Weekly Times Democrat (New Orleans) Saturday, June 9, 1883 BUSINESS POINTS ON THE BAYOU AND ITS TRIBUTARIES Stein’s Bluff, Shiloh and Other Landings-Their Trade, Social Features and Other Matters of Interest On Board the Times Democrat Steamboat Susie B Farmerville, May 28, 1883 On Friday morning last the Susie B. left Ouachita City and proceeded … Continue reading ON THE D’ARBONNE
Bernice Dots
Bernice School Building Lost in Sunday Fire
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Education In Bernice Farmerville Gazette - March 3, 1960 The elementary school building and the Bernice High School gym burned to the ground late Sunday evening, causing an estimated $250,000 in damages. No one was injured in the blaze but all school supplies, equipment, books, school records, athletic and … Continue reading Bernice School Building Lost in Sunday Fire
Education in Bernice
Friendship Church and School
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Friendship Church Five miles east of Bernice on Louisiana Highway 2 in the little community of Shiloh you will find a cemetery on the north side of the highway and a wooden one room frame building to the south. These two places are all that remain of a community … Continue reading Friendship Church and School
First Baptist Church of Bernice
Bernice Historical Society People and Places First Baptist Church of Bernice In 1909 J.M. Melton wrote a history of the First Baptist Church of Bernice for the history of the Concord Association. In the 1970’s Inez Colvin wrote an extensive history of the First Baptist Church of Bernice. Numerous accounts from the early Bernice newspapers … Continue reading First Baptist Church of Bernice
Early Newspapers in Bernice
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Early Newspapers in Bernice It might come as a surprise to some that Bernice had a newspaper printed in town as early as May of 1900. The Farmerville Gazette ran a notice that “Mr. J. C. Shumaker has rented the defunct Herald (Farmerville) printing outfit and moved it to … Continue reading Early Newspapers in Bernice
The J. W. Heard House
Bernice Historical Society People and Places The J. W. Heard House This beautiful home which has recently been restored to some of its earliest magnificence was added to the National Register in 1994. The architecture of the home is a combination of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. The home dates back to the earliest days … Continue reading The J. W. Heard House
Physicians in the Earliest Years of Bernice
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Physicians in the Earliest Years of Bernice Introduction: A 1939 article on the history of Union Parish states “Dr. George Carroll was the first physician to take up residence in Bernice. He was shortly followed by Doctors Dendy and Garland.” The census of 1900 ( the first taken in … Continue reading Physicians in the Earliest Years of Bernice
Vietnam Memorial
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Vietnam Memorial This past week the Traveling Vietnam Memorial made a 4 day stop in Ruston and a special program honoring those who lost their life in Vietnam was held. There are two names on that wall that everyone in our small town should know and never forget. The … Continue reading Vietnam Memorial
The Garland House
Bernice Historical Society People and Places The Garland House A few weeks ago some friends of mine passed through Bernice headed North on 167 and later commented to me on the beauty of the newly restored Heard House (more on that in a future article) and wanted to know the story behind it and the … Continue reading The Garland House
Uncle Tom Phillips
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Uncle Tom Phillips Barbara Green Pilgreen recently shared with me an article about “Uncle Tom Phillips” of Bernice. The article first appeared in the Farmerville Gazette on the occasion of his 88th birthday and was entitled “Oldest Bernice Business Man Celebrates His 88th Birthday”. Going back through my files … Continue reading Uncle Tom Phillips
Baseball – Part Four
Written by Cathy Buckley 1940 July 1946 Ruston Daily Leader May 15, 1947 BIG SIX BECOMES BIG EIGHT 1948 1949 Bernice 1949 Champs of the Big Eight Front Row L/R: Paul Salley, Joe Leonard Green, Bobby Till, Luther Lois Farrar, Charles Salley. Second Row L/R: Calvin Tanner, Lamar Heard, C.R. Jarmon, Dewell Jeffcoat, Glen Post, … Continue reading Baseball – Part Four
Baseball – Part Three
Written by Cathy Buckley Bernice Baseball 1932 In September of 1932 the Ruston Daily Leader ran this article about their town team which competed in the Big Six with Bernice. “all the players took part in the baseball program for love of the sport solely and no member at any time was on a “pay … Continue reading Baseball – Part Three
Baseball – Part Two
Written by Cathy Buckley The following article appeared in the Ruston Daily Leader in the early 1930’s The next few lines talk about the end of Shiloh and the coming of the railroad to Bernice. Spalding balls were used for as long as can be remembered. Baseball bats were also of official make. Uniforms were … Continue reading Baseball – Part Two
Baseball – Part One
Written by Cathy Buckley Take Me Out to the Ball Game Baseball seems to have always been a favorite sport among the small towns of Union Parish. In the mid 1880’s a traveling evangelist who often spoke at tent revivals in the parish made this remark about the game –“if I had a dog and … Continue reading Baseball – Part One
Bernice and Baseball Part Two
