Stories by author "Laura M. Hughes": 14
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Site 9: St. Roch Cemetery — The Society Tomb: Screwmen's Benevolent Association at Work
Today, the Society Tomb of the Screwmen’s Benevolent Association in St. Roch Cemetery No. 1 stands as the only known public monument in New Orleans to the screwmen who once played such an important…
Site 10: Fort Proctor — The Screwmen's Guard: The Screwmen and the Civil War
Fort Proctor looms on the horizon, like a castle rising from the choppy waters of Lake Borgne.
Site 3: The Bend in the River: A Post Civil War Labor Strike Unifying Black and White Workers on the Docks: Race and Unity on the Crescent
The port is, and was, the lifeblood of New Orleans. However, much has changed over the years. Sailors no longer dock steamboats, brigantines, and keelboats along the quay. Instead, container ships,…
Site 8: Screwmen's Hall — The Association's Institutional Home: Where It All Happened
It was the heart of where members debated the issues surrounding their trade. It was a place to get information, cast votes, and make plans.
Site 5: Louisiana Hose House — Responding to the 1865 Strike: A House for Hoses and for Meetings Too
A labor strike during Christmas of 1865 threw all port trades into turmoil and impacted the cotton industry tremendously. Shipmasters and stevedores met at the Louisiana Hose House to discuss the…
Site 2: Screwmen's Armory — The Screwmen Go to War: The Present Disturbed State of the Country
Young men filed in and out of the building at 14 Canal Street. Some stood around outside and discussed the latest news of the war or compared enlistment details.
Site 4: Tchoupitoulas and Thalia — A Neighborhood Unites: Port Workers Unite on Tchoupitoulas and Thalia Streets
On December 23, 1865, 600 longshoremen met at the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Thalia Streets to protest working conditions and discuss a wage increase.
Site 7: First to Third Streets — The 1894 Waterfront Riot: Murder Comes to the Levee
Gun smoke mingled with steam rising from smokestacks of British ships docked along the levee. Rifle shots replaced the usual sounds of the port. The rattling of carts and longshoremen singing shanteys…
Site 6: Second to Seventh Streets — The 1894 Attack on Black Screwmen's Tools: Masked Men Raid Ships
On October 26, 1894, 200 men gathered under the cover of night and descended on the port in New Orleans. Some wore handkerchiefs to obscure their faces. Others wore false beards and masks. Armed with…
Site 1: Jonte Equen's Home — The Birth of the Association: The Screwmen's Benevolent Association Organized
On the evening of November 18, 1850, 121 screwmen put down their jackscrews and emerged from the dark, cramped hulls that they had been toiling in since early that morning. They made their way down…
Allons Chez Tee Maurice: Tee Maurice Race Track and Dance Hall, 1902-1983: Furlongs and Fais Do Dos
The rhythmic sound of hooves flying across the dirt. The cheers of racegoers. The melody of a fiddle and accordion lingering in the evening air. Feet shuffling to a two-step or Cajun waltz. The voices…
The Legendary Carencro Raceways: From Dirt to the Derby
On Friday nights we would make a supper—a free supper—and people would enter their horses. After Cajuns have a few beers, their horses are faster and the women are prettier.” The celebrated Don…
The 440 Yard Journey: Cajun Downs, 1898-1998: The Foundation of Cajun Horse Culture
Barefoot and in your underwear. This is not how most people start an important journey...
Lâche pas la Patate: The Quarter Pole Training Center: The Remnant
A white sign with red letters tells you that you found the right place—the last operating bush track in the state...