Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Local Authors of Local History

HISTORY CENTER TO HOST BOOK SALE/BOOK SIGNING EVENT, "Local Authors of Local History," back by popular demand! Local and regional history and culture book sale and signing event held in conjunction with the Bossier Central Library complex open house. Light refreshments will be served.  Local authors will sign and sell their books with topics as varied as catastrophic weather events, haunted historic buildings, poems told from the varied perspectives of inhabitants at a Louisiana plantation to historic photographs of old Bossier. Call Pam Carlisle at 318-746-7717 or email pcarlisle@bossierlibrary.org for more information.
The Current List of Participating Authors. (Additional authors are anticipated and this list will be updated)
LOCAL AUTHORS OF LOCAL HISTORY August 9, 2016
Author List – Updated July 22, 2016

1.       Kevin Jones: Arcadia Press Images of America Series: Bossier City


3.       John Andrew Prime: co-author of Arcadia Press Images of America: Barksdale Air Force Base and contributor to Shreveport Sounds in Black and White and Legendary Locals of Shreveport  with Gary D Joiner PhD

4.       Dr. Roy Phillips: Exodus from the Door of No Return

5.       Copies of The Late Col. Neill A. Yarborough’s book History of Bossier City, Louisiana from the Early Years 1833-2006 will be available for sale by the Historical Center.

6.       Gypsy Damaris Boston, with her son Frank Boston: Dear Louisiana…Love Gypsy, Hurry Before the Magic Ends,  Pink Hair,  Rainbow Fairies

7.       Kristi Cavett Jones (and possibly Jackson Cavett Sibley:  Plantations Along the Upper Red River of Louisiana

8.       Dr. Cheryl White: Historic Haunts of Shreveport, Wicked Shreveport, Historic Oakland Cemetery


9.       Katie Bickham The Belle Mar (instructor at BPCC, English and poetry)

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

History Center Workshop: DNA Testing for Genealogy Research

This Saturday, please come to our DNA Testing for Genealogy Research workshop! If anyone can explain this complex subject and the options out there to use this new and fascinating genealogy tool, speaker Jim Jones can! He is co-president of GENCOM, a genealogical computing society comprised of local genealogy enthusiasts.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month! The History Center has a new exhibit on display - "Women Who Made a Difference in Bossier Parish." Be sure to visit us this month to learn about the accomplishments of some amazing local women! 

Lettie Van Landingham became Bossier’s first Home Demonstration Agent in 1929, a post she held until her retirement in 1960. She was instrumental in establishing the Public Health Department in 1937, the Farm Bureau, several 4-H clubs, numerous home demonstration clubs, community recreation groups, and home garden clubs. The Keep Bossier Beautiful Club was one of her pet projects. She was selected as one of the Outstanding Civic Leaders of America in 1967.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Black History Month Exhibits

Have you seen our newest exhibits at the Historical Center yet? We are featuring Princeton High School in our front exhibit case and Redmond Spikes School at a table near our Caddo diorama display. 

The History Center is looking to expand our collection of Bossier's "Big 5" schools - Princeton High School, Carrie Martin High School, Charlotte Mitchell High School, Redmond Spikes School, and C.H. Irion High School. These schools were black only schools prior to integration in Bossier Parish. If you have photographs, yearbooks, diplomas, sports uniforms, or other memorabilia, please consider donating to the History Center. We can also scan photos, letting you keep your originals and adding the scanned copies to our collection.

This wonderful photo of the 1954 Princeton girls' basketball team is on display. The ladies are wearing their choir uniforms - they had athletic shorts to wear on the court!

Thanks to Rev. Donald W. Rushing for loaning this photograph!