Louisiana is home to over 300 historical societies, preservation organizations, and heritage groups. From major institutions in Baton Rouge and New Orleans to small-town societies preserving local heritage, these organizations maintain vital connections to Louisiana's rich past.
Featured Historical Societies
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Location: New Orleans, LA
Founded: 1966
Premier museum and research center for Louisiana and Gulf South history. Features extensive archives, rare books, and exhibits on New Orleans culture, Creole history, and French Colonial Louisiana.
Website: hnoc.org
Louisiana State Museum
Location: New Orleans, LA
Founded: 1906
Operates multiple historic buildings in New Orleans French Quarter including the Cabildo and Presbytere. Preserves Louisiana history from colonial period through jazz age and Hurricane Katrina.
Website: louisianastatemuseum.org
Louisiana Historical Association
Location: Lafayette, LA
Founded: 1889
Promotes study and understanding of Louisiana history through publications, conferences, and educational programs. Publishes Louisiana History journal and maintains extensive historical resources.
Website: lahistory.org
Louisiana State Museum
Location: New Orleans, LA
Founded: 1906
Complex of museums across historic properties interpreting Louisiana's unique heritage. Collections cover French and Spanish colonial periods, Civil War, jazz origins, and Creole culture.
Website: louisianastatemuseum.org
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Location: New Orleans, LA
Founded: 1966
Museum and research center documenting Gulf South history and culture. Extensive holdings on colonial Louisiana, Battle of New Orleans, jazz, and Mississippi River commerce.
Website: hnoc.org
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Location: Natchitoches, LA
Founded: 1994
Preserves Oakland and Magnolia Plantations documenting Creole culture. Interprets unique French-Spanish-African heritage and experiences of enslaved people who worked cotton plantations.
Website: nps.gov/cari
Louisiana's Old State Capitol
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Founded: 1847 (built), 1994 (museum)
Gothic Revival castle housing political history museum. Scene of heated antebellum debates, occupied by Union forces, and witness to Huey Long's rise to power.
Poverty Point World Heritage Site
Location: Pioneer, LA
Founded: 1972 (park)
3,400-year-old earthwork complex built by hunter-gatherers. Massive concentric ridges and mounds demonstrate sophisticated prehistoric American culture predating pyramids.
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Know of other Louisiana historical societies? Help us expand this directory by submitting organizations you're familiar with.
Submit a Society →Additional Louisiana History Resources
- Louisiana Historical Association - Statewide history organization
- Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation - State historic preservation office
- Louisiana State Archives - State archives in Baton Rouge