Vernon Parish features historic sites which tell the stories of its adventurous past, from Kisatchie's ancient caves to Civil War embankments, along with more recent heroes and outlaws. Take a stroll down our Historic Main Street area in Leesville and venture further out into the region beyond to take in all there is to see in Vernon Parish.
Holly Grove Methodist Church was founded in 1834 and is believed to be the oldest protestant church in continuous operation west of the... more
The Old Mitchell Graveyard is the first known cemetery to exist in Vernon Parish. Two Revolutionary War soldiers are known to be buried there.
The Civil War Breastworks at Burr Ferry were erected during the Civil War to protect Texas from invasion. They are one of the few remaining... more
The Burr's Ferry Bridge was built in 1936-37 by the W. Horace Williams Company under the Works Progress Administration. It spans the Sabine River... more
The Talbert-Pierson Cemetery is next to Pine Grove Methodist Church. The cemetery contains some unusual wooden grave houses. The origins of... more
The Fort Johnson Military Museum is housed in a new 3600-square-foot facility with objects and historical artifacts relating to Fort Polk history... more
Fort Polk covers 198,963 acres in permanent building, housing, and training ranges. It was part of the famous "Louisiana Maneuvers" which took... more
The arrival of the railroads in west central Louisiana heralded the first major population boom in Vernon Parish. Trains made travel and... more
The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs opened their second Veterans Cemetery in 2012. Located on two hundred acres donated by the U.S. Army... more
The Ferguson House is a Victorian Style house once home to G.R. Ferguson, who was the General Manager for the Nona Mills Lumber Company. It is... more
Built in the style popular for large commercial buildings at the beginning of the 20th century, the lower floor housed the First National Bank and... more
The First United Methodist Church was established by the Methodist families of the Nona Mills Lumber Company. Built in the Mission / Spanish... more
When Vernon Parish was first created in 1871, Dr. Edmund E.
Smart donated a block of land for the first courthouse and
other city... more
The Lyons Building is Italianate in style. The flat roof, imposing
cornices, and arched windows combine to form one of
Leesville’s... more
The Benson H. Lyons House (c. 1900) is a large Queen Anne Revival style residence with prominent Eastlake features. The double wraparound gallery... more
The distinguished Merchants and Farmers Bank building is built in the English Revival style. Hallmarks of this style are corner quoins and... more
The Museum of West Louisiana is housed in the historic Leesville KCS Depot building.
From 1916 until 1968, the Kansas City Southern... more
Built in 1855, the Smart Plantation House is the oldest building in Leesville. It is a prime example of the Southern Planter architectural style.... more
Built by the W. P. A. (Works Progress Administration) during the Great Depression, the U.S. Post Office is built in the Art Deco style. Above two... more
The Vernon Bank was located in the large commercial building built in 1907 by George R. Ferguson of Nona Mills Lumber Company. The bank portion of... more