Museums of Cassidy Park a good place to visit, learn about Bogalusa and the surrounding areas

If you're new to the area, an old-timer just wanted to "freshen" up some "old" facts or a visitor to the community, the Museums in Cassidy Park have a little something for everyone

Museum of Native American Art volunteer
Lydia Fendalson (right) explained how rings
on a tree help determine its age to Bogalusans
Landry Dupont (left), Mary Margaret Crawford
and Riley Dupont, The three youngsters were taking
advantage of the museum's extended hours on July 4.
(Photo by John H. Walker)

The Pioneer Museum and the Museum of Native American Art, both open from 2-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, exhibit artifacts and interpretive materials and programs relevant to the history of the City of Bogalusa, the surrounding communities and the region itself.

Admission is free to both and both are staffed by knowledgeable volunteers who can answer your questions — or know where to find the answer.

Over the past several years, the museums have been renovated and revitalized under the direction of volunteer curator Millie Canter. The old "Indian Museum" had fallen into such bad repair after Hurricane Katrina that daylight could be seen through the ceiling and roof, while displays in the Pioneer Museum had become stagnant.

Under Canter's direction, new excitement was generated on both the board and in the volunteer ranks and now, exhibits are rotated on a regular basis and the history of the region around Bogalusa is explored.