The Biedenharn Museum and Gardens is a home museum and
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
located beside the
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River ( ) is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana. It is the 25th-longest river in the United State ...
Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish (French: ''Paroisse d'Ouachita'') is located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,368. The parish seat is Monroe. The parish was formed in 1807.
Ouachita Parish i ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
, United States. It has three exhibits: the historic home and botanical gardens, Coca-Cola museum, and Bible museum.
The Coca-Cola Museum opened in 2008 and holds Coca-Cola memorabilia and historical items. Emma Louise Biedenharn collected bibles and religious artwork and gardened, leading to the establishment of the Bible museum and botanical gardens.
History
The Biedenharm Museum was built in 1913 as a private home by Joseph A. Biedenharn, who is credited with first bottling
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...
in the summer of 1894 while living in his birthplace of Vicksburg,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. The home is open for tours and furnished as it was during the residence of Joseph Biedenharn's daughter, Emma Louise "Emy-Lou" Biedenharn, who died in 1984.
ELsong Garden
The garden's name is short for Emy-Lou's song, named after Emy-Lou Biedenharn, Joseph Biedenharn's daughter. The garden settings include the Four Seasons Garden, Oriental Garden, and Musical Grotto.