War Memorial Civic Center

The War Memorial Civic Center occupies DeRidder’s 1941 USO building, constructed in just 39 days to serve soldiers and airmen training in western Louisiana during World War II. The facility was the first off-base building constructed specifically for USO use and became a social and recreational center for military personnel connected with nearby camps and airfields. After the war, it was renamed the War Memorial Civic Center in memory of Beauregard Parish servicemen who died in World War II, and the historic building was later listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors can see the surviving USO-era interior and explore the self-guided War Room Museum in the lobby, which displays locally donated wartime memorabilia and a gun room. Because the building itself is part of the story, a visit combines museum interpretation with an unusually intact example of the home-front infrastructure created to support American troops before and during World War II. It is especially worthwhile for travelers following Louisiana’s wartime training history and the legacy of the Louisiana Maneuvers.