Museum of the New Llano Colony

03/17/2020

Sorry for any inconvenience, but the museum will be temporarily closed to the public beginning March 18, 2020 until further notice. For more information, please call (337) 238-0783, ext. 103 during regular operating hours.

01/14/2020

Museum of the New Llano Colony featured on the Parks and Travel Magazine Blog

https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/did-your-ancestors-live-in-the-llano-del-rio-co-operative-colony/?fbclid=IwAR1gunD_ZGFSwvehPHbWaVmkPI0d7tR7FRfZ-mt-rcY0HAP-QterfVnjI6E #

New LLano Colony Museum

01/14/2020

Clipping from the "Llano Colonist" dated April 8, 1922.

01/03/2020

The New Llano Colonist was founded by Socialists and the lifestyle was based on Socialist ideals, although many of the individual colonists were not Socialists at all.

Here's a story I came across that explains Socialism -- both its beginnings and how it has evolved.

The next generation of socialists believes that the intolerable cannot be tolerated. And if you believe that, you just might be a socialist yourself.

11/27/2019

Celebrating Thanksgiving at the New Llano Colony...

From the Vernon Parish Democrat dated December 2, 1920

"THANKSGIVING DAY ENDS WITH MASQUERADE DANCE -- The Colony's Thanksgiving dance was one of the merriest and hilarious affairs of the year.

After a Thanksgiving dinner of more than ordinary quality and quantity, the evening dance came as a fine 'cap per' for a most delightful day.

Shortly after noon the dinner bell rang and an assembly of happy, jovial folks gathered to do justice to Mrs. Olsen's fine feast. Turkey was not on the program, but the cooks had secured a fine Colony-grown pig and roasted him to perfection and made dressing to tickle the palate and gravy to appease the dressing and pickles and tomatoes and sweet potatoes and Irish mashed and pies and salads and oranges an' everything.

In the afternoon Comrade Fred Waters set fire to some rubbish, which spread to a grass fire, and a call for help came when the bell rang and the big whistle blew. A crowd of firefighters were soon on the job and the danger overcome. One of the houses caught fire, but was soon extinguished. The girls and boys have been trained to fight grass fires, for they did well with their wet sacks.

In the evening the lights were switched on to a nicely cleaned and waxed floor, and soon the masked dancers began to arrive. All kinds and conditions of masquerades were evident, and much ingenuity was shown in the variety of the costumes. There were nuns and gold dust twins in pairs, paper ladies, clowns, Indians, pretty school girls, bakers, officers, and ghosts, as well as the usual ladies who were men and the men who were ladies. A grand march was the signal for the unmasking, and much merriment was the result.

The orchestra was especially entertaining and even poor dancers were caught in the beautiful rythm [sic] of the music and swung around in a graceful style.

It was voted that the affair was a big success, and already the stakes are down for a repetition on New Year's eve."

(Read more about the holidays and other social life in the colony at http://www.newllanocolony.com/thisthat/recreation.html)

The New Llano Colony was founded on the general principals of equal opportunities for all members. Over the years many hundreds of people tried the 'Llano Way' of living. Many only stayed a short time, finding the lifestyle not to their liking; others were asked to leave because they didn't do their...

09/25/2019

Another great story about the New Llano Colony -- this time by Julie Gauthier for the new issue (out next week) of Country Roads Magazine.

Read the story online at https://countryroadsmagazine.com/art-and-culture/history/new-llano-socialist-utopian-colony/

08/09/2019

Another story discovered by our former colonist currently visiting the California colony...

08/08/2019

Sent to me by a former colonist -- born shortly before the collapse of the colony, his father bought a piece of the colony property and he grew up here. He is currently visiting the ruins of the colony in California and thought we might enjoy this story...

The Llano del Rio commune offered a way out of the “circle the drain” life of most Americans. More importantly, it did so while forcibly demonstrating...

07/17/2019

After the 1935 May Day "Revolution" in the colony which resulted in the election of new colony leaders, George Pickett and his supporters sued those new directors in court, hoping to regain control of the colony.

The first picture shows the court's actual ruling; the second shows the "new directors'" interpretation of that ruling printed in the "Llano Colonist" dated September 14, 1935.

The immediate result was that the new directors maintained control in the colony, though Pickett still had many supporters as well.

Colonists continued to "take sides"; the arguments never stopped, and at times there were fist fights and even a few incidents where guns were pulled.

Many colonists, not wanting to be party to all this animosity, left the colony, which meant some industries had to be closed and resulted in less income for the colony.

The new board maintained control of the colony business affairs for around a year and a half. They focused less on agriculture and "producing for use" and introduced a few more luxuries for the colonists.

It is unclear how it happened, but in June 1937 Pickett was restored to colony leadership by the court-ordered receiver, and as his first step immediately began to focus on agricultural industries in order to feed the remaining colonists through the winter. But it was too late to save the colony.

Within months the courts ruled that colony property must be sold to pay their debts. The first sale was in August 1938. The third photo announces the first auction of their property, from the "Llano Colonist" dated August 3, 1938.

06/20/2019

Songs from the hand-copied songbook of Albert Wichmann.

You can learn more about Albert at http://www.newllanocolony.com/DBcolonist/wichmanalbert.html.

— at Museum of the New Llano Colony.

Most of the colonists could play at least one instrument -- some could play many. At all times they had a variety of musical ensembles who would perform at social functions both inside and outside the colony.

06/20/2019

Most of the colonists could play at least one instrument -- some could play many. At all times they had a variety of musical ensembles who would perform at social functions both inside and outside the colony.