Preservationists Seek Help When Absalom Autrey loaded his family in a wagon in Alabama to move to the wilds of north Louisiana in 1848, he could not have imagined the log home he would build becoming one of the state’s architectural treasures. The large “dogtrot” cabin served as a family home in what is now … Continue reading Autrey House on Endangered List
Wesley Harris
RUSTON’S CHAUTAUQUA: Louisiana’s Cultural Epicenter
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Toma Lodge in Ruston is a quiet upscale neighborhood of fine homes, towering pine trees, and well manicured lawns. Right away, visitors note the subdivision is unlike most contemporary growth in which lots are razed to facilitate construction and then replanted with spindly trees and shabby shrubs, giving the landscape an … Continue reading RUSTON’S CHAUTAUQUA: Louisiana’s Cultural Epicenter
Tech’s First
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Rebel Oakes Led the Way to the Pros When you think of Louisiana Tech athletes who went on to play professional sports in the "old days," stars like Terry Bradshaw, George Stone, and Mike Barber may come to mind. Those Tech athletes from the 60's and 70's may not care … Continue reading Tech’s First
1955: COLD WAR COMES TO LOUISIANA
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent The year 1955 saw American consumerism skyrocket with the opening with the first McDonald’s Restaurant and the debut of Disneyland. Fast food, including the first TV dinners, and canned Coca-Cola attested to the growth of the country’s standard of living since World War II. Ownership of a car became the … Continue reading 1955: COLD WAR COMES TO LOUISIANA
The First Shots Of Pearl Harbor
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Most people who know about Pearl Harbor, the battle that brought America fully into World War II, believe that the Japanese attack was completely without warning. The common misconception is that the first indication of attack occurred when Japanese bombs starting raining from the skies. But before the planes of … Continue reading The First Shots Of Pearl Harbor
1944: Navy Saves Small Town College
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent In 1944, the Navy rescued Louisiana Tech and its football program. World War II turned collegiate athletics upside down as young men swapped athletic uniforms for military ones, joining the service to fight in North Africa, Europe and the Pacific. Louisiana Tech was not immune. Student athletes, who would have … Continue reading 1944: Navy Saves Small Town College
Flatboat Incident On River At Lake Providence
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Vigilantes Demand Immediate Justice for Murders by Rowdy Potato Boat Crewmen Although American railroads expanded rapidly after the Civil War, many goods were still transported through the nation's waterways. Barges loaded with coal, corn, cotton, lumber, and other goods and products moved slowly down the Mississippi and its tributaries to … Continue reading Flatboat Incident On River At Lake Providence
End of the Nightriders – Winn Parish Destroys Outlaws
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent After the Civil War, some men in Winn Parish banded together to form what was to be a home guard, serving as "regulators" to control the behavior of recently freed slaves and oppose the Republican government of "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags." Before long, some elements of the group turned to banditry … Continue reading End of the Nightriders – Winn Parish Destroys Outlaws
Marching Through Louisiana’s War History
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent North Louisiana’s Military Museums Exhibit Mementos of Area’s Participation One way to tour the great state of Louisiana is to plan stops around a theme. You can visit a selection of state parks, art galleries, or antebellum homes. A number of planned tour routes are available online, including at louisianatravel.com, a … Continue reading Marching Through Louisiana’s War History
West-Kimbrell Clan Terrorized North Louisiana
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent After the Civil War, some men in Winn Parish banded together to form what was to be a home guard, serving as "regulators" to control the behavior of recently freed slaves and oppose the Republican government of "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags." Before long, some elements of the group turned to banditry … Continue reading West-Kimbrell Clan Terrorized North Louisiana
Vigilantes Imposed Law in Post War Louisiana
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent March 12, 1872; Vienna, Jackson Parish, Louisiana Although every community in the South suffered deprivations and despair during the Civil War, some were spared the horrors of armies turning their cotton fields and pastures into battlefields. North central Louisiana, between Monroe and Shreveport and from north of Alexandria to the … Continue reading Vigilantes Imposed Law in Post War Louisiana
Fake News’ Is Not A Recent Development
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent C. C. Nash, Deputy Sheriff, Led Possie In 1897, when Mark Twain's cousin was seriously ill, reporters confused the two men,announcing the great writer had died. Twain famously responded,"The report of my death was an exaggeration." It was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that the … Continue reading Fake News’ Is Not A Recent Development
Matt Woodlief: He Was Deadly With a Colt .44
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Typical Lake Charles Area Saloon Some outlaws of the Reconstruction Era are still well known to those who read about the old west. Robbers like Jesse James and gunfighters like John Wesley Hardin and Bill Longley made names for themselves that live in infamy to the present day. Others who … Continue reading Matt Woodlief: He Was Deadly With a Colt .44
Mistrust of Justice Led to Lynching For Stealing
