90 years after Bonnie and Clyde’s demise, this small town hasn’t forgotten the notorious couple
Gibsland, Louisiana is hard to see on a map.
With a population of just 700, its main attractions include a Family Dollar, small cafe – and a museum dedicated to Bonnie and Clyde.
The legendary couple were killed on the outskirts of the town on May 23, 1934.
Since 1993, hundreds of visitors have descended on the southern US town for the Bonnie and Clyde Festival to mark the anniversary of the ‘till death do us part’ pair’s demise.
The couple – Clyde Champion Barrow and Bonnie Parker – were suspected of 13 murders and several burglaries between 1931 and 1934 before they were shot dead by police in an ambush.
They’ve since become the focus of a sort of cult following – with Bonnie and Clyde being synonymous with ‘partners in crime’.
Perry Carver, 63, has owned and operated the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum since 2012, but his interest in the couple began when he was a child.
He told Metro.co.uk: ‘My grandparents knew the man that owned the original car. I used to play in it, and that’s how it started. I was about eight years old. It was still full of blood stains and holes and membranes.’
The man who owned the original Bonnie and Clyde car where the couple were killed kept it in Marietta, Georgia for years.
It was eventually sold and cleaned out, but Mr Carver was given small mementos from the inside as a child – including a piece of the front seat and a box full of shattered glass from the windows.
Though Mr Carver didn’t open the museum, he’s contributed many items including several of Bonnie’s hats, costume jewelry and a glove, along with Clyde’s glasses he was wearing when he was killed.
He said: ‘We probably get close to 10,000 visitors per year. They come from all over the world – Romania, Belgium, France, England, Germany, Japan, and New Zealand.’
This weekend, the town will host the 31st annual Bonnie and Clyde Festival – and Mr Carver says he expects an even bigger crowd as it’s the 90th anniversary.
The Facebook group for the festival has nearly 6,000 members.
T-shirts, books and other memorabilia are sold, with many attendees opting to dress up as the famous couple.
Those who look the most like the couple can compete in a contest to win a $50 prize – with sections for adults and children.
A re-enactment of their final ambush is also held at the festival, along with historical chats about their demise.
But what keeps people interested in the couple, nearly a century after their bloody deaths?
Mr Carver laughs: ‘Oh man, that’s hard to say. People just get it in their mind that it was a romantic story, a couple running around doing what they want, living on the side of the roads.
‘The real story was nothing like that – those two truly loved each other, but they never set out to be this world famous outlaw couple.
‘Bonnie never robbed or killed anybody – she was scared to death everyday when she started running with Clyde.
‘But she just wasn’t gonna leave him – and he loved her.’
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