Writing this week’s local history column, I feel a mix of gratitude and sadness. My wife and I will soon be moving out of state, and this column will be my last. While I am excited about the new opportunities ahead, leaving this role is bittersweet. The work we at the History Center do together—documenting, preserving, and sharing the rich history of Bossier Parish—has been some of the most rewarding of my career.
When speaking with donors of our collection items, I often use the analogy comparing history to a jigsaw puzzle. With every photograph, letter, or artifact donated, a new piece of the puzzle fits into place, giving us a clearer view of the overall history of Bossier Parish. Many of these donations have come to us through the generosity of local citizens who recognize the importance of preserving the parish’s history for future generations. Other donations have come to us as a last resort when there are no descendants to take an interest in them. These items narrowly missed being thrown in the trash. Regardless of how they come to us, these donations are the lifeblood of our work, allowing us to ensure that the stories of our community are not forgotten.
That being said, during my time as curator I have come to recognize an imbalance within our collection. Currently, artifacts and records from people of color make up only a small fraction of our materials. This gap risks framing the history of Bossier Parish solely through the lens of its white population. We want to ensure that the stories of all who have shaped this parish are represented and preserved. By donating photographs, documents, family histories, and other materials, members of underrepresented communities can help us build a richer, more inclusive collection that reflects the true diversity of Bossier Parish. This month’s featured object underscores the complex history of Bossier Parish and the necessity of confronting even the most uncomfortable aspects of our past.
In 2022, the History Center received one of its largest donations, containing over 1,000 documents and objects from the Bossier Parish School Board. Among these was a wooden square cutout removed from a bathroom door at a school. The cutout once held metal letters reading “WHITE”. Along with the wooden block were photographs showing the original location of the door and a copy of the specifications for the school.
In the fall of 1953, Plantation Park Elementary opened in Bossier City to white students in grades one to six. Next to the school’s cafeteria was a corridor with two bathrooms for cafeteria staff, one for white staff and one for African American staff. The “whites-only” bathroom had metal letters nailed to the door spelling “WHITE”. When Bossier Parish schools integrated systemwide in 1970, the metal letters were likely removed. However, the faded outlines where the letters were originally nailed remained, a painful reminder to every person of color who walked past that door. The portion of the door with the word was cut out sometime during a remodel in the early 2000s. The square hole that was left would later be sealed with a glass panel.
This door fragment offers a tangible reminder of segregation and inequality in Bossier Parish’s history. Artifacts like this are crucial to understanding and confronting our shared past, but they also highlight gaps in our collection and the need to hear from a multitude of voices when learning about that past. If concerns about parting with family photographs or documents are a barrier, please know that we can scan these items for our collection and return the originals to you.
We are located in the new Bossier Central Complex Library at 7204 Hutchison Drive (formerly called 850 City Hall Drive) just across Beckett Street from the old Central Library and History Center in Bossier City, LA. Our normal operating hours are M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org
For other local history facts, photos, and videos, be sure to follow us @BPLHistoryCenter on FB, @bplhistorycenter on TikTok, and check out our blog http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/.
Images:
- Wooden cutout from a Plantation Park Elementary school bathroom door, showing an outline of the word “WHITE.” Door fragment from the Bossier Parish School Board collection at the Bossier Parish Libraries (BPL) History Center.
- Photo of area where door cutout was removed and replaced with glass panel. Photo from the Bossier Parish School Board collection at the BPL History Center.
- Plantation Park Elementary cafeteria, mid 1950’s, from the Plantation Park Elementary Yearbook collection at the BPL History Center.
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