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211 N. Main Street, Farmerville, Louisiana
318-982-8020 [email protected] HOURS: Tue-Fri, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays for special events FREE ADMISSION Click button below for YouTube video - "First People of Union Parish" talk by archaeologist Jeff Girard Visit the museum's archaeology website by clicking the second button below |
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The mission of the Union Museum of History and Art is to promote an understanding of history, culture, and art, and to instill a spirit of community pride.
We're all about connections. Connections with each other...with the past...with beloved traditions... with dreams of the future. Come join the conversation!
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SEE CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS AT LOWER END OF THIS PAGE
We're all about connections. Connections with each other...with the past...with beloved traditions... with dreams of the future. Come join the conversation!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SEE CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS AT LOWER END OF THIS PAGE
Celebrate agriculture ---
Ag photos to be displayed in museum Oct. 6-17
Entries in the 2026 Velvet Bennett Roberts Ag Photo Competition are being displayed through October 17 in the Union Museum of History and Art, 211 N. Main St., Farmerville, LA. Public viewing hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The contest is organized each year by the Union Youth Livestock Council and Southern Ag Credit in memory of Velvet Bennett Roberts who was an avid agriculture photographer and president of the Union Youth Livestock Council. The event was designed to celebrate agriculture through photography, honoring Velvet’s passion for both farming and capturing farm life through the camera. Since its inception in 2019, the contest has grown in popularity, with entries from youth and adults from Union, Claiborne, Lincoln, Ouachita, and Morehouse Parishes in Louisiana, as well as Union County, Arkansas.
Ag photos to be displayed in museum Oct. 6-17
Entries in the 2026 Velvet Bennett Roberts Ag Photo Competition are being displayed through October 17 in the Union Museum of History and Art, 211 N. Main St., Farmerville, LA. Public viewing hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The contest is organized each year by the Union Youth Livestock Council and Southern Ag Credit in memory of Velvet Bennett Roberts who was an avid agriculture photographer and president of the Union Youth Livestock Council. The event was designed to celebrate agriculture through photography, honoring Velvet’s passion for both farming and capturing farm life through the camera. Since its inception in 2019, the contest has grown in popularity, with entries from youth and adults from Union, Claiborne, Lincoln, Ouachita, and Morehouse Parishes in Louisiana, as well as Union County, Arkansas.
Folk festival pie-baking contest set for Oct. 17
Area cooks can compete for trophies and bragging rights on Saturday, October 17, when the first annual Folk Festival Pie-baking Contest takes place at the SU and LSU AgCenter in Farmerville. The center and Union Museum of History and Art are teaming up for the event that will kick off preparations for the Bayou D’Arbonne Folk Festival to be held the following weekend at the museum.
All residents of the region are eligible to enter. Age divisions of the competition are Youth I (ages 9-12), Youth II (ages 13-18), and Adult (age 19 and up). The pie categories are cream, fruit, nut, and any other dessert flavor.
Entries should be delivered to the LSU AgCenter, 210 Water Street, Farmerville, between 9 and 11 a.m., October 17. A panel of judges will select winners in each category and a grand prize winner. Winners will be announced the same day. The grand prize winner will receive $100 and a large trophy. Top winners in each category will win trophies; all other winners will receive ribbons.
All entrants must follow detailed rules, which are available from Marianna Langston, Southern and LSU AgCenter, 210 Water St., Farmerville. For assistance, call 318-368-9935.
Area cooks can compete for trophies and bragging rights on Saturday, October 17, when the first annual Folk Festival Pie-baking Contest takes place at the SU and LSU AgCenter in Farmerville. The center and Union Museum of History and Art are teaming up for the event that will kick off preparations for the Bayou D’Arbonne Folk Festival to be held the following weekend at the museum.
All residents of the region are eligible to enter. Age divisions of the competition are Youth I (ages 9-12), Youth II (ages 13-18), and Adult (age 19 and up). The pie categories are cream, fruit, nut, and any other dessert flavor.
Entries should be delivered to the LSU AgCenter, 210 Water Street, Farmerville, between 9 and 11 a.m., October 17. A panel of judges will select winners in each category and a grand prize winner. Winners will be announced the same day. The grand prize winner will receive $100 and a large trophy. Top winners in each category will win trophies; all other winners will receive ribbons.
All entrants must follow detailed rules, which are available from Marianna Langston, Southern and LSU AgCenter, 210 Water St., Farmerville. For assistance, call 318-368-9935.
