TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
GilbertGood morning
History · Gilbert

Gilbert’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Gilbert. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Gilbert is a village in Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Gilbert had a population of 449. The Gilbert welcome sign describes the village as the home of U.S. Lieutenant General Claire Chennault.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 521 to 449 (-14%). Half of its homes were built before 1984.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gilbert yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Gilbert’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gilbert’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from GilbertWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Gilbert.Meet them →
By decade

Gilbert, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today6 photos
Gilbert Water TowerCommonsGilbert Water Tower2022Lt Gen Chennault MarkerCommonsLt Gen Chennault Marker2012Gilbert, LA, welcome sign IMG 0319CommonsGilbert, LA, welcome sign IMG 03192010Gilbert, LA, City Hall IMG 0321CommonsGilbert, LA, City Hall IMG 03212010First Baptist Church, Gilbert, LA IMG 0316CommonsFirst Baptist Church, Gilbert, LA IMG 03162010LAMap-doton-GilbertCommonsLAMap-doton-Gilbert2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Gilbert is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Gilbert has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Winnsboro Commercial Historic District in Winnsboro, 8.6 miles away.

Gilbert and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Gilbert. Tap a dot.
Winnsboro Commercial Historic DistrictJackson HouseJackson Street Historic DistrictGrayson HouseBattleground PlantationGreen-Lovelace House

Closest to Gilbert

Winnsboro Commercial Historic DistrictWinnsboro · District8.6miJackson HouseWinnsboro · Building8.6miJackson Street Historic DistrictWinnsboro · District8.6miGrayson HouseWisner · Building10.1miBattleground PlantationSicily Island · Built 183010.7mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Winnsboro Commercial Historic District’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Gilbert?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Gilbert’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Wisner📜 Winnsboro📜 Sicily Island📜 Baskin

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Gilbert, LAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Gilbert is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map