Robert and Webster Johnson: Running at Rabbit-Speed on a World Stage

 By the time they were in college, “Track and Field News” called Webster and Robert Lee Johnson the fastest brother-duo in the world. The magazine actually noticed them while they were still in High School – “tiny” Princeton High School, the journal noted, an African-American school in the Haughton area of Bossier Parish where the brothers were in the class of 1964.

Robert and Webster Johnson

Small-town and small-school life had some advantages for the speedy brothers and Princeton “Dragons”. The brothers said they got so fast by chasing the rabbits running in their uncle’s cotton fields off-season. And John Crockett, Princeton’s coach-of-all-sports, track, football and basketball, was all business. He worked hard to push them because he got the initial impression they could have run faster but didn’t because they had no competition --- except for the rabbits, who can move at speeds of 35-45 mph. According to Robert Lee, the cottontails would stop and let them catch up.

A “Shreveport Journal” article about coach Crockett’s training for Robert Lee and Webster Johnson described an intensive regimen. When they could practice inside, they’d work on baton passing, their starting form, coordinating their arms and legs, jumping rope, isometric contractions, weight lifting, and running up the bleachers and walking down them to condition their legs. Outside, he’d have them do the “fox trot”, a running exercise to get them to bring their legs up higher, and have them alternate running both shorter and longer distances.

Some cross-training in football probably didn’t hurt either. In a small school like Princeton, it was “all hands on deck” for all sports. Princeton was famous for its multi-sport wonders. There were only about 140 boys in grades 9-12, so the Johnson brothers were members of the football team too, where Coach Crockett put their running skills to good use in the game, and made sure they got plenty of running practice for track while at football practice.

A major disadvantage that Coach Crockett managed to turn into a positive was that Princeton, nor any of the African-American schools in Bossier Parish had an outdoor track (and none in the region had an indoor track). Crockett, as the basketball coach, would take the track team along in his own car to basketball games at Shreveport’s Booker T. Washington High so the runners could use the urban school’s outdoor track in preparation for track competitions. He also frequently took them to Grambling State University when he refereed the basketball games at the historically black university about 60 miles away from Princeton. There, not only would the Princeton boys get to run on a track, but they would get to run with an Olympian! One of the members of the Grambling team, Stone Johnson (no relation to Robert Lee and Webster) had competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, and was known as one of the best sprinters in the world. He practiced right alongside the talented high-schoolers.

In their senior year of high school, Robert Lee Johnson brought the state record for a quarter mile down to 48 seconds flat. Webster had a state record of 21. 5 seconds for the 220-yard sprint. (U.S. sports associations didn’t switch to metric standards until the 1970s). The brothers also set a record for high school mile relays on their relay team of four at 3:21.2. These times are especially outstanding if you keep in mind they were achieved on cinder block or dirt tracks, not the all-weather rubberized ones of today.

Where the brothers really hit the big time was when they chose to become “Jaguars” at Coach Crockett’s alma mater, historically black Southern University in Baton Rouge. At Southern, Robert Lee and Webster ran for coach Dr. Richard Hill. Coach Hill ultimately became legendary, but 1965 was his first full year as coach of the team, and what a year it was. In 1965, the Jaguars gained international attention as a team at the Millrose games in the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City, where the mile relay team of Webster and Robert Lee, Grundy Harris, and 1968 Olympian Theron “T-Bird” Lewis made the mile in 3:16.8, tying for a world record with Villanova University. Also in New York, at the Knights of Columbus meet, they won the mile relay in 3:16 followed by getting the top times in Boston, Baltimore, and Detroit.

Southern’s one mile and 880-yard relay teams were ranked first in the world by “Track and Field News” and Robert Lee was featured on the cover of “Track and Field News” in July of 1966. “Ebony” magazine did a five-page article and photo essay on the team, “Southern U. - New Kings of Track.”

Robert Lee graduated from Southern in May of 1969 and Webster graduated in January of 1970. Robert Lee joined the army, where he also competed as a runner. Webster tried out for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Robert Lee tried out for the 1972 Olympic team. Neither of them made it, though they continued to hold multiple national and international records. For more Bossier Parish sports history or school history, stop by the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center at 2206 Beckett St, Bossier City, LA. We are open M-Th 10-8, Fri 10-6, and Sat 10-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org

For other fun facts, photos, and videos, be sure to follow us @BPLHistoryCenter on FB, @bplhistorycenter on TikTok

Article by: Pam Carlisle

Castle of Dreams on the Hill

Giddens Castle c 1931

In 1931 a Shreveport businessman named Tandy Key Giddens purchased 40 acres of land known as Reed's Hill in Princeton. He erected an observation tower on the highest point of the property that looked like a castle. The design of the building, known as Giddens Castle, was inspired by a fourteenth-century German medieval castle on the Rhine River.

