NATCHITOCHES, La. — An electrical fire Sunday morning in a database station on the south wall of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum caused minor damage, officials said. The fire, located on the first floor of the museum at 800 Front St., triggered an alarm shortly after 10 a.m. The museum’s sprinkler system activated and contained the blaze, according to fire officials. The Natchitoches Fire Department responded immediately, extinguishing the small fire in the Hall of Fame gallery, the room to the left of the museum's main entrance. The gallery houses three database stations with biographical information on Hall of Fame inductees, along with several displays, including artwork by former LSHOF artists Clif and Carolyn Thorn and the “Showtime! LSU’s Spectacular Pistol Pete” photographic exhibit. A portion of the Hall of Fame’s Wall of Honor, featuring the names of the 492 inductees since 1958, was destroyed. Smoke damage affected the entire display, and water damage was reported near the "Showtime" exhibit. Permanent exhibits enclosed in glass cases appeared largely unaffected, said museum branch manager Jennae Biddiscombe. Only the case nearest to the fire may have sustained significant water or smoke damage, she said. Items in the affected case include notable memorabilia such as football jerseys from Archie (Saints), Peyton (Pro Bowl) and Eli Manning (Ole Miss), Bert Jones (Colts), and Gary Reasons (Northwestern), as well as baseball jerseys from Atley Donald (Yankees) and Mel Parnell (Red Sox). The collection also features a New York Knicks warmup top worn by Willis Reed, a cap worn by Coach Eddie Robinson, an LSU football helmet autographed by Billy Cannon, and baseballs belonging to Mel Ott of Gretna, autographed by legends such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Rogers Hornsby. The nearby Cane River Creole Heritage Diaspora exhibit, located in the Atmos Energy Gallery, was unaffected apart from some water on the floor at its entrance. The museum will remain closed indefinitely, Biddiscombe said, while state museum staff assess the damage and begin rehabilitation efforts. Updates on the museum’s reopening and upcoming events will be announced this week.
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Electrical fire causes minor damage at Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
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