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent The end of the Civil War did not bring peace to Louisiana. Local and state governments, which had been controlled by white Democrats for decades, were held during Reconstruction mostly by the Radical faction of the Republican Party. To bolster local Republican loyalists, new parishes were created to provide them … Continue reading Mistrust of Justice Led to Lynching For Stealing
First, Let’s Kill All The Lawyers
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Louisiana Politics Wasn’t Always DirtySometimes It Was Just Deadly In Shakespeare’s Henry the Sixth, a largely forgotten character utters one of the writer’s most memorable lines: “First, let’s kill all the lawyers.” The oft-misinterpreted line was meant to praise attorneys and judges who impart justice in society. But in the … Continue reading First, Let’s Kill All The Lawyers
Ticked Off About Ticks
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Lost in the recent national controversies over the use of force by law enforcement are the sacrifices made by police officers in protecting their communities. Men and women sacrifice their lives each year chasing bank robbers and murderers but also while performing mundane tasks like checking on a stranded motorist. … Continue reading Ticked Off About Ticks
Post Cards Tell Our History
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent A community’s history can be recreated through the post cards issued to commemorate its locations, people, and special events. As I collected post cards from my hometown of Ruston, Louisiana, I realized the hundreds of images printed for the past century could tell the community’s history as easily as any … Continue reading Post Cards Tell Our History
Nightriders Claim Another Victim
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent The years following the Civil War were especially hard for newly-freed slaves. With no homes, no money, and no prospects, one can imagine the hopelessness that came with freedom. To help, President Abraham Lincoln advocated for a bill to establish an organization to assist freedmen. On March 3, 1865, Congress … Continue reading Nightriders Claim Another Victim
Villainy In Vienna
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent March 12, 1872Vienna, Jackson Parish, Louisiana Although every community in the South suffered deprivations and despair during the Civil War, some were spared the horrors of armies turning their cotton fields and pastures into battlefields. North Central Louisiana, between Monroe and Shreveport and from north of Alexandria to the Arkansas … Continue reading Villainy In Vienna
My Brother’s Keeper
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent A MAYOR and HIS MURDEROUS SIBLING They were born in County Clare, poor as the rocky Irish soil, and came to America for a new start after their parents died. One became a popular public servant, the other a brutish killer. Mayor Andrew Currie In 1849, Jim and Andrew Currie … Continue reading My Brother’s Keeper
Ruston’s Female Invasion
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent The recent efforts to integrate women into America’s combat units signify a far different attitude than the enormous resistance they faced during World War II. Female participation in the U.S. Armed Forces during the global conflict was a major turning point in the military’s relationship with women. Facing a worldwide, … Continue reading Ruston’s Female Invasion
A Train Robbin’ Bunch
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Eugene Bunch wasn’t just a train robber. He was “jovial, jolly and gay – a typical bandit, who thought his profession of road agent a brave and proper one,” according to the railroad detectives who chased after him. He reportedly tipped his hat to female train passengers and declined to … Continue reading A Train Robbin’ Bunch
Showdown In Ruston
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Gunfight Changed Railroad Town in 1898 John Tom Sisemore The conventional view of Louisiana history invokes images of genteel Southern chivalry rather than the hurly-burly associated with the rough and tumble Old West. Yet Louisiana experienced wild and woolly times in the 19th century, requiring the services of lawmen like … Continue reading Showdown In Ruston
Home Gardeners Helped Win Victory in the War
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent 1943. The world was at war. The needs of the American military diverted resources once devoted to building cars and feeding families to the war effort. People dutifully supported the fight by purchasing bonds, recycling scrap metal, volunteering, and knitting socks for soldiers. With much of the country's processed food … Continue reading Home Gardeners Helped Win Victory in the War
Man Fights to Bring His Brother’s Killers to Justice
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent After the Civil War, Republicans, with control of the federal bureaucracy and the military, took charge of local and state government in Louisiana and most of the South. Once the sole purview of the white Democrats, control of local politics was largely in the hands of those holding newfound power … Continue reading Man Fights to Bring His Brother’s Killers to Justice
Vermont Carpetbagger Barely Survives Resistance
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent In the years called Reconstruction after the Civil War, carpetbaggers and scalawags wrested political control of Louisiana long held by Democrats. Northerners who moved to the South to take advantage of the unstable social, financial, and political climate to make their fortunes were mockingly called carpetbaggers since they often arrived … Continue reading Vermont Carpetbagger Barely Survives Resistance
Stagecoach Once Ruled North Louisiana Travel
Wesley HarrisPiney Woods Journal Correspondent Long before railroads and superhighways crisscrossed America, boats and stagecoaches provided the primary means of commercial transportation. The Smithsonian Institution notes that mail contracts made up the bulk of the profits for most stage companies. The company awarded a contract from the postal service was the one most likely to … Continue reading Stagecoach Once Ruled North Louisiana Travel
Shiloh to Canaan 
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