the fall.)

Gleason's Crater

Back with another cry for help, hoping that someone who reads this blog might have some information to help on a longstanding question. Yesterday afternoon, after discovering precise directions on a GeoCaching site, I finally took a visit to Gleason's Crater, the big "hole in the ground"  near Shongaloo, caused by an oil field explosion in the early 1920s. The location still remains on the Federal contamination sites, but seems to be largely forgotten except by Shongaloo/Evergreen folks and the GeoCachers.

This was a tremendous explosion and the fire burned for either days or weeks, depending on who is telling the story. The explosion was felt as far away as Shreveport, again depending on who is telling the story.

That's the point of my blog today, I want to find primary source accounts of "the story." Within the space of two months late last year I was contacted by the Town of Sarepta, seeking information about the story to include in the new information kiosk being erected as part of the Scenic Biway program, and by a descendant of the Gleason family from Maryland, seeing if I knew anything more than when he had first contacted me years ago. My response to both had to be a plea of mostly ignorance.

The problem is that the explosion took place sometime in 1923 or 1924 (I think) during the period when the Minden newspapers are all lost. So, without a more precise date trying to find contemporary news stories is looking for a needle in a hay stack. It has been suggested that one locally published source has that information, and I'm hoping that someone here may know the date.

So, if you know when Gleason's Crater was created, let me know.

Climbing Your Confederate Family Tree

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.

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.

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."