By SHERRI TAYLOR
Journal News Editor

Something visitors see in Columbia, Louisiana, might be reminiscent of a trip to Italy. Quite an unusual site for a small Louisiana town, the Schepis Museum was built by an Italian architect who found himself a merchant in Columbia at the beginning of the twentieth century.

"At that time, the entire first block of Columbia contained shops operated by Italians," said Kay LaFrance, Main Street Manager in Columbia.

John Schepis allowed his relatives who already lived and operated thriving businesses in Louisiana to talk him into immigrating from Sicily to Columbia where he opened a mercantile shop. Then Schepis began a work that makes Columbia unique among small towns today. Schepis designed the building himself, molded every brick and then decorated the roof with statues representing his country of origin and his new country.

On one side stands a figure of George Washington, with the American flag. Beside him a molded Christopher Columbus, an Italian holds the flag of Italy. Above both flies an American eagle. Just to top it off, Schepis placed an Italian coat of arms between the figures.

Schepis made the statues from concrete, then hoisted them onto the roof. There he set them in mortar to remain until the present day. It was completed around 1916. In 1985 the Schepis building was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The building sits just under the levee beside the Ouachita River, which was the reason for Columbia's existence. By the late twentieth century, however, the building was little more than a shell. An enterprising group of people put together some ideas, received some grant money, some training and began working.

Today John Schepis architectural marvel graces a small town and contains a delightful museum.

They have ever changing exhibits. One popular exhibit was wedding gowns from 1895 until 1976. They titled it "I do, I do." Another well-liked exhibit was titled "Our Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys." Singer Brownie Tate was from the area and the museum also included local saddle working shops and timed it to coincide with the Lions Club Rodeo.

"We arranged another to interest the hunters of the area," explained LaFrance. This consisted of trophies, preserved deer, ducks and other animals harvested during their hunting trips to nearby forests and bayous. In the near future, the museum will show some of the beautiful paintings of Andrew Jackson Grayson, who lived in nearby Grayson. Grayson's paintings cover the birdlife of American which John Audobon didn't live long enough to draw.

From the bridge over the Ouachita River, one can clearly see the statues on top of the building. People traveling often are intrigued and take a stop just to look at the sculptures atop the museum. Once there, they are often charmed by the work of a man who lived long ago and brought his artistic talent to bear and charm generations of people.

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