BY BOB ANN BRELAND
THE DAILY NEWS
 BOOK SIGNING — First-time author Albert C. Williams of Gulfport is pictured at right signing a copy of his new book, ‘Bogalusa: The Magic City,' for Bogalusa Mayor Mack McGehee during a recent visit here. Advertisement |
Williams isn't a professional writer, but this quiet, articulate gentleman admittedly has a talent and enjoys writing. His words flow over the pages.
He met Ginn over 40 years ago when they visited in each others' churches and they became good friends. In earlier times Williams worked at the paper mill in Bogalusa but lived in Picayune. Ginn, who died last year, was a native Bogalusan who lived here for most of his life. Williams is a current resident of Gulfport.
With an avid interest in history, Ginn had gathered bits and pieces of local history while he taught school. He was especially well known for his knowledge of local Black history and apparently gathered it along with the other events in the interesting local history. Somewhere in their friendship, he shared his passion for Bogalusa history with Williams.
"He was a pack rat of information," Williams said. "He had some of everything. He had it all written down in good form and I put it in a readable format."
Williams' wife, Glaudette, was the proof reader for the book. Williams said he had tried to get it published before Ginn's death, but was unsuccessful. Since then he has been able to get the information in book form by self-publishing. The result is a gold mine of information about Bogalusa, both from the historical viewpoint and also with some of the local Black history that is missing in other books about Bogalusa.
"I felt this was important information and should be a part of Bogalusa history as well as something people would be genuinely interested in," Williams said. "It was too good to let it go to waste. He had a lot of genealogy, but Willie was about the last of his family."
Ginn was the son of Ellis Ginn and Ethel John Ginn Parker and he had only one brother, a twin. They all preceded him in death.
Ginn talked to Marilyn Bateman and got permission to use her sketches of old Bogalusa buildings in the book, such as the Pine Tree Inn, the old Bogalusa High School, the railroad station and others.
The book begins with the early history of the area and the Indians who resided in the area way before settlers came. It travels through the early settlers, black and white, and the booming and sometimes sporadic growth of the "Magic City."
Family records indicate that as early as 1790, American settlers from Mississippi tried to move into Washington Parish but were driven back by the Choctaw Indians.
The book includes the local involvement in many wars, including World Wars I and II, listing the names of local soldiers who took part in the infamous Bataan Death March, as well as naming heroes of various wars from the area.
There is a historical list of Bogalusa officials, some up to the 1970's and 80's; and various listings of officials in schools, hospitals, churches, industry, etc., as well as the history of many of the local organizations.
But the book is far more than a listing of names and offices. There's a lot of personal information about Bogalusa people over the years and events in the city's history.
One example from the World War I era:
Bogalusa's National Guard Unit, Company G, which had helped guard the Mexican border in 1916 during Pancho Villa's uprising found itself right back in action after the United States entered World War I in 1917. The unit was broken up, however and the Bogalusans who served in France did so with different units. Meanwhile the Great Southern Lumber Company devoted much of its production to timbers for warships.
Even without the war, 1918 would have been a bad year for Bogalusa. In October, 1918, schools in the city had to be closed for six weeks because of the Spanish flu epidemic which swept the nation. Mrs. John Chandler, a teacher, told of everyone in the city wearing masks. Hospitals overflowed and with the added misery of wet weather, kindling was distributed to homes by the mill. Neighbors left food and kindling on the porches of stricken families, not daring to come in. At the depot, Bogalusans could see baggage carloads of coffins carrying the bodies of servicemen, killed by flu, being returned to their homes.
The building of schools in Bogalusa is documented, noting the first was a five-grade school, established by the Great Southern Lumber Company when it began building the mill and the city in 1906. Later a high school was established.
The book tells about W.H. Sullivan, the first mayor of Bogalusa, dubbed an "empire builder" with his name closely entwined with the city's history. Bogalusa was a blueprint city from the start, It had been plotted by architects as to streets, buildings, industrial layouts and company living areas. It became a melting pot where workers were Blacks, whites, Irish, Italians, Italians, Poles and Jews, all who flocked to the "Magic City" which was talked about world-wide.
Williams notes that as Sullivan was known as the "Father of Bogalusa", his wife, Elizabeth Sullivan, was certainly the city's mother. William Sullivan was soft-hearted when it came to others' misfortunes and he was supported in this by his wife, who saw to it that people in dire need were taken care of. She organized a group called "Mothers Honors Commission", an agency that performed many charitable deeds.
The book reports that during World War I, Sullivan led the city in selling $95,000 worth of Liberty Bonds in one hour. In 1917, he offered to locate homes with responsible couples for a car load of orphans.
Many of the Black families came to the area as slaves of white settlers. With the end of the Civil War, some settled in the area near Lee's Creek. They lived together in clusters of cabins and ate together. They were born here as slaves and freed in 1865, a half-century before Bogalusa was born. There are many interesting stories involving the Black families, all researched by Ginn, who was descended from the original families. Additionally, there is also a chapter of written by the Rev. Eddie Arnold from remembrances told to him by his mother.
There is information about the company store, known as the "commissary". Men who worked for the company had a number and they or their family could shop at the Bogalusa Stores Company using the number, actually an early version of the modern charge card. Many times a worker discovered that he had no money when his check was expected because the debt at the store had been deducted. This was the usual practice among sawmills and other companies.
This is a well-known story, but the reason this practice was stopped is little known. It was ruled illegal when Franklin D. Roosevelt became President.
On and on the Bogalusa story continues, some of it heard before, some for the first time, and all of it interesting.
The paperback book was published the first of the year and is being distributed to book stores and other outlets, according to Williams. He said those interested in the book can contact the publisher: AuthorHouse, 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403, Att: Brad Collins; or call 1-800-839-8640. He said he believes the books are about $17.95.
He autographed one especially for Bogalusa Mayor Mack McGehee.
In the past, two known books tell the history of Bogalusa, including the earliest, "The Bogalusa Story," which is essentially the story of the Goodyears and the timber industry in Bogalusa. The other history was written years ago by the late Amy Quick, a teacher at Bogalusa High School. Both are out of print.
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