Abandoned school eyed for furniture making
NSU teacher sees 'value added' chance

By JAMES RONALD SKAINS

Under the direction of Northwestern State University Industrial Arts teacher Sherman Vogel, a group of area folks are renovating the old Flora school buildings last used as a public school in 1969.

``Our goal is make the facilities into a first class arts, crafts, antiques and furniture building operation,'' Vogel told the Piney Woods Journal during a July visit to the Flora site, located in Natchitoches Parish about ten miles south of the city of Natchitoches just off Interstate 49. ``I've taken a number of furniture making classes under some real masters in North Carolina. Eventually, we hope to get some of these master furniture makers down here to Flora to hold furniture building seminars.''

Vogel, a native of the small community of Calvin in Winn Parish, told the Journal of his academic career which led to becoming an Industrial Arts teacher at NSU for the last dozen or so years. ``I actually have about five different university degress, including a degree in Theology from New Orleans Baptist Seminary in 1975. I'm the first in my family to get a college degree, but I like to say that I got a degree for each one in my family. However, building furniture has always been a love of mine.''

``There are some real master furniture makers around the country that I have been talking with about coming to Flora to give seminars once we are up and running,'' Vogel explained. ``Most master furniture makers have specialties. Some are experts with chairs, tables, dressers, and so on.''

``The thing that I like to make best is wooden bowls,'' Vogel told the Journal. ``I have a lathe and all the latest tools but I sometimes think of my grandfather, who was a master woodcraftsman but he never had a power tool to use in all the things he made.''

To help get up and running, the group has enlisted the help of state Senator Mike Smith to obtain funds to re-roof the school gym building which Vogel envisions one day to be a weekend destination of arts and craft exhibitors. The other two main buildings which are nearly 80 years old--the auditorium and the two story high school building--Vogel sees as more permanent facilites for antique shops, woodworkers, and furniture building seminars.

``During my summer break from Northwestern for the last ten years, I've been attending seminars in North Carolina,'' Vogel pointed out. ``Some of the master craftsmen in furniture such as Sam Mallouf and Drew Langster get thousands of dollars for their furniture creations. I also did a `timber framing' seminar not long ago in which we built a house with timber which is popular in the Carolinas.''

``Burton Weaver, Jr. who still lives in Flora and Pat Todd and John Salter, who are both on the Natchitoches Parish Police Jury, have been very helpful in getting this project off the ground although we have a long way to go,'' Vogel said. ``Once we get opened, we believe that we will draw a lot of people off I-49 since Flora has its own exit which is only two miles from the school site.''

``How this all got started was that one day I was traveling through this area and rembered playing basketball for Calvin in the Flora gym several times,'' Vogel said, explaining the first formative stages of the project. ``I decided to check out the school buildings, and they were in pretty bad shape. In fact, there was some talk of tearing down all the buildings, but I realized the old buildings were basically in good shape and could be real assets for the right project.''

``I got to thinking of some of my experiences with the furniture seminars in North Carolina and said to myself, `Why can't it happen here in Flora'.'' Vogel related. ``I knew that the buildings could be renovated and the location near the Interstate and old Natchitoches was prime to attract visitors on a regular basis.''

For anyone interested in more information about the old Flora school development under the direction of Sherman Vogel, he can be reached at 302 Pine Cove, Goldonna 71031, which is his Black Lake residence where he has an woodworking shop, or by phone at 318-214-0242. Email shermanv@bellsouth.net