The stucco-covered frame building was four stories high, the first two stories forming a cross and the last two being octagon-shaped. On top was a flagstaff and sighting turret easily accessed by a winding stairway. Giddens' purpose of his tower was that "people from all over the country could gather and enjoy the scenery." On a clear day, one could see into two adjoining states, Arkansas, Texas, and several parishes in Northwest Louisiana From the tower.

Several weeks after the castle was completed, Giddens estimated between 15,000 and 20,000 people visited the castle. The crowds were attributed to newspaper accounts of the tower. While visitors came to look at the beautiful scene provided by nature, they also got to enjoy Giddens' collection of fine arts and antiques from around the world. His collection included chandeliers from the court of King Louis XVI, an ancient lamp post from the garden of Jerome Bonaparte of Paris, a painting by Crimoux, and helmets worn by Napolean Bonaparte's officers.

Paul L. Carriger, 1961. Photo by Jack Barham

Often referred to as the "castle of dreams," a fitting name since building the castle was a dream come true for Giddens, and it housed the dreams of others. Including the dream of Paul L. Carriger, who created and operated an experimental radio and television laboratory. It was the first short-wave station in the south, licensed to transmit both sound and picture. Station W9XX went on air with its first test program on Dec. 1, 1931, but it took a couple of months before they transmitted their first television pictures. The station was on the ground floor, and the transmitting laboratories were on the second floor.

According to Carriger, they "were able to transmit picture over a radius of about 100 miles during daylight hours." Having the only receive in this section of the country, making it challenging to test ranges farther than that because they would have to drive the receiver to the selected location and then return to the castle to perform the test.

However, they could receive pictures from such distances as Kansas City, Chicago, and the Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana. Carriger was proud that "the pictures they transmitted with their equipment were perfect television pictures with no ghosting effects or fading." Unfortunately, Paul was a bit before his time, and due to a lack of public interest and financial and technical resources, the request for a station permit was denied.

Giddens Castle after additions made for night club c1935

A couple of years later, developers built an addition to the castle, creating a large and luxurious nightclub for the social elite. The nightclub changed hands and, at one point, was under investigation for allowing gambling. Club Castle was the last nightclub before going up in flames in 1936. The antique chandelier from Louis XIV of France was hanging in the ballroom and destroyed by the fire. Thanks to quick action taken by those on the scene, a large portion of Giddens' collection survived the fire as they were housed in a nearby building.

Today, this area is commonly referred to as Giddens Hill and is now home to Hilltop Campgrounds & RV Park.

By: Amy Robertson

U.S. Postal Service and Bossier Parish

First US Postage Stamps, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, issue of 1847, 5c and 10c

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin greatly influenced how the postal service operates today in the United States? His work in postal services began in 1737 when the British Crown appointed him as the postmaster of Philidelphia. Franklin was dismissed as postmaster in 1774 because the British Crown felt he was too sympathetic to the colonies as he vocalized support for their independence.

On Jul. 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general of the United Colonies. The Declaration of Independence created the United States in July 1776, making Franklin the first postmaster general of the United States.

The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution were both written to ensure the vital services were preserved. In 1792, President George Washington signed into law the Postal Service Act, which established the United States Post Office Department as a permanent part of the Federal government.

General Jean Pierre Baptiste Bossier
Charcoal drawing by John J. Audubon, Nelson
Museum, Kansas City.
Patrick D. McAnany Collection: 2001.044.001

Louisiana’s first post office was established in New Orleans in 1804. It wasn’t until 1843 that Bossier Parish was carved out of Claiborne Parish, and that same year General Pierre Bossier began his term as a congressman for Louisiana’s fourth district. According to the official Bossier Parish historian, “One of the first actions taken in 1843 by the newly elected General Bossier in the U.S. Congress was to obtain postal service for his namesake, Bossier Parish.”

General Bossier introduced a bill to authorize a survey for a postal route from Shreveport to Bellevue by way of Willow Chute and on up to Conway, Ark. Unfortunately, General Bossier died of tuberculosis just 13 months into his term, before his efforts for a postal route were realized.

