676. Frances Kolb Turnbell, 2

676. Part 2 of our conversation with Frances Kolb Turnbell about Spanish Colonial Louisiana. Frances recently published an important history entitled, Spanish Louisiana: Contest for Borderlands, 1763–1803.  What happens when a fading French colony is handed over to a Spanish Empire determined to impose order? In this episode, we dive into Frances Kolb Turnbell’s landmark book, Spanish Louisiana. We explore a Mississippi Valley that was far more than just a line on a map—it was a "fluid zone" where Spanish governors, defiant French colonists, Indigenous diplomats, and enslaved people seeking manumission constantly negotiated the terms of their own freedom. From the violent New Orleans Revolt of 1768 to the secret trade networks that fueled the American Revolution, Turnbell reveals how the people of the borderlands often shaped imperial policy more than the monarchs in Madrid ever did. Frances Kolb Turnbell is a historian of Early America and the Atlantic World with a specialization in the eighteenth-century Lower Mississippi Valley. She earned her PhD from Vanderbilt University and currently serves as the editor of the Tennessee Historical Quarterly while teaching at the University of North Alabama.

1. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today!
2. This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Gael Stirler. "The History of Beignets."
   "To Make Bennets" (quoted from The Book of Cookrye, 1584)
   Put butter and water over the fier in a faire pain, and when it boyleth put therto fine Flower and Salte, and so let them boyle, but stir them well for brenning, and when it is wel thick, put it into an earthen pan, then break Egs into it and boyle them so togither, than boyle a good quantitye of Butter clarified over the fire, and with a spoone put in your other stuffe and so frye them till they be browne, and that doone, serve them foorth with Sugar on them.
   
3. This week in Louisiana history.May 2, 1862. Gen Benjamin Butler's Order #28 is issued.
   
4. This week in New Orleans history. May 1, 1821: The New Orleans City Council officially designated Congo Square as the only place where enslaved people were permitted to gather and dance.
5. This week in Louisiana.
   Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival
   Parc Hardy, 1290 Rees Street
   Breaux Bridge, LA 70517
   May 2-4, 2026
   Website: festivalguidesandreviews.com
   Email: info@bbcrawfest.com
   Phone: (337) 332‑6655
   The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is one of Louisiana's signature spring celebrations, featuring live Cajun and Zydeco music, fresh crawfish dishes, and a lively family‑friendly atmosphere:
   
• Fresh Crawfish: Boiled crawfish, 'touff'e, pies, and other festival favorites.
• Music & Dancing: Cajun and Zydeco bands on multiple stages throughout the weekend.
• Local Culture: Arts, crafts, cooking contests, and events honoring Breaux Bridge's title as the Crawfish Capital of the World.
6. Postcards from Louisiana. Doreen the Clarinet Queen.