•Part 3
With alacrity, I continue with the presentation of the history of Washington Parish, written in 1948 by Herman J. Foil. While it may not be present-day, it is more applicable than one might think. The material offers a pretty picture of what life was like here in the 1940s - nonpareil - and for me, a golden opportunity, a segue of sorts. In the words of Mr. Foil:
"Washington Parish has a total area of 668 square miles, about 200,000 acres in cultivation and has an assessed valuation today over $16,000,000.00. The farm, milk, tung, pulp, paper, lumber, and other industrial development has made it the best Parish in the great State of Louisiana.
The total industrial payrolls in Washington Parish runs [sic] into the millions annually. Another payroll that is in excess of two million dollars per year comes from the milk industry. Tung, farming and lumber create great payrolls for our Parish and its people, as well as, many other things which we may overlook, or take for granted, unless we sit down and take an inventory of our community assets and resources. Let us now list here some of the benefits our people have received during recent years. The payrolls mentioned above have made possible the installation of Butane Gas for heating and cooking in many rural homes.
These payrolls have also made possible the installation of electric lights in many of our farm homes. Many of our people on farms have telephones, electric milking machines, and electric water pumps for their homes, dairies and farms. This water system has brought about the installation of bath room facilities that improved the sanitation problem of many people in our Parish. Therefore, many health problems have been overcome, but we have yet a long way to go to attain ideal health standards in Washington Parish. We are badly in need of a full-time Health Director for Washington Parish. Your Police Jury, Parish School Board, City School Board, and City of Bogalusa have been working during the past years to secure this full-time Health Doctor. It is the duty and responsibility of each Citizen to keep after this full-time doctor until it is a reality.
The total tax of 25-1/4 mills outside the City of Bogalusa, and 23-1/4 mills inside the City of Bogalusa, makes one of the lowest tax rates in the State of Louisiana. This low tax rate, together with ample labor and raw materials, should be an incentive for new industries to locate in our Parish. Any additional plants or payrolls will create more business and allow our boys and girls to come back home after their college days and get a job at home so that they can help make Washington Parish an even greater Parish in the future.
Washington Parish has an approximate population of 40,000. I am fully convinced that the grand people of our Parish in 1948 are more determined than ever before to work together on all progressive undertakings that will aid our Parish and promote the welfare of its people."
In his conclusion, Mr. Foil gave a political pep talk of sorts, quoting President Abraham Lincoln, "I am not afraid of all the Armies and Navies of the world. No power, or combination of powers, in the world can harm us from the outside (underlined). But what can hurt us are the powers from the inside (underlined)." Foil advised, "Let's all be ever watchful because eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty." After a section that I shall save for a rainy day, he concluded his document, as follows:
"We have just gone through a big political campaign in our Parish and State. We now have elected our officials to help carry on the affairs of our government for the next four years. The smoke of the political battles have cleared away, and I hope the wounds of this recent campaign are now completely healed and that we are determined to work together so that those who follow after us shall continue to enjoy the American way of life.
We are all more or less proud of our past records and accomplishments, but the past is now history. Let's begin the 130th year by turning our eyes toward the future and all of us today firmly resolve that 'we shall play our small part towards building a better Parish -- a happier and brighter tomorrow.'"
But before I conclude, Herman Foil's commentary on the Health Director caught my eye. Having embarked on a failed mission, several years ago, to write about the Washington Parish Health Unit, I gathered a bit of valuable information, recording it before the project tanked. It was through no fault of my own, or anyone else's. Too much sugar for a dime, as they say. When information does not freely flow like water from the spigot (it's complimentary in my neighborhood), I switch gears.
Yet, I received all my childhood inoculations at the Washington Parish Health Unit. Naturally, I did not realize how fortunate I was. Probably none of us did. Stay tuned for my follow-up column, Memories of the Washington Parish Health Unit.
