From the Bossier Parish History Center
Happy Fourth of July, 2026, and the semi-quincentennial (250th!) anniversary of our nation’s founding, when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The thirteen newly-proclaimed states (not colonies), broke their allegiance to the British monarchy by attesting, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In 2026, across the country, communities will observe this milestone anniversary and reflect on America’s history in various ways.
Here in the History Center, we can find details of how the holiday was celebrated as far back as the 1850’s, in the earliest issues of the Bossier Banner newspaper. In July 1859, when the country was only 83 years old, The Bossier Banner reflected upon the meaning of the day, and also announced a celebration worthy of a momentous occasion in north Louisiana fashion, a fish fry. The July 1, 1959, Banner announced the Parish’s free July 4th fish-fry would be held at Inabnett bluff, near Bellevue, which was then the Parish seat. The editor wrote, “Now everyone is expected to be in attendance who desire to enjoy the ‘fisherman’s luck,’ to their heart’s content on the ‘[glorious] fourth.’ For remember dear readers, this is our national day of jubilee—when the eagle, that proud bird of liberty, flew aloft [and] devoured the English lion.”
The 1859 Fourth of July fish fry jubilee’s attendance and activities were described in the July 8th issue of the Bossier Banner: “The Fourth of July Fish-Fry which came off on that renown day of ‘American integrity,’ at the Inabnett Bluff, near this place (the Bossier Banner’s Bellevue office), passed off very pleasantly—only a too sudden visitation of the watery element somewhat checked the fun and frolic of the participants.”
The embellished article, typical for the time, continued on to say that, despite the rain, “Bossier’s beauties, a portion of them, gathered there with smiles and sunshine, sending for miles around the warmth of their affections for the love of –the Fourth!…We would have given a sight draft (a written demand for imminent payment) of twenty-five cents, on the Police Jury, to have been present on the occasion.” The editor noted that there were “squads” of young gentlemen present as well. They were apparently forced to keep their distance from the ladies…due to the size of their hoop skirts.
Bear in mind that at that time, stories of Independence Day celebrations only included about half the parish’s population; by the 1860 Census, the population of the parish was about 8,000, over 4,000 of whom were enslaved. The Declaration of Independence’s assertion of the self-evident truth that “all men are created equal” came closer to fulfillment on January 1, 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, freeing people enslaved in the South. The celebration for that proclamation, and the day that it was announced and enforced in Texas, became Juneteenth, or Emancipation Day. Like the 19th century July fourth celebration described above, Juneteenth also became known as “Jubilee day.” Check out our June 17, 2026 local history article to learn about the history of Juneteenth “jubilees” in Bossier Parish.
This year on July 4th, among other events, Bossier welcomes the whole community to the South Bossier Park off Caplis Sligo Rd. for an Independence Day festival as part of the KTBS 3 Freedom Fest Finale and the nationwide America250 birthday celebration. Gates open to the public at 5 p.m.
Bossier Parish Libraries History Center in the Bossier Central Library complex remains closed while our new exhibits are installed. Don’t forget you can explore many of our collections, including stories and photos of Fourth of July and Juneteenth celebrations on our website, www.bossierlibrary.org. Look for the History and Genealogy page under Resources and then choose Collections Database. Feel free to contact History Center staff by phone or email for assistance. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is [email protected]. All Bossier Parish Libraries will be closed Friday, July 3rd and Saturday July 4th for the Fourth of July holiday.