Coffins Stacked Along the Bank of a Canal After the Hurricane of 1928, Belle Glade, Florida. Belle Glade, Florida, United States of America, 1928. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1928-09.] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670727/.
This photograph helps reinforce the devastation that the Lake Okeechobee hurricane brought to the area. As a supplement to Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, it can serve as a reminder that even though the novel is a work of fiction, it draws heavily from the real event.
From the LoC Notes:
“Just two days before the second anniversary of the Great Miami Hurricane that wreaked havoc in South Florida, another powerful storm made landfall in the state. The Category 4 hurricane caused at least 1,500 deaths in the Caribbean before making landfall in Palm Beach County on September 16, 1928. The storm resulted in an estimated $25 million in damage along Florida's Atlantic Coast, from Fort Pierce to Boca Raton. The greatest damage occurred inland, however, especially along the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee. As the hurricane passed over the large, shallow lake, intense winds pushed a wave of water over hastily-built farming communities. So devastating was the impact of the storm in this region that it became known as the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane. The destruction can largely be attributed to the drainage of the Everglades and its effects. In the decades before the storm, the state of Florida drained thousands of acres of wetlands in the northern Everglades. Commercial farming operations were established on the reclaimed land, and truckloads of migrant laborers were brought in to work the farms. Shoddily constructed homes and buildings accompanied the agricultural boom. These shortcomings were exposed during the hurricane of 1928. Estimates of the loss of life in the Lake Okeechobee region range from 1,800 to 3,500 people; at least 1,600 are buried in the Port Mayaca Cemetery alone. Because of the remoteness of the devastated area and the scope of the destruction, the true number of casualties will never be known. After touring the region after the hurricane, President Herbert Hoover initiated a project to build a massive levee to surround the lower half of Lake Okeechobee. The result was the Herbert Hoover Dike, measuring 85 miles (136.79 kilometers) long and 36 feet (10.97 meters) high. The dike held up during subsequent hurricanes in the 1940s” (Library of Congress).
The Okeechobee hurricane of 1928 was a deadly hurricane that killed approximately 3,000 people with the majority of the lives lost belonging to African American migrant workers. Zora Neale Hurston depicted the storm in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.
- What do you see in the picture? Be specific and objective; don’t ignore the obvious.
- What inferences can you make about who these coffins are for?
- In what ways does this image reinforce Hurston’s depiction of the everglades?
New York State Next Gen ELA Standards
11-12W6: Conduct research through self-generated question, or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate. Synthesize multiple sources, demonstrating understanding and analysis of the subject under investigation.
- After learning that the events of Their Eyes Were Watching God were based on a real event, students can be introduced to this image and conduct research into the Lake Okeechobee hurricane.
- Research: Students can research the Lake Okeechobee hurricane and/or modern hurricane events/preparation.
- Imagery: After viewing the photograph, students could describe the scene in writing, potentially with a more specific focus on imitating Zora Neale Hurston’s style.
- Memorialize: Invite students to propose a memorial to honor the lives lost during this disaster. What might they include as symbols to commemorate the event?
- This photograph may invite challenges because of its obvious connection with death, but more importantly because of how those deaths occurred and whether or not students are invited to consider who is most responsible for those deaths.
- Logs Leveled by 1938 Hurricane could be an alternative to the coffin picture. This shows the natural destruction side of a hurricane rather than the human side.
- After Great Hurricane of 1896. This image captures some of the devastation of an earlier Florida hurricane and includes survivors standing on the wreckage.
- Historical Marker Database: This is a marker erected to commemorate the tragedy.
- This 2018 article by NOAA discusses the 90th anniversary of the tragedy.
- Claiming a Space: This full-length PBS documentary investigates Zora Neale Hurston’s life, especially the role of anthropology in her writing.