By Daniel Jones, Editor on July 23rd, 2025
  • Hundreds were in attendance at the historic train depot on July 18 as the ribbon was cut on the Zwolle Museum on the Bend. Among those shown cutting the ribbon are Town Councilwoman Martha Henderson, Linda Curtis- Sparks, Executive Director of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission Georgia Craven, and Zwolle Mayor Marvin Frazier.
    Hundreds were in attendance at the historic train depot on July 18 as the ribbon was cut on the Zwolle Museum on the Bend. Among those shown cutting the ribbon are Town Councilwoman Martha Henderson, Linda Curtis- Sparks, Executive Director of the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission Georgia Craven, and Zwolle Mayor Marvin Frazier.
  • Edith Palmer, Jake Rivers, and Martha Henderson are shown visiting shortly before the ribbon cutting. Hanging from the rafters above them is a special exhibit by Don Sepulvado.
    Edith Palmer, Jake Rivers, and Martha Henderson are shown visiting shortly before the ribbon cutting. Hanging from the rafters above them is a special exhibit by Don Sepulvado.
  • A museum visitor reads a panel about Toledo Bend shortly before the opening.
    A museum visitor reads a panel about Toledo Bend shortly before the opening.
  • The new museum opened to much fanfare, with dozens if not hundreds in attendance for its ribbon cutting and grand opening.
    The new museum opened to much fanfare, with dozens if not hundreds in attendance for its ribbon cutting and grand opening.
  • Noted photographer Don Sepulvado speaks about his ancestral ties to the area and his method to capturing his photos. His exhibit will be open for the coming months, and features the faces and activities that defined the Zwolle and Ebarb area in the past.
    Noted photographer Don Sepulvado speaks about his ancestral ties to the area and his method to capturing his photos. His exhibit will be open for the coming months, and features the faces and activities that defined the Zwolle and Ebarb area in the past.
  • Sabine Parish Tourist Commission Executive Director Georgia Craven was caught catching up with former Zwolle Mayor G.J. “Pie” Martinez at the event.
    Sabine Parish Tourist Commission Executive Director Georgia Craven was caught catching up with former Zwolle Mayor G.J. “Pie” Martinez at the event.
  • Georgia Craven prepares to cut the ribbon on Sabine Parish’s newest attraction.
    Georgia Craven prepares to cut the ribbon on Sabine Parish’s newest attraction.
  • Linda Curtis-Sparks, who was instrumental in the museum becoming a reality, introduces Don Sepulvado, whose special exhibit will be featured in the coming months. Continued from Page 1
    Linda Curtis-Sparks, who was instrumental in the museum becoming a reality, introduces Don Sepulvado, whose special exhibit will be featured in the coming months. Continued from Page 1
  • Zwolle Mayor Marvin Frazier addresses the crowd during the ribbon cutting.
    Zwolle Mayor Marvin Frazier addresses the crowd during the ribbon cutting.

    July 18 was a big day for Sabine, as the Zwolle Museum on the Bend officially opened to the public after years of hard work and commitment by a number of locals.

    “We started this in March six years ago and between COVID and my health it has been a struggle,” said Linda Curtis- Sparks. “We had absolutely wonderful help that kept us going.”

    She points out this is the first museum to truly preserve the history of Toledo Bend and the average, everyday people who built the project.

    Curtis-Sparks pointed to one panel as being her favorite in the museum.

    “That panel shows that 32 times people were told that Toledo Bend was not going to happen,” she said. “That means there were 32 times that these people kept the dream going.”

    She went on to thank those that never gave up. Among the many she thanked were the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission, intern Hunter Lewing, and Rebecca Blankenbaker with the Cane River National Heritage Area. She thanked the numerous financial backers including but not limited to the Gary Walsh family, Weyerhaeuser, Sabine Master Gardeners, and Toledo Bend Lake Association. The town of Zwolle received recognition as well, with Curtis-Sparks praising the involvement of former mayor G.J. “Pie” Martinez and current mayor Marvin Frazier.

    Upon opening, the museum features a special exhibit by Don Sepulvado, a photographer whose ancestral ties to Zwolle features prominently in his work as a photographer.

    Also receiving recognition were the various historians who supplied information to fill the museum itself.

    For instance, Weldon McDaniel provided 10 books containing 200 legal files of those families who gave up their land for Toledo Bend to the built. He also researched logging in the area from 1890-1920 when logs were floated down the Sabine River.

    “Each log had a brand when it was floated down the river and Weldon found and donated several of these to the museum,” Curtis-Sparks said in a previous interview.

    Other local historians such as Rickey Robertson Dr. Cody Bruce, Travis Ebarb, and Scott DeBose also contributed to the building’s opening.

    Following the ribbon cutting, a time of fellowship and browsing of the building itself by attendees was had.

    In the coming weeks look forward to more stories of the museum’s dedication to local history being published by The Sabine Index.