This Week In Terrebonne History: September 25, 1940

Headlines

Much of the world in 1940s Terrebonne was concentrated on the growing European conflict that would become World War II. Local news was scarce but a few stories and ads spoke out, such as the opening of the "new and modern" Falgout Funeral Home (above) and the fact that the Houma Courier got a new phone number, the difficult to forget “342.” Don’t we wish our own phone numbers were as easy to remember?

Movies

The cinema had several offerings for the 1940 Terrebonne native. The Fox had Of Mice and Men starring Burgess Meredith (famous as Mick in the Rocky franchise) and Lon Chaney, Jr, also known as the Wolfman from Universal Pictures.

The Bijou was showing at the same time The Great McGinty. This political satire came from Preston Sturges, one of if not the first man to write and direct his own scripts, an unlikely act in early Hollywood.

Market

If you were looking to do a little sewing, sheer Alpaca fabric was on sale in Terrebonne in 1940 for 79 cents a yard. The same fabric today would cost you somewhere between $15-$400 per yard, depending on the quality.

This Week in Terrebonne History: Water, Water, Everywhere

Welcome to another addition of This Week in Terrebonne History! For this week we go back 25 years to look at some flooding, 50 years for more effects of Hurricane Betsy, and 75 years to see international news from World War II. All information is pulled from the main library's genealogy collection, specifically the Houma Courier microfilm archives.

History of Swamp Thing

With the Terrebonne Comic Con just a short week away (September 20, 2015, 2-5pm at the Main Branch), all the library is thinking about is superheroes and comics. When this library starts thinking about comics, of course we think about Houma's own superhero, Swamp Thing. We even made it into the comic itself, as you can see from Saga of Swamp Thing Vol. 2!

This Week in Terrebonne History: Weather and Worn

Image of Nazi planes over London

Welcome to another This Week in Terrebonne History! This week we have low temperatures, hurricanes, and all the prices for shoes and cars throughout the years! Everything was gathered using the microfilm collection of Houma newspapers found in the main library's genealogy room. Come down and look through them, see what you can find!

September 9-13, 1940 - Houma Daily Courier

Headlines

• "Mercury Hits 40-Year Low" - At a temperature of 31 degrees, Houma experienced its coldest September in 40 years.
• "Nearly 5,000 Use the Parish Library During August" - The library had great numbers in 1940, according to librarian Patricia Motte.
• "Special Rules for Traffic Announced" - Special paint was added to curbs and "Slow School" signs on Barrow Street to teach children to cross at crosswalks.

Movies

• The Lady in Question at the Bijou
• Gaucho Serenade at the Grand

Market

• A.M. and J. C. Dupont had shoes in all sizes from 89 cents to $5.00.
• Terrebonne Motors was selling a used 1937 Ford "85" for $323.

New Access Video On Demand Videos!

Are you a fan of documentaries?  Were you the kind of kid who couldn't wait for the teacher to show a film in class?  Maybe you're still that kind of kid?  If so, we have a great database for you.  Access Video on Demand offers over 18,000 informative videos and documentaries.  You can watch videos from the BBC, the History Channel, Ken Burns, PBS, Scientific American Frontiers, and many more.

Click here to be taken to this service! You'll need your library card to view!

Here are some examples of new videos in this collection:

This Week In Terrebonne History: Street Paving and Sports

 Let's reach back into our parish's history by grabbing headlines and other information, getting a little peak in to the way things were.

50 years ago... Friday, September 3, 1965

Headlines

• The above image is Elysian Fields School construction. Seems some flooding conditions where halting the work and water had to be pumped out before they could continue.
• The Terrebonne Parish School board voted to allow tire chains on buses conveying children from the lower Dularge area due to hazardous bayou conditions.
• A streets paving program costing $8 million began, allowing 44.85 miles of Houma roads to be paved in several phases over five years. The first phase included Morrison Avenue, Jefferson Davis Street, Sixth Street, Williams Avenue, Gum Street, and several more.
• New non-teacher salary raises were allowed for Terrebonne Parish School employees, including janitors, drivers, clerks, and secretaries. The only salaried mentioned were construction foreman who received $2.50 an hour and construction helpers who received $2.00 an hour.

At the Movies

• Shenandoah starring James Stewart at The Park
• John Ford's Cheyene Autumn at the Fox
• How to Stuff a Wild Bikini at the Bijou
• Disney's Monkey's Uncle and Bridge on the River Kwai at the Houma Drive In

At the Market

• Zenith Color TV for $359.95 at Houma Electrical Appliance and Furniture Co., Inc on E Main and Grinage Street
• The A&P had a 4lb cooked canned ham for $2.99 and a 1lb box of potato chips for 49 cents.