 |
Bienville Parish is rich in culture, history, arts and Blue Grass music. A drive along historic Highway 80 is an attraction not to miss. The color of the trees and the variety of wildflowers change with the seasons. Don’t be surprised if a deer crosses the road in front of you or if a rabbit sits watching from the side of the road. Soon you will enter Gibsland, an old town famous for its annual festivals including the Jonquil Jubilee. A Jonquil is a small flowering plant more commonly known as a daffodil.
At 535 feet above sea level, Driskill Mountain is the highest point in Louisiana. It is located in the northeast corner of Bienville Parish off Louisiana 507 and is open to hiking. It’s a short walk to the top up a well-defined trail. It is an adventure through history chronicled in kiosks located along the way. You will also be surrounded by the close-up beauty of North Louisiana. A variety of birds. high above in oak, sweetgum, pine and other trees, add their song to an otherwise quiet ascent to the top of the highest point in Louisiana.
There are a number of arts and cultural venues that you don’t want to miss!
Arcadia, the parish seat, is an historic town. Discover a great restaurant or shop for a treasure at one of our antique stores. The Arcadia Depot and Museum, home of the Arcadia/ Bienville Chamber of Commerce office, is a great resource that offers both informational brochures and a walk through the historical items that are on display.
The monthly Bonnie & Clyde Trade Days is a giant outdoor marketplace held just south of Arcadia. Did you know that the long arm of the law caught up with notorious criminals, Bonnie and Clyde near here in 1934? There are also two Bonnie and Clyde Museums here. Gibsland also hosts the Stage Coach Trail Museum at 2510 Highway 517.
The Bienville Depot Museum, located one block south of where highway 151 begins, was built in 1908 and is the only wooden depot in existence between Marshall, Texas and Jackson, Mississippi. It served as both a passenger and freight station. Today it houses the offices of the Chamber of Commerce and a museum, and also serves as a community center for all types of meetings, weddings, shows, etc. The museum contains a variety of exhibits; including arts and crafts from local artists of Bienville Parish. Visitors can also see historical papers and documents, photographs, railroad items, and military memorabilia from the 1930’s and 1940’s. The Depot is located at 2440 Hazel Street and 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Civil & Korean War Naval Museum, located at 153 Museum Road, is just off highway 151 and is located in a
rural setting, It is a spectacular display of over 100 handmade models of 30″ Civil War ships in lighted cases. Recently, Bill Atteridge, the curator of the museum, began the Korean War exhibit since he is a Korean War Navy Veteran. The museum is open to the public from Thursday thru Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 1:00 till 4:00 pm and is free of charge. Special tours are done by appointment. (318-263-8247) All 100 plus models were built from scratch, with many models constructed from only a written description (no pictures or sketches available). Bill has a large naval reference library for your research and study projects.
Exiting left off Hwy. 80 south onto La. Hwy 154 will lead you to Mount Lebanon Church and Museum, the site of the first permanent settlement in 1835. The Church was organized July 8, 1837, and has been in continuous existence since that time.
Continuing down Louisiana 154 takes a traveler to Lake Keplar and then Lake Bistineau, located near Ringgold, for great fishing spots. Ringgold, located along the old Military Road, is another historic town with many points of interest.
Jamestown and Castor are both gateways to the Louisiana Trail, a sixty-five mile recreational trail extending north from Sibley, to Winnfield, Louisiana. Four historical markers are located within a one-mile perimeter of Castor. Bienville Parish, created in 1848, was named in honor of the great French explorer, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Bienville, founder of New Orleans, and who, for more than a quarter of a century during the early French domination, became the first governor of the province of Louisiana. The first parish seat was the old town of Sparta, which is now one of the vanished towns of Louisiana.
You are in luck if you visit the Parish in July while the Saline watermelons are ripe and ready for picking. Saline’s Watermelon Festival is one of the best. Staged on the main street of the old town, it draws a large crowd each year. For details visit www.salinewatermelonfestival.com.
For more information: Arcadia/Bienville Chamber of Commerce, (318 263 9897) or www.arcadialouisiana.org
HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL SITE: Gibsland
Gymnasium/Agricultural/Home Economics Building, South Main Street and South 11th Street (not in use). Architect: Jones, Roessle, Olschner, and Wiener. Completed: 1930 (Original building.) Cost: $55,786. Historian’s Note: Preliminary plans drafted by Sam Wiener in July 1938. September 1939 assigned as Public Works Administration (PWA) Docket LA-1253-F for Bienville Parish School Board in Gibsland, Louisiana. Therefore could be an extension of the original building constructed in earlier 1930s under the Hoover Administration with the 1939 as an extension of the original work. Source: Sam Weiner Collection, LSU-S archives (083/AD115/blueprint).