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Bernice and Baseball Part 2 It was in June of 1933 that a baseball league became a serious thought in the mines of promoters and players. It was expected from the start that Ruston, Winnfield, Farmerville, Homer, Haynesville, Bernice, Dubach and Simsboro would seek admission to the league. The … Continue reading Bernice and Baseball Part Two
Bernice and Baseball
Bernice Historical Society People and Places Bernice and Baseball Part 1 Through the years much has been written about the Big Eight Bernice Lions of the 1950's but what you might not know is that baseball was alive and well in the rural areas of Union Parish long before the town of Bernice ever saw … Continue reading Bernice and Baseball
The Doodlebug
Bernice Historical Society People and Places "The Doodlebug" Last week I posted on “Bernice Remember When” asking for any memories of the passenger train known as The Doodlebug. Thanks to all who shared. I started out not knowing much about the quaint rail vehicle I had heard so much about. I know now that it operated through … Continue reading The Doodlebug
Bernice Dots #31
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #31 By Cathy Buckley In the early 1960’s the Bernice Industrial Development Corporation was developed in Bernice with the hope of attracting new businesses to help the town grow. Dr. W.C. Reeves served as president of BIDCO during its earliest years and the group sported a membership of 85 members … Continue reading Bernice Dots #31
Bernice Dots #30
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #30 By Cathy Buckley In April of 1957 an organization was formed in Bernice that is still alive and well 61 years later. The Bernice Garden Club was formed in the home of Mrs. W.C. Reeves with 49 ladies present. The first motto of the club was “Gracious Living Through … Continue reading Bernice Dots #30
Bernice Dots #29
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #29 By Cathy Buckley Union Parish Leader Dies In December of 1952 Bernice resident G.E. Lindsey died after a lengthy illness. Lindsey was only nineteen years of age when his family moved to the newly created town of Bernice in 1900. As a young man of only 20 he … Continue reading Bernice Dots #29
Bernice Dots #28
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #28 By Cathy Buckley The Salley Story In August of 1952 Salley Grocer Company opened its new facilities in Bernice. The Salley story began in 1916 when a 27 year old young man named C.T. Salley opened a meat market and café across from the Depot. Within two years the … Continue reading Bernice Dots #28
Bernice Dots #27
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #27 (There was no #26) By Cathy Buckley Excerpts from Ark-La-Tex in Review in 1952 Busy Bernice, high in Louisiana’s piney hills likes to think of itself as a low tax rate, pay-as-you-go town. Last year when the beautiful new First Baptist Church was completed at a cost of about … Continue reading Bernice Dots #27
Bernice Dots #25
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #25 By Cathy Buckley In March of 1949 Dr. W.C. Reeves purchased the old Bernice Baptist Church in order to convert it into a physician’s office. Dr. Reeves was at the time on the staff of the Charity Hospital in Shreveport. The Baptists were in the middle of the construction … Continue reading Bernice Dots #25
Bernice Dots #24
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #24 By Cathy Buckley An article appeared in the September 5, 1948 Dallas Morning News entitled, “Pastor’s Prayer Finds Faith Kept”. The article told the story of Reverend Henry Washington Jordan, whose first pastorate was at the Bernice United Methodist Church in 1923. “On November 1, 1923 I took charge … Continue reading Bernice Dots #24
Bernice Dots #23
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #23 By Cathy Buckley The air war against Germany led by the 8th Air Force dropped almost 5,000,000 bombs and destroyed almost 16,000 enemy aircraft. A Bernice pilot would go down in history as being the American who shot down the last Nazi fighter plane on April 25, 1945. Hilton … Continue reading Bernice Dots #23
Bernice Dots #22
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #22 By Cathy Buckley By April of 1942 the town of Bernice had organized for civilian defense thanks to the leadership of G.E. Lindsey, the parish chairman. Assisting Lindsey were Mayor George Grafton, Mark Price, Don Lomax and John Beasley. The entire town seemed to be included in the plan … Continue reading Bernice Dots #22
Bernice Dots #21
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #21 By Cathy Buckley 1940 - 1941 Bernice began its 41st year with both excitement and sadness. The town had a reputation from its earliest years of being a town where drunkenness often ended badly for the consumer of such substances. On this particular night a 25 year old resident … Continue reading Bernice Dots #21
Bernice Dots #20
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #20 By Cathy Buckley In January of 1938 construction began on a new high school building for the Bernice area; “brick veneer and modern in every aspect.” The school was located on the site of the old baseball field so construction included a new baseball field complete with a wall … Continue reading Bernice Dots #20
Bernice Dots #19
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #19 By Cathy Buckley In July of 1934 the town of Bernice honored the memory of the first two Bernice soldiers who died in World War One with the organization of an American Legion post named the Reagan/St. John Post. The first commander was Mark Price, Jr. with James T. … Continue reading Bernice Dots #19
Shiloh to Canaan 
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