Friday, August 8, 2008

"How Y'all Doin?"

Updated July 3, 2010

 
In these electronic pages you will find a rich history of a rural community where the cultures of Acadians, Creoles, and Midwesterners merged on the prairie of Southwestern Louisiana. This version of the history of Hathaway, Louisiana, is an accumulation of research from various print, web, and personal resources.

Much of what is written though is based on the research and writings of Esther Koll Reeves, who has her story of the History of Hathaway published in a display case in the front foyer of the current Hathaway High School. I was given her notes and drafts by her family to help me in my quest. I have recently redoubled my research efforts and renewed old childhood contacts and made several new contacts in the Hathaway community. All whom I've contacted have been so forthcoming with assistance and hospitality. I so appreciate your help. Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Doucet and Mr. and Mrs. Miller for their enthusiastic support.

I chose to write on the history of Hathaway because I went to school there as a kid. I moved away in high school and years later began to reflect back on the school I attended but could not visit. It burned down after being hit by lightening. The community's fight to rebuild the school rather than consolidate into a nearby school system intrigued me. I wanted to save the memory of the old school building. To do this I needed to know where it came from. The rest is history...

It has been a tremendous journey so far. I look forward to sharing with you what I have learned and continue to learn. If you find any information on these posts to be inaccurate or would like to add information, please post a comment and edits will be made.

Because my research is ongoing, I often edit existing posts—either by rewrites or adding content. Because sifting through content to find new edits is not a preferred use of time, I have begun including a "Last Updated" line at the beginning of each post that I edit. I have also included a "Recent Updates" section below to steer returning readers to new content. I will keep update entries posted for three months. Enjoy!

RECENT UPDATES

December 2009


-After a long hiatus, I have returned with a new entry profiling Orville Phenice. Many thanks to Ms. Thurmon Strickland for giving me the opportunity to use the information she had written on her parents to build this profile of a farmer from Hathaway. I hope the time until my next post is not as long as the last.

-Renamed the previous Construction of Hathaway High School entry to Hathway High School (1939-1989) and added (1) a photo of Hathaway High School circa 1940, (2) information on the faculty and courses for 1940, (3) information on notable faculty from the 1940's and 1950's, and (4) the story behind the "Ag" building.

-Renamed the previous Hathaway High School (1939-1989) entry to Over Hathaway Over the Years to match the aerial photos and descriptions in the entry.

-Added a photo of Elton circa 1947 to the Elton post.

-Added comprehensive detail to the School Days of Old post.

-Added content for a comprehensive history of the early years in the Jennings post.

-Reposted the Federal Census of Hathaway for 1920 and 1930 through a document sharing site in the People of Hathaway post.

March 2010



-Added a detailed article to the China post on the W.H. Tupper farm in China from the year after he was named a "Master Farmer."

-Added greater detail to the faculty of Hathaway High School in the 1940's and 1950's to the Hathaway High School (1939-1989) post.

June 2010


--Added details on the course of the fire that destroyed the Hathaway High School building (1939-1989) and the firefighting efforts that fateful day to the Fire post.

July 2010

-Added content for a comprehensive history on farming rice to the Rice farming post.


2 comments:

LJensen said...

Hi there fellow Hathaway person! Who are you? Do I know you?... Of course I know you, as every one from Hathaway knows one another. (at least in the Old Days we did. You know me since I am mentioned on your blog. I've looked through several years of THE HORNET, so I have an idea. What year did your classmates graduate? Hmm, very interesting blog. I know of a few historical mistakes. E-Mail me and we'll talk about it! Lynette

Anonymous said...

Interesting to see this much info in one spot on Hathaway.

The Info you refered to at the end is from my Grandmother (Esther Koll Reeves) I grew up next door to her and spent much time with her and her sisters. There is much more pictoral history of the Koll family that relates to the production of Rice in the area. It was neat to listen to the stories of the "old days" and to look at the pictures. Although much of this info was lost on a youngster some things stuck. There are still many people around who can relate some of that history.

You are welcome to contact me @
chrisareeves@yahoo.com

Chris Reeves