News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 7/29/04   Click on image for publication quality photo “SHOWING” RAILROAD HISTORY – Samuel C. Hyde Jr., center, interviews eyewitness Roy Stewart, right, at the site of the famous downtown Amite railroad milk strike. The interview, filmed by Southeaster Channel videographer Pelle Ericksson, left, is part of the first episode of a new Southeastern Channel series, "The Florida Parish Chronicles." The first show, which debuts at 7 pm. Wednesday, Aug. 4, examines the formation of the railroad in Tangipahoa Parish. The Southeastern Channel can be found on Charter Cable Channel 18.  SOUTHEASTERN CHANNEL TO AIR “THE FLORIDA PARISH CHRONICLES”       HAMMOND – Florida Parish residents can find important pieces of history in their own backyard when they watch “The Florida Parish Chronicles,” a new series on the Southeastern Channel which debuts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4.       “The Florida Parish Chronicles” is a 30-minute documentary series, which takes an incisive look at the history and people that shaped the Florida Parishes. The show is produced by Southeastern Louisiana University’s educational access channel on Charter Cable Channel 18.       Wednesday’s first episode, entitled “The Railroad: Transformation in the Backcountry,” uses archival photographs and film footage to recount how the formation of the railroad in the 1850s catalyzed the development of current-day Tangipahoa Parish.       “Many Florida Parish residents might not realize the rich and colorful history that lies on their doorstep,” said Rick Settoon, general manager of the Southeastern Channel and executive producer of the series. “They might not be aware of the people and events which shaped not only decades, but centuries of life on the very property they own.        “We believe this series will put viewers in touch with their historical roots and help them appreciate the heritage of the area in which they live,” he said.       The series is hosted by Samuel C. Hyde Jr., Southeastern’s Ford Chair in Regional Studies and director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. A noted author and historian, Hyde has extensively studied the history of the Florida Parishes and has written books and television documentaries on the subject.       “The Florida Parishes remain the most understudied region of Louisiana, yet the territory has one of the most curious patterns of development evident in the Gulf South,” said Hyde. “The show will explore the complex and exciting past of our home region in a manner that both educates and entertains. Viewers are certain to learn a lot of history and have fun doing so.”       In the first episode, Hyde narrates a background segment on the formation of the railroad, and how it spawned economic growth and communities like Ponchatoula, Independence and Amite along its tracks. The segment also reveals challenges facing the early railroad builders -- from Civil War battles to the Yellow Fever epidemic and locals who found the new rail lines intrusive.       In a studio interview with Leon Ford IV, Hyde talks about the great 1930 train wreck in the town of Tangipahoa. The host also goes on location to points along the railroad to discuss various dramatic events and important historical moments with eyewitnesses.       Settoon said a new episode of “The Florida Parish Chronicles” will be produced every two months. Future episodes will cover a variety of Florida Parish topics -- from the birth and growth of cities and parishes to various ethnic groups, colorful historical figures, and dramatic historical and political events.