Save the date: Oct. 24
The Bayou D'Arbonne Folk Festival will rock the town on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the plaza of the Union Museum of History and Art, 211 N Main Street, Farmerville, and the adjoining streets. This will be the sixth year of the family-friendly folk festival, which has grown in size and popularity each year. It features live bluegrass music, dance, arts, traditional crafts, food, re-enactors, Dutch Oven cookers, and even a pie-eating contest. What a fun way to bring history to life!
PERFORMERS that day will include the Union Parish High School Band, Dead Reckoning String Band, Holmesville Baptist Church gospel band, Back Forty Bluegrass Band, Backroads Bluegrass Band, The Dance Studio of Union Parish dancers, and Gulf Coast Re-enactors.
Thanks to our sponsors: Justice Jay and Deanna McCallum, Case Farms Chicken, Union General Hospital, Judge Bruce Hampton, Benoit Motors, House of Raeford Farms, Reeves Memorial Medical Center, Union Parish Tourist Commission, the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council, Anytime Fitness, Farm Bureau Insurance, Sheriff Dusty Gates, and Thomas Nursery.
The Bayou D’Arbonne Folk Festival is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Bayou D'Arbonne Folk Festival will rock the town on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the plaza of the Union Museum of History and Art, 211 N Main Street, Farmerville, and the adjoining streets. This will be the sixth year of the family-friendly folk festival, which has grown in size and popularity each year. It features live bluegrass music, dance, arts, traditional crafts, food, re-enactors, Dutch Oven cookers, and even a pie-eating contest. What a fun way to bring history to life!
PERFORMERS that day will include the Union Parish High School Band, Dead Reckoning String Band, Holmesville Baptist Church gospel band, Back Forty Bluegrass Band, Backroads Bluegrass Band, The Dance Studio of Union Parish dancers, and Gulf Coast Re-enactors.
Thanks to our sponsors: Justice Jay and Deanna McCallum, Case Farms Chicken, Union General Hospital, Judge Bruce Hampton, Benoit Motors, House of Raeford Farms, Reeves Memorial Medical Center, Union Parish Tourist Commission, the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council, Anytime Fitness, Farm Bureau Insurance, Sheriff Dusty Gates, and Thomas Nursery.
The Bayou D’Arbonne Folk Festival is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tchefuncte Culture topic of Oct. 22 archaeology talk
Chip McGimsey, retired Louisiana state archaeologist, will discuss the Tchefuncte Culture on October 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Union Museum of History and Art, 211 N. Main St., Farmerville. The event is free and open to the public.
The Tchefuncte Culture was a prehistoric Native American culture in the Lower Mississippi Valley, flourishing from around 800 BCE to 1 CE, known for early pottery, shell middens, and small egalitarian communities. The people of that culture occupied much of Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas, coastal and western Mississippi, and extreme southeastern Texas.
BTW: It's pronounced "che-FUNK-tee"
Chip McGimsey, retired Louisiana state archaeologist, will discuss the Tchefuncte Culture on October 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Union Museum of History and Art, 211 N. Main St., Farmerville. The event is free and open to the public.
The Tchefuncte Culture was a prehistoric Native American culture in the Lower Mississippi Valley, flourishing from around 800 BCE to 1 CE, known for early pottery, shell middens, and small egalitarian communities. The people of that culture occupied much of Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas, coastal and western Mississippi, and extreme southeastern Texas.
BTW: It's pronounced "che-FUNK-tee"
Raffle to benefit Museum --
Get your tickets for chance to win the America 250 Community Quilt
Dozens of local quilters have combined their talent to create a beautiful one-of-a-kind patriotic quilt to be raffled off as a fundraiser for the Union Museum of History and Art. Raffle tickets are $1.00 each and can be purchased in the museum. The quilt will be displayed in the museum now through October 24 when the drawing will take place at the close of the Bayou D'Arbonne Folk Festival. Tickets can be purchased from any museum board member, as well.
"We are so very grateful to Karen Bradford and Tara Best for piecing this gorgeous quilt together, to Tara for quilting it, to Louise Adams at the Fabric Shop in Ruston for donating the backing material, and to all the area quilters (both Union Parish and surrounding area) that donated squares," says Vickie Wheelis, museum director. "We could not have done this project without each one of you."
Get your tickets for chance to win the America 250 Community Quilt
Dozens of local quilters have combined their talent to create a beautiful one-of-a-kind patriotic quilt to be raffled off as a fundraiser for the Union Museum of History and Art. Raffle tickets are $1.00 each and can be purchased in the museum. The quilt will be displayed in the museum now through October 24 when the drawing will take place at the close of the Bayou D'Arbonne Folk Festival. Tickets can be purchased from any museum board member, as well.
