Historical Marker
At This Very Site
Bogalusa, Washington County · Louisiana
On November 22, 1919, the company town's hold on its workers turned deadly. Sol Dacus, a Black organizer, was building a union for Black sawmill workers, and the day before, company gunmen and members of the Self-Preservation and Loyalty League had attacked his home. White unionists walked with him. Four union men died, among them Lem Williams, Thomas Gaines, J. P. Bouchillon and Stanley O'Rourke, and accounts differ on who fired first. Dacus left for New Orleans with his family. The killings broke biracial organizing at the mill.
Where it stands
30.78300, -89.86760 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Bogalusa's Birthplace — steps away
- The Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church — 1.4 mi
- Robert "Bob" Hicks House — 1.5 mi
- Robert "Bob" Hicks / Robert "Bob" Hicks Street — 1.5 mi