The Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum

The Ford Museum’s collection reflects the life and culture of North Louisiana, Claiborne Parish in particular, from Pre-Columbian times to the present day.

With exhibits ranging from Native American culture, Pioneer life, African-American history, and daily life in Claiborne Parish to the agriculture, lumber, and oil industries, the Ford Museum is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning about North Louisiana’s past and present.

The mission of the Ford Museum is to preserve and interpret its collection of artifacts in the context of state and local history, allowing the collection to serve as an important public resource in the humanities.

The museum relies on a core group of dedicated volunteers to operate. It is open to the public three days a week, and is located in the historic Hotel Claiborne building on the beautiful town square in Homer, Louisiana. The Hotel Claiborne was originally constructed in 1890, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Claiborne Parish in the 1920s: the Oil Boom

Our newest exhibit, Claiborne Parish in the 1920s: the Oil Boom, opened February 20, 2005. This exhibit was made possible by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and area corporate sponsors. Click here for more information

Research in Progress - Help Needed
Rosenwald Schools in Claiborne Parish

Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) was a Jewish high school dropout who became a partner in Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1895. He served as president of the company from 1908-1924 and CEO until his death in 1932. In 1913 the millionaire businessman teamed up with Booker T. Washington, the country’s preeminent black educator, on an innovative program to improve education for blacks in the south.

This school building program was to have a dramatic impact on the face of the rural South and the lives of its black residents. From 1917-1932, the Rosenwald Fund used a system of matching grants to help construct more than 5,300 schools, shop buildings and teacher houses in 15 southern and southwestern states. The Rosenwald Fund contributed $4.3 million to construct the schools, and black communities raised more than $4.7 million to aid in construction. Today most of these Rosenwald schools are gone, victims of changing times and communities.

The majority of the buildings have been abandoned, and most are located in rural areas lacking sufficient funds for the upkeep or restoration. However, there is a growing interest in the preservation of the Rosenwald school buildings. To heighten awareness of the threats to these important historic resources, the Natural Trust for Historic Preservation named Rosenwald schools to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2002.

There has been some success in preserving Rosenwald schools across the regions, however, a united effort is necessary to identify and locate these vanishing schools. Thirty-five Rosenwald schools have been identified in Claiborne Parish according to the Rosenwald Fund Archives at Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee. These schools included:

Visitor Information

Address:
519 South Main Street, (on the town square)
P.O. Box 157
Homer, LA 71040

Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
9am - 12pm
1pm - 4pm
and by appointment

Admission:
$5.00 - families
$3.00 - adults
$1.00 - children
special rates for school groups (see Teacher Resources)