"We are so very grateful to Karen Bradford and Tara Best for piecing this gorgeous quilt together, to Tara for quilting it, to Louise Adams at the Fabric Shop in Ruston for donating the backing material, and to all the area quilters (both Union Parish and surrounding area) that donated squares," says Vickie Wheelis, museum director. "We could not have done this project without each one of you."
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Museum receives Culture Care grant from the state of Louisiana
The Union Museum of History and Art is pleased to announce it has received a state grant of $5000 in support of its daily operations. Funding for the 2026 Louisiana Culture Care Grant has been provided by the State of Louisiana and administered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Louisiana Culture Care Grants are awarded to help humanities-based organizations in the state maintain operations and protect cultural resources. |
Together, we achieve more! --
Museum seeks support from friends
Union Museum of History and Art - Discovery Place depends on the public for support in order to continue serving the people of this community. Put simply, we need a little help from our friends.
We ask that you give a gift to your community by making a tax-deductible donation to the Museum. Gifts of any amounts are welcome! Donors may designate gifts in memory of a loved one.
Below are the levels of giving to be an official Friend of the Museum:
$100 Bronze
$250 Silver
$500 Gold
$1000 Platinum
$1500 Champion
$3000 Patron
$5000 Benefactor
You may send a check to the museum at 211 N. Main St., Farmerville, LA 71241. OR, to make your donation via credit card, click on the red “DONATE” button at upper right of this page. CLICK HERE FOR A DONATION FORM with more information.
THANK YOU!
Museum seeks support from friends
Union Museum of History and Art - Discovery Place depends on the public for support in order to continue serving the people of this community. Put simply, we need a little help from our friends.
We ask that you give a gift to your community by making a tax-deductible donation to the Museum. Gifts of any amounts are welcome! Donors may designate gifts in memory of a loved one.
Below are the levels of giving to be an official Friend of the Museum:
$100 Bronze
$250 Silver
$500 Gold
$1000 Platinum
$1500 Champion
$3000 Patron
$5000 Benefactor
You may send a check to the museum at 211 N. Main St., Farmerville, LA 71241. OR, to make your donation via credit card, click on the red “DONATE” button at upper right of this page. CLICK HERE FOR A DONATION FORM with more information.
THANK YOU!
We appreciate the generosity of Union General Hospital, Judge Bruce Hampton, Benoit Motors, and Justice Jay and Deanna McCallum --- our Museum Sustainer Sponsors --- who are supporting the entire work of the museum in 2026:
CULTURAL CENTER UPCOMING EVENTS
October 6-17 – Display of entries in the Velvet Bennett Roberts Ag Photo Competition presented by the LSU Ag Extension Service
October 22, 5:30 p.m. -- Archaeology talk: Chip McGimsey, former state archaeologist, will speak on the Tchefuncte culture
October 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- Sixth annual Bayou D'Arbonne Folk Festival. Live music, dance, food, traditional skills demonstrations, re-enactors, folk art, craft sales
October 24, 3 p.m. -- Drawing for the America 250 Community Quilt
October 31 – Blacklight Halloween Party, to kick off the blacklight art exhibit
October 31-Nov. 24 – "Shattered Prism": Blacklight art exhibit of works by area artists
Board of Directors
Union Museum of History and Art
Mary Barrios
Mildred Ferguson
Dawn Frasier
Pam Gale Hallman
Ramsey Hallman
Lesa W. Lawrence, Ph.D.
Richard Royal
Jamie Taylor
Brittany Unkel
Museum Director
Vickie L. Wheelis, Ed.D.
Union Museum of History and Art
Mary Barrios
Mildred Ferguson
Dawn Frasier
Pam Gale Hallman
Ramsey Hallman
Lesa W. Lawrence, Ph.D.
Richard Royal
Jamie Taylor
Brittany Unkel
Museum Director
Vickie L. Wheelis, Ed.D.
The Museum is forever indebted to the Union Parish Chamber of Commerce, which began the museum idea as a special study project in 2011. The Chamber's Board of Directors enabled the concept to become a reality, and launched the Union Museum of History and Art as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2014. For its first five years, the Museum was housed in the Chamber of Commerce building. In March 2020, it moved into the building at 211 N. Main St. , Farmerville, thanks to the generosity of the building owners Paul and Kelly Coburn. With the help of community financial supporters and Capital Outlay funds from the State of Louisiana, the museum board of directors purchased the building in August 2025.