Gibsland is a town in Bienville Parish in northern Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 773.
History
Coleman College
alt=Coleman College (1915) in Gibsland, Louisiana|thumb|left|[[Coleman College (Louisiana)|Coleman College (1915) in Gibsland ]]
Coleman College (also known as Coleman Academy) was a segregated African American secondary school founded in Gibsland in 1887 by O. L. Coleman; it was the first secondary school for Black students in northern Louisiana. It was affiliated with the Baptist Church, and supported by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. The institution produced primarily teachers and ministers.
Geography
Gibsland is located in northern Bienville Parish.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.81%, is water.
Demographics
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Gibsland racial composition as of 2020
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 70
| 9.06%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 660
| 85.38%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 1
| 0.13%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 25
| 3.23%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 17
| 2.2%
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 773 people, 261 households, and 161 families residing in the town.
Education
The Bienville Parish School Board operates the K-12 Gibsland–Coleman High School in Gibsland.
Arts and culture
Festivals
The Jonquil Jubilee and Historic and Garden Tour and the Bonnie and Clyde Festival are celebrated annually. The Jonquil Jubilee offers advice to area gardeners from botanists.
Bonnie and Clyde Festival
The Bonnie and Clyde Festival is held in Gibsland in mid-May. It features a staged bank robbery by actors portraying the infamous duo. The festival has been featured on the television program Weird U.S. on the History Channel. Bonnie and Clyde were killed off Louisiana Highway 154, south of Gibsland toward Sailes.
Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum
Gibsland is home to the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum located in the former Ma Canfield’s Café where the outlaws ate their last meal, a breakfast.