SWLA Historical Association

Members of the Historical Association met on Monday, July 18, 2005, at the South Beauregard Museum in Longville, LA, to unveil the Longville historical marker. Nell Hayes, President of the Historical Association, served as hostess for the occasion. After Nell welcomed all the guests, the pastor of the Longville First Baptist Church led the invocation. Following the pledge of allegiance, Joe V. Warren, President of the South Beauregard Museum, thanked the Association for providing the marker which was placed in front of the museum.

Pati Threatt presented the text of the marker which consisted of a brief history of the Long-Bell Lumber Company, the founder of Longville. Members had the opportunity to tour the museum either before or after the luncheon, graciously provided by the citizens of Longville.

The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office served hamburgers and hot dogs courtesy of their “War Wagon.” Delicious! The First Baptist Church served red beans and rice and dessert. Fabulous! Over 80 people were in attendance at this festive occasion. If you missed it - you missed out! Text of the marker:

LONGVILLE, LOUISIANA

Established 1906

In 1906, the Long-Bell Lumber Company of Kansas City, Missouri, under the leadership of Robert A. Long, began building a premier sawmill at Longville, Louisiana. The steam-driven sawmill could cut 350,000 feet of lumber per day. Long-Bell also built homes and all the support facilities needed to sustain the large population of workers and their families. Longville was a “closed town,” meaning that the company owned all residential housing, the commissary, hotel, theater, and doctor’s office. The Lake Charles and Northern and the Louisiana Pacific Railroads provided transportation for the residents and also hauled the sawmill’s logs and lumber.

On June 3, 1921, a massive fire destroyed the Long-Bell Lumber Company. Since logging operations had already nearly decimated the Longleaf Pine forest, the company decided not to rebuild the sawmill. Long-Bell sold all of its buildings and moved the workers to other mills. Long-Bell continued to operate a hardwood flooring mill at Longville until 1929.

Nearly a century later, the Long-Bell Lumber Company’s original red-brick bank building, the First Baptist Church, a few company houses, and the millpond (Longville Lake) remain in use.