Smithridge Post WWII through the Present
Dublin Core
Title
Smithridge Post WWII through the Present
Description
After World War II, many residents lost ownership of their land due to exploitive lending by banks and private sources. The community suffered from inequality in allocation of resources, including education. African Americans had no opportunities beyond fifth grade until the state opened Southdown High School on the site of the former Naval Air Station in 1946. Even with a new building in 1952, the school was small and under-resourced. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the segregation of schools to be unconstitutional, however, many Louisiana school districts including those in Terrebonne delayed integration for years. In 1969, fourteen years after Brown v. Board of Education, the parish school district desegregated. Students transferred to the formerly all-white Terrebonne high school, and Southdown closed. However, Smithridge residents reported targeting by white administrators, leading to high rates of suspension and expulsion.
As the fight for Black civil rights continued, Smithridge residents successfully fought against discrimination in other areas, pressing the parish for a recreation center in the early 1960s and a new bridge in 1968. Even with these victories, Smithridge faced significant obstacles in the post-civil rights era. In 1972, South Coast closed and moved its sugar refinery to Guatemala. The local shrimp factory, which employed many Smithridge women, also closed in the 1970s. Some residents found work in the booming oil and gas industry. Even these individuals suffered through the 1980s oil bust. When the industry slowly recovered in the 1990s, many residents left for the shifting oil and gas work in west Louisiana and Texas.
Coastal erosion and the effects of flooding and hurricanes increasingly threatens Smithridge. Hurricanes have repeatedly impacted Terrebonne Parish. Yet, Smithridge has received little damage due to the elevation of the ridge and the wetlands and barrier islands. However, Louisiana has lost over two thousand miles of coastal land and 40 percent of barrier island land in the past century due to the building of levees and other flood-control structures, canals, and channels; drainage for development; and the increase in oil and gas fields.
Much of the wetlands and barrier islands protecting Smithridge eroded in recent decades. The parish government’s decision to pump water from communities north through Smithridge led to drainage problems and the overtopping of the bayou. In 1985, Hurricane Juan caused substantial flooding in Smithridge. In 2021, Hurricane Ida displaced many residents, and damaged and closed the school, churches, and the recreation center. The parish refused to repair the recreation center, and instead built a new recreation center outside of Smithridge.
The bridge, the only swing bridge in Terrebonne, remains an issue. The parish refuses to replace the bridge, even though engineers have deemed it structural deficient. Residents have advocated for a new bridge, the reopening of the recreation center, the construction of sidewalks, and other needed improvements. There is still a strong group of elders in Smithridge, such as Sterling Sims, Henry Knightshed, Keith William, Nolan Harris, Jr., and LeAudry Harris, that share the history and their experiences. We would like to thank them for sharing their stories and photos with us throughout this process.
As the fight for Black civil rights continued, Smithridge residents successfully fought against discrimination in other areas, pressing the parish for a recreation center in the early 1960s and a new bridge in 1968. Even with these victories, Smithridge faced significant obstacles in the post-civil rights era. In 1972, South Coast closed and moved its sugar refinery to Guatemala. The local shrimp factory, which employed many Smithridge women, also closed in the 1970s. Some residents found work in the booming oil and gas industry. Even these individuals suffered through the 1980s oil bust. When the industry slowly recovered in the 1990s, many residents left for the shifting oil and gas work in west Louisiana and Texas.
Coastal erosion and the effects of flooding and hurricanes increasingly threatens Smithridge. Hurricanes have repeatedly impacted Terrebonne Parish. Yet, Smithridge has received little damage due to the elevation of the ridge and the wetlands and barrier islands. However, Louisiana has lost over two thousand miles of coastal land and 40 percent of barrier island land in the past century due to the building of levees and other flood-control structures, canals, and channels; drainage for development; and the increase in oil and gas fields.
Much of the wetlands and barrier islands protecting Smithridge eroded in recent decades. The parish government’s decision to pump water from communities north through Smithridge led to drainage problems and the overtopping of the bayou. In 1985, Hurricane Juan caused substantial flooding in Smithridge. In 2021, Hurricane Ida displaced many residents, and damaged and closed the school, churches, and the recreation center. The parish refused to repair the recreation center, and instead built a new recreation center outside of Smithridge.
The bridge, the only swing bridge in Terrebonne, remains an issue. The parish refuses to replace the bridge, even though engineers have deemed it structural deficient. Residents have advocated for a new bridge, the reopening of the recreation center, the construction of sidewalks, and other needed improvements. There is still a strong group of elders in Smithridge, such as Sterling Sims, Henry Knightshed, Keith William, Nolan Harris, Jr., and LeAudry Harris, that share the history and their experiences. We would like to thank them for sharing their stories and photos with us throughout this process.
Baseball Stadium, Smithridge circa 1950s. Home of the Wiz Kids. Courtesy of Laudrey Harris.
Nolan Harris Sr., Harris Bar and Grocery 1955. Courtesy of Leaudrey Harris.
Snowstorm Smithridge 1957. Courtesy of Leaudrey Harris.
Wedding in Smithrdige, Circa 1950s. Courtesy of Leaudrey Harris.