Eric Brock's Shreveport
Today, Shreveport boasts the largest collection of important twentieth century buildings in the state of Louisiana, and is surpassed only by New Orleans in the number of locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Shreveport has also boasted a number of famous residents, from Henry Miller Shreve, who made the building of the town possible, to Hudie Ledbetter, known for his contributions to American blues music with songs like "Goodnight Irene." Writer, columnist, and Shreveport native Eric J. Brock has spent years documenting, collecting, and writing about this city, which was until the 1980s the second-largest city in the state. This collection of vignettes on the history of Shreveport follows its evolution from trading post to port town, and from the Confederate capital of the state to a bustling modern city.   Eric J. Brock is a lifelong resident of Shreveport and has written countless newspaper and magazine articles about the city's history. He is a graduate of Centenary College, and is an active member of a number of groups, including Historic Preservation of Shreveport, the Louisiana Preservation Alliance, and the Oakland Cemetery Preservation Society.