wedell-williams memorial aviation & cypress sawmill museum

Visited the museum in July of 2013. I didn't know much about what I would see there, but it was really excellent. The museum deals primarily with Jimmy Wedell who is from Patterson, LA. He was a race plane builder and pilot during the golden age of airplane racing in the 1930's flying along with Jimmy Doolittle and Roscoe Turner. He designed a number of fast planes, was well liked by everyone and sadly was killed in a plane crash in his 30's. The video show is really unique........it involves three screens with video of planes racing and when one goes by on screen you can feel the slipstream blow on you from it's passage, real unique. There are replicas of most of the planes Jimmy Wedell built complete with real engines. Of special interest to me were the presentations related to Roscoe Turner. He was a flamboyant character who flew Jimmy Wedell's planes and was known for his uniqueness and outgoing personality. He set many nation speed records in Wedell aircraft. The other half of the museum was dedicated to Jimmy Wedell's partner and backer in his airplane business, Harry Williams who owned a huge lumber mill. There are numerous machines from the mill on display and a great history of the cypress wood industry during it's era in the 1930's. The two sections of the museum are very much opposite to each other, but both are extremely interesting. This is a great little museum. (I actually visited in July 2013, but that was not a selection option) I have since read more about the 1930's air races and can't wait to visit here again.

This is a museum that use to be located at Patterson's airport. Now it has been moved to a wonderful state park into a bigger and better building. It gives you an idea of what pioneers in aviation had to go thru and the huge risks they took. My husband and I like going thru museums that give you a taste of the area and what it's people have gone thru to shape their country and some times lives of folks all over the world. In this small museum is history of how two men helped to shape changes in the aviation in this country. There were also others involved and one of them was the First Ladies in air travel to set records in speed. There's a movie that has a drama about her flight as well as gives an over view of the aviation business that Williams and Wedell had. On the floor are replicas of some of the planes that Jimmy Wedell invented and made and flew. He was one of the few men to win the Thomson Trophy for his speed in the air setting records that at the time made him the fastest man in the air in the world. The Cypress Sawmill believe it or not played a large part in this chapter of history by being the backing for this venture. There's also displayed tools used in the industry and the remains of a tree older than the United States! They have an area for exhibits that are changed out and at the time we were there we were treated to beautiful hand carved wooden birds and decoys! Some were so real you couldn't believe the work that went into them. Also in the park down the road is a country club with some of the best cooking in the area. It sits on a beautiful golf course with trees and streams and a bridge. Some of the history of the Williams family is also on display in the entryway and in the dinning room. We were only going to spend an hour and ended up taking 2 or more at the museum plus another 1 1/2 hour at lunch at the country club. It just goes to show you that sometimes the small museums have much to offer. Plus it was free to see!! Can't beat that!

I am not sure I would make a special trip to this museum but as it was just off the highway on our way back to the New Orleans Airport and FREE it fitted the bill.It is not well signposted and looks more like an industrial unit than a museum. Outside and in front of the building and close to the highway is a large mounted jet fighter. You have to cross the railway tracks to get to the parking lot.The docent is very informative and seems to insist on summarising the video you are about to see. I suspect we had been the only visitors that day and that is a pity. In truth I knew nothing about these early flying enthusiasts. Their fortune was made chopping down 1000 year old Cypress trees as they made very good waterproof sleepers for the railway boom. They spent it in pursuit of flying speed records.Beautiful small aeroplanes in a very clean building with a very clever interactive audio visual display. You would need to be an afficionado of lumber yards to get more than passing fun from the sawmill museum although how Spanish Moss was used for Model T Ford seating is a curious anecdote.There is another review on TA called the Louisiana State Museum - Patterson. It is the same place.

This museum is part of the Louisiana State Museum System and is full of both the aviation history of early avionics and our history of what was once the largest cypress sawmill in the world. Both are first class displays and the center section ( aviation is on the left with the sawmill section on the right) has traveling displays from a local artist's ships in a bottle, to Tarzan ( the first Tarzan movie was filmed in this area) to the Blue Dog. It also is part of the Christmas Light drive through display which is also worth seeing. This is a great museum and the admission is free.

The film about Mr Wedell and Mr Williams was educational and their historical accomplishments were outstanding. Patterson is a small town mostly famous for Dalton Hillard (LSU & Saints) but these pilots/businessmen were major players for the airplane industry in our country. Also the Cypress Sawmill Museum was very interesting and educational.

If you are traveling through Patterson, LA a must stop is the state aviation museum. IT’s FREE Admission. The place is immaculate. On the left side is the aviation section showing several replicas of old racing planes and histories pertaining to the airplane races. There is a short movie , complete with special effects, that shows races and a history of the museum and air racing. Just behind the three screens is a short video that will provide addition historical information. To the right upon entering the museum is a section on saw milling with lots of information about a area industry and the sawmill business. This is where the funding came from for the museum. There is no food or drinks available however there are very clean rest rooms. Plenty of free parking at the door.