Southern Forest Heritage Museum and Research Center

08/20/2026

I had a great opportunity to share information about the Southern Forest Heritage museum at the 79th annual Louisiana Forestry Association meeting.
A lot of people stopped by our booth and expressed interest in visiting the museum. 

08/14/2026

Congratulations to Alan Ashworth for his correct answer to our quiz.

08/13/2026

Quiz of the day. Can anyone tell me what these were use for?

07/22/2026

Thanks to a generous grant from DRAX cooperation, our volunteers were able to installed two culverts on the trail that connects our main campus with historic Mt. Zion Church. This trail will provide easy access for our visitors and maintenance personnel.

07/03/2026

Now that's a chainsaw! Early chainsaws did not have fuel pumps so the engine was gravity fed. As such, the engine had to remain upright. The chainsaw bar was tilted using a transmission mechanism. As you can see, they were also very heavy.

06/10/2026

05/30/2026

As the United States prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary, we invite you to explore the museums' World War II exhibit showcasing Camp Claiborne, LA, the birthplace of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions.

05/21/2026

Lumbering was huge, but Naval Stores or turpentining was a significant part of the monetary equation that made lumbering in the South so profitable.

05/16/2026

We have a few vintage tractors that we would like to sale.

1. Modified Ford 8n with a bucket
2. 1950s Minneapolis Moline (possibly a UB)

These tractors were partially scrapped at some point before the museum opened.

Please give us a call (Wednesday - Saturday 318-748-8404) if you or someone you know may be interested in purchasing, and share with anyone that you know that could help us gather more information on them.

05/01/2026

We're featured on 's LA64 — and you can watch NOW! 🎬

Host Karen LeBlanc takes viewers on a journey through Rapides Parish, and the Southern Forest Heritage Museum is part of the story! Skip to the 20-minute mark to see our segment in this stunning episode that covers Alexandria, Pineville, the historic lumber town of Long Leaf, and the WWII grounds of Camp Claiborne.

Watch the full episode at the link below and share it with someone who loves Louisiana history!

🎥 https://www.lpb.org/programs/la64/rapides-parish/

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