Museum to hold Christmas celebration

Louisiana State Museum—Patterson, home of the Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill exhibits, will hold its annual old fashioned Christmas celebration from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release.

This will be the museum’s 22nd Annual Christmas Tree Festival Open House.

The museum located at 116 Cotten Road in Kemper Williams Park, and the Christmas celebration is free and open to the public.

Guests will be treated to refreshments and view Christmas trees that have been decorated by local schools and organizations, the release said. Awards will be presented at the event for the best decorated trees.

Normal museum hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The museum is closed on Sundays, Mondays and state holidays. Admission to the museum is free.

According to the museum’s website, the dual focus of this museum site showcases two distinct and compelling aspects of Louisiana’s rich history.

The Wedell-Williams Aviation Collection highlights the legacy of Louisiana aviation pioneers Jimmie Wedell and Harry P. Williams, who formed an air service together in 1928 in Patterson.

Both men became nationally prominent during the Golden Age of Aviation. Although both Wedell and Williams perished in plane crashes, their legacy lives on in the memorabilia and planes on display in this collection, the website says.

State-of-the-art displays at Louisiana State Museum—Patterson include numerous aircraft, such as the famous Miss Patterson #44 and the Gilmore #121. Also on display are Wedell-Williams’ 1930s air racing trophies and memorabilia.

The David J. Felterman Theater features an air racing film that visually transports visitors to the heart of the 1932 Cleveland National Air Races, according to the website.

The Cypress Sawmill Collection documents the history of the cypress lumber industry in Louisiana. Lumbering became the state’s first significant manufacturing industry.

As a result, cypress lumber harvested and milled in Louisiana was shipped in mass quantities throughout the U.S. Patterson was once home to the largest cypress sawmill in the world, owned by Frank B. Williams, the museum’s website states.

In 1997, the Louisiana State Legislature designated Patterson as the cypress capital of Louisiana. The exhibit features a variety of artifacts, photographs and film that tell the story of this regional industry. The museum also hosts changing exhibits that highlight other aspects of Louisiana’s culture and history, the website says.