The first post office in Bossier Parish was established at Red Land on Nov. 20, 1846, with Jerome Bonaparte Mading serving as the first postmaster. After nearly 63 years in service, the post office in Red Land was discontinued on Apr. 15, 1909.

This year, the Benton post office celebrates its 150th anniversary as the oldest post office in Bossier Parish; it was established in March 1870 with Elias O’Neill serving as the postmaster. Through the implementation of the Rural Free Delivery, postal mail was delivered to Benton residents, beginning in 1907 before this time residents had to travel to the post office to retrieve their mail or pay a private delivery service.

Unidentified postal carriers for the RFD (rural free delivery) in Plain Dealing C. 1910
Buelah Findley Collection: 1997.054.054

Another fascinating part of postal history in Bossier Parish can be discovered in the Apr. 17, 1913 issue of The Bossier Banner, where the following article appeared.

“Our fellow townsmen Mr. Edwin W. Doran has been granted a patent on a mail box indicator. The device accurately indicates the last hour the box was ‘robbed’ by the postman, thus serving as a convenient guide to the public when wishing to post letters. It is particularly intended for use in cities, but would be practical anywhere. Mr. Doran has received encouraging communications from the postmaster general and others regarding his patent and he will no doubt later reap considerable pecuniary gain from it.”

Bossier Parish currently has seven post offices located in Benton, established 1870; Bossier City, established 1891; Elm Grove, established 1902; Haughton, established 1884; Plain Dealing, established 1888, and Princeton, established 1910.

The History Center is excited to announce that our branch of the Bossier Parish Library System will be re-opening our doors to the public this Monday, July 6. Until then, we are here to answer your calls and emails. What do you want to know about Bossier Parish History? Email history-center@bossierlibrary.org or call us at 318-746-7717.

By: Amy Robertson

L&A Railroad Establishes Princeton

Mrs. Perry at the Central Point South Princeton train sign in Princeton, La, 1996.
Kenneth R. Perry collection: 1998.048.003.

In the early history of Bossier Parish, the steamboats and later the railroads influenced the movement of the populace. Communities like Fillmore and Bellevue suffered because they were not selected as depots when the railroads came in 1884 (VS&P) and 1888 (Cotton Belt), respectively. Likewise, Haughton, Benton, and Plain Dealing grew because they did become depots during that time. In 1909 the L&A Railroad was built establishing Princeton as a depot. The first train passed through on November 2, 1909.

We can’t be confident as to how Princeton got its name because there are at least two different accounts. Both accounts agree that the community was named for early settler Joseph Wilson Prince, Sr. It has been written that Princeton was named when it was established as a train depot. One account is that Joseph’s wife Dollie McDade Prince was given the honor of naming the community for the sake of the train depot. Her first choice was Princeville. Since this name was already in use at another train depot, she decided on Princeton and was quoted as saying, “Princeton is a pretty name.” However, Joseph Wilson Prince, Sr.’s great-granddaughter, Dorothy Watson Glover, believes that Ella Cooper Watson named the community after her beloved deceased stepfather, Joseph Wilson Prince, Sr. (1833-1902).

The railroad caused the little community of Princeton to change from being just a quiet farming community to a bustling railroad depot community. On March 24, 1910, it was announced in The Bossier Banner that Mr. Burge of Minden was erecting a store.

In an article found in The Bossier Banner on August 11, 1910, the writer describes Princeton as having “a store, a freight room, and several residences,” but not a post office. The writer notes, “things bear the appearances of being exceptionally busy during weekdays for a little flag station.” He also writes that Mr. F. E. Burrage served as the ticket and freight agent for the L&A while running his store and raising chickens. Bellevue sawmill was one of Burrage’s freight customers shipping thousands of feet of lumber, such as pine cross ties and piles. “A number of the piles, sixty feet in length and skinned from end to end ... were consigned to the creosoting plant in Bossier City and will later be shipped to West Texas, where they will be used in the construction of a new railroad.” The writer finishes by opining that, “Princeton is admirably located to become a trading and shipping point of local importance and no doubt it will develop into such within the next year or so.”

By September of that same year, the first Post Office was opened at Princeton with Allie J. Burrage as postmaster. On January 31, 1919, the post office was discontinued in Princeton with all mail being sent to Haughton, but it was re-established on October 30, 1922, with Clara M. Crawford as acting postmaster.

