In 1959, photographer Earl B. Williams went to the brand new Main Branch and thoroughly documented it inside and out. The books weren’t even placed inside yet! You can see the pictures here:
https://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/oplib-arc%3A61
What I really love are the aerial photos of the area and how sparse everything looks!
Ouachita Parish History Tidbits 