Joseph F. Polk was born in Columbia, Mississippi, on May 22, 1875. He married Marganie Langston—also of Columbia—in 1894. Polk attended the University of Tennessee to study medicine and, in 1898, moved to Slidell to begin his practice. Marganie became a teacher and founded one of Slidell’s first private schools.

Dr. Polk took the Hippocratic Oath in 1900. In 1901, he opened one of Slidell’s first drugstores. Early in his career, he rode horseback—carrying medicines and supplies in his saddlebags—to visit patients; as roads improved, he switched to horse and buggy. During World War I, he served as an Army doctor, then returned to Slidell afterward and purchased a Model T Ford to continue making house calls. He practiced until his death on March 22, 1958, when he was found behind the wheel of his car in front of his home, keys still in the ignition.

“Any hour of the night or day, he was never too tired to get away to come and relieve his folk of their pain.”
— Mrs. O. L. Scogin (Beadle)

A devoted churchman, Dr. Polk served as senior deacon and sat on the building committees for Slidell’s original First Baptist Church, the grammar school, and the high school. In 1909, he led the drive to accredit Slidell High School.

In 1950, on the 50th anniversary of his Hippocratic Oath, Dr. Polk was inducted into the Louisiana State Medical Society’s Fifty-Year Doctors’ Club. Medical Society President E. H. Lawson presented the award in recognition of his valiant and invaluable service to the public and his profession. Mayor Homer Fritchie proclaimed May 24, 1950, “Dr. Polk Day,” celebrated with food, music, and a long parade of adults, teenagers, children, and even the babies he had delivered over the years.

ABOUT THE SLIDELL HISTORY STROLL PROJECT:
The Slidell History Scroll is the Girl Scout Gold Award community service project of Sue Helen Ford. The project was inspired when her family participated in a walking history tour in Savannah, Georgia. Sue Helen is grateful for the support of her Girl Scout community, family, and friends, whose encouragement and hard work have brought this vision to life. Special thanks go to her 7th and 8th grade history teachers at Slidell Jr. High – Mr. Treadwell and Mrs. Caldwell – for igniting her passion for history.The narratives featured throughout the Slidell History Stroll were researched and written by Greg Scott, Curator of the Slidell Museum.