Over the next few years, Princeton continued to grow. By 1914 it had a sawmill that was producing about “20,000 feet of lumber daily.” Their railroad depot went from being a “little shack” to “a large and commodious depot.” An express office was planned along with the promise of telegraph and telephone facilities. A new school building was constructed and filled with new desks and equipment. “Land in and around Princeton was beginning to be hard to find.” And apparently so were wives according to an article by an unknown writer in The Bossier Banner on March 5, 1914, “Princeton can boast of a high, salubrious, free-from-malaria atmosphere, of an intelligent, broad-minded and progressive community, and six or seven of the handsomest, most industrious and good all-around young bachelors that can be found anywhere. If you girl readers doubt this last statement come and see for yourselves.”

By the beginning of 1915, the cross arms and insulators arrived for the telephone lines which were run by Cumberland Telephone Company in April. Finally, the telephone box was installed in May, making it possible for the Princeton community to communicate with the outside world via telephone.

To learn more about Princeton or Bossier Parish history, visit the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center at 2206 Beckett Street in Bossier City.

Note: The History Center's collection database could use more historical photographs etc. of Princeton, La. If you have any you would like to donate; please contact the History Center today (318.746.7717). If you do not wish to part with your photographs, but would like to share them, we are happy to scan them to add to our collection.

By: Amy Robertson

Bossier Bios: Dr. S.E. Prince

Dr. Shea Edward Prince was born in the Bossier Parish town of Princeton (yes, named for his family!) on August 8, 1869. He was the son of Joseph Wilson Prince and Virginia Alice Locke Prince. He went to school in Bossier Parish and was a resident student at the Shreveport Charity Hospital in the early 1890s, where he worked with Superintendent Dr. T.E. Schumpert. He continued his education at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated in 1896. He returned to Northwest Louisiana and married Pauline Trigg in March of 1899. Prince’s marriage announcement in the Bossier Banner notes that he is a prominent and popular young physician. He practiced medicine in Bossier, Webster, Ouachita, Caddo, and Sabine Parishes. During World War I, Prince was medical examiner for the Bossier Parish draft board. Shea and Pauline had three daughters: Emmaleen Virginia, Helen Beverly, and Hallula Sue.  

In addition to his medical practice, Prince was very involved in the banking industry. He organized and served as president at the Noble State Bank in Sabine Parish. He founded the Bossier State Bank and was also president of the Plain Dealing State bank. On February 6, 1941, Prince had been at the Bossier State Bank as usual, and then spent the evening with his family at his home in Shreveport. He suffered a heart attack later that night and passed away. 

Bossier History: Tornado Strikes Princeton in 1957

The January 24, 1957 issue of The Bossier Banner-Progress reported on a tornado that struck Princeton.

“Three persons were killed and nine injured in a tornado which struck in a farming community of Princeton Tuesday morning at 11 o’clock.”

“All of the dead were Negroes and were dead on arrival at hospitals in Shreveport.”

“The dead were Allison Law, 66, and his wife Mary Ann Law, 68, and Ruth Bradford, 6 year old Negro baby.”

“The injured hospitalized were all Negroes of Princeton.  They were Barbara Stinson, 8, fractured hip, condition serious; David Washington, 60, fractured hip, condition serious, Charles Bradford, 4, possible head injuries, condition fair; Bernice Bradford, 26, mother of the dead baby, head injuries, condition fair.”

“Eddie Brutus, 56, back injury, condition undetermined, Josephine Johnson, 64, lacerations, given emergency treatment and discharged; Gusspie Platt, 45, head laceration, not serious; Vernon Lee Woods, five, head injury, condition satisfactory.”

“J. J. Thomas, white, of Princeton, suffered minor injuries but was treated by a physician and not hospitalized.”

“The dead and injured were all rushed by ambulance to Confederate Memorial Hospital with the exception of the Woods baby, who was hospitalized at Minden, and Thomas.”

“The storm struck with fury and during a heavy downpour of rain several homes were destroyed and the twister narrowly missed the Princeton school which has 800 students in elementary and high school grades.  Had it struck this building the damage might have been enormous.”

This Louisiana State Trooper holds a kitten, the only survivor from the Law household.  Photograph courtesy of LSU-Shreveport Archives and Special Collections, Noel Memorial Library, Henry Langston McEachern collection. Please do not reproduce image without permission.