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
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 #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
Bernice Dots #18
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #18 By Cathy Buckley I believe this winter I saw the temperature drop to 5 degrees at my house. However on February 8th of 1933 Bernice posted a temperature of 4 degrees accompanied by snow and a stiff north wind. Housewives in Bernice awoke to find their once flourishing vegetable … Continue reading Bernice Dots #18
Bernice Dots #17
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #17 By Cathy Buckley 1930’s Part Two The year 1932 began with an inconvenience for those traveling south to Ruston. Due to construction and high water the Bernice-Ruston highway was closed to traffic and if you wanted to go the 22 miles to Ruston you had to take a … Continue reading Bernice Dots #17
Bernice Dots #15
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #15 By Cathy Buckley The 1920’s Come to an End With the coming of a national highway through Bernice the town decided to spruce up one block of the business section. In 1928 the town council met with the main street property owners and decided to pave one block … Continue reading Bernice Dots #15
Bernice Dots #14
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #14 By Cathy Buckley In 1924 another Bernice hotel, the Lindsey Hotel, was sold by Mrs. Lila Rives. Rives was the mother of G.E. Lindsey and in January sold the hotel to her son. It was stated she had accumulated enough money from the running of the hotel to be … Continue reading Bernice Dots #14
Bernice Dots #12
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #12 By Cathy Buckley As early as 1914 the citizens of Bernice began a fight for good roads leading into and out of town and would yearly hold “good roads” day when all the businesses would close and men would work on improvement of the roads. In 1916 forty of … Continue reading Bernice Dots #12
Bernice Dots #11
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #11 By Cathy Buckley As early as 1914 the citizens of Bernice began a fight for good roads leading into and out of town and would yearly hold “good roads” day when all the businesses would close and men would work on improvement of the roads. In 1916 forty … Continue reading Bernice Dots #11
Bernice Dots #10
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #10 By Cathy Buckley 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 our parish made this remark about the game –“if I had a dog and he were … Continue reading Bernice Dots #10
Bernice Dots #9
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #9 By Cathy Buckley In February of 1914 citizens in and around Bernice and the eastern part of Claiborne Parish considered the possibility of forming a new parish with Bernice as the parish seat of government. The local paper in Bernice ran an article stating one possible reason was … Continue reading Bernice Dots #9
Bernice Dots #8
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #8 By Cathy Buckley When Capt. Henderson was establishing the town lots in Bernice he set apart lots for churches and schools.. The Baptist congregation which was established in 1899 with William Cooksey as pastor for one service a month would meet inside the building used as a school … Continue reading Bernice Dots #8
Bernice Dots #7
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #7 By Cathy Buckley An early history of Bernice published in a catalog prepared for Bernice High School in 1909 states this fact: “Bernice has always taken a deep interest in the education of her children and from the very beginning she has fostered private and public schools. Soon … Continue reading Bernice Dots #7
Bernice Dots #6
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #6 By Cathy Buckley By 1903 Bernice was making rapid progress with new businesses popping up almost weekly. The depot handled a steady supply of staples and merchandise that streamed into town from commercial outlets both north and south of town. The first of two destructive fires occurred in … Continue reading Bernice Dots #6
Bernice Dots #5
Bernice Historical Society Bernice Dots #5 By Cathy Buckley The first business establishment in Bernice was located in a tent and run by a man named Nelson. The first sale made in that store was a box of matches purchased by R.T. “Uncle Dick” Moore. Shortly afterward Will Martin of Shiloh operated a general … Continue reading Bernice Dots #5
