Dear Ancestor

Your tombstone stands among the rest,
neglected and alone.
The name and date are chisled out
on polished marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care.

It is too late to morn.
You did not know that I exist.
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you in flesh,

in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats
a pulse entirely not our own.
Dear ancestor, the place you filled

one hundred years ago.
Speads out among the ones you left
who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved.

I wonder if you knew.
That someday I would find this spot,
and come to visit you.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Support The Minden Cemetery Association

Many of you may not realize how expensive the upkeep of a cemetery is. We ask that you support our efforts to keep this historic cemetery and final resting place of so many of Minden’s finest citizen’s in good shape for future generations. We spend quite a lot of money just in mowing our 30 plus acres. This job is quite labor intensive and requires several people to keep the lawn and weeds in check. There are so many other projects that we would love to tackle but we do not have the funds to begin the work. For one we would like to build a grave locator kiosk. With GPS ability now the graves would have GPS coordinates to go along with the names and sections. We would also like to install gates and an iron fence along the old side of the cemetery along Bayou Avenue to stop vandalism. This is a very expensive project that again is on hold due to lack of funding. A marker repair project is also on hold. If you have family members buried at the Minden Cemetery we would hope that you will support our efforts. Mail your check to:
Minden Cemetery Association
1000 Broadway

Minden, Louisiana 71055


Minden Cemetery Blog Visitors

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Funding provided in part by the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Commission

Monday, November 15, 2010

More from the 2010 Ghost Walk


A great day for history!
7th Old Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk 2010Click on album above to see pictures too!

Pratt Lewis Duel 2010



Pratt-Lewis Duel
It was August 18, 1868 when Clarence Pratt and John Lewis of Minden Louisiana decided to settle a dispute of Honor between the prominent families. Lewis and Pratt are buried about 100 feet from each other in the Old Minden Cemetery

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

2010 Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk







FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday November 13th, 2010
The Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk “Living History Lesson”
Website: www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com
Price: $10 adults / $4 children under 12 (tickets at gate only)
Location: Old Minden Cemetery off Pine St. on Bayou Avenue in Minden, La.
Contact #: Schelley Brown (318) 423-0192 Cell
Time: Noon – last tour starts at 3 p.m.
Email: iluvoldcars@yahoo.com


The 7th Annual 2010 Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk

Don’t miss the 7th annual Living History Lesson “Ghost Walk”

This year promises to be the biggest and best to date. The tour will begin at Noon on Saturday November 13th, 2010 with the last tour starting at 3:00 p.m. and lasting a little over an hour. (Event Held Rain Or Shine) The annual tour in its seventh year is expected to double the number of visitors that attended in 2009 from a vast area. Schelley Brown, tour organizer, said, “Every year at noon, people began to line up in anticipation of being the first to see these living history tours. The past tours brought people to Minden from California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Nebraska to see their ancestors portrayed. Brown estimated that the crowds have increased from year to year as well as the amount of money raised for the Cemetery Association, a non profit organization that was formed many years ago to help maintain the perpetual care of one of Minden’s oldest burial places.
This year the tour will have many new Ghosts and all new history lessons from many new actors and actresses in period costume portraying Minden’s past leading citizens. You will definitely get a lot of entertainment and a lot of histories in this year’s tour as you watch some of our new characters come to life.
Ghost Walk is as if you are stepping back in time as you listened to the stories being told. It’s an amazing sight to behold as your tour guide escorts you to each historical scene. Many of the tour sites include historical props to go along with the history being told. A few of the actors are actual decedents of the people they are portraying. In a little over an hour, you can see Confederate soldiers along with early business leaders, teachers, doctors and politicians. This is a rare opportunity to learn about our past community leaders, citizens and history of our town. Ghost Walk teaches you how Minden’s women and men endured through great hardships and strived to overcome great obstacles to make our town what it is today.
“We hope to have some extra treats for our visitors every year,” Brown stated. “With many new stops this year, it will be hard to pick your favorite.” Brown also emphasized that she could not do any of this without Webster parish historian, John Agan, plus all the talented people and guides who volunteer their time and efforts to make this annual tour a huge success. The members of the Minden Cemetery board also want to thank the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Dorcheat Historical Association Museum and the Minden Historic Residential Association for their support of this event. If you missed the tour last year, you don’t want to miss it this year. For more information on the Minden Cemetery located on Bayou Avenue and the annual tour, visit http://www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com/ or check us out on Facebook. You can contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or iluvoldcars@yahoo.com .

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Following Your Roots From Devonshire, England to Minden, Louisiana

Minden’s early citizens were a diverse group. Many long journeys from across the waters ended in Minden, Louisiana for one reason or another. Surprising to visitors doing family history research, many of these original families still call Minden home. Museum director Schelley Brown commented, “When someone comes in the museum with a noticeably different accent, I always ask them where they are from. I am always surprised by what they tell me and the reason why they are visiting Minden and the Dorcheat Museum.”
A recent visit from Veronica Franklin and John Bone from Devonshire, England was a dream come true. Franklin was traveling the United States coast to coast in an RV, with the mission of tracing her family tree. When she walked in the door of the Dorcheat Museum she was shocked to say the least at what she found. Ms. Brown exclaimed, “She told me she was researching her family and had I ever heard about the Chaffe family? I smiled because I knew I was about to make her day. I said we have lots of Chaffe artifacts and even more information. I told her “in fact” the president of the Dorcheat Historical Association was a man named Thad Andress and that Mr. Andress’s grandmother was a Chaffe. I think I could have knocked her over with a feather after that!”
Her planned one day stay ended up being a two day stay in Minden. A museum tour, followed by a tour to the old Minden Cemetery to see the graves of ancestors, a tour through the Minden Historic Residential District; to point out old family homes was given by Brown. A phone call to Mr. Andress (third cousin once removed of Franklin) resulted in a tour of St. Johns’s Episcopal Church, dinner with the Andress family and many hours of looking at photos, letters and old family history to the delight of both Andress and Franklin. Franklin told Schelley and Mr. Andress, “Minden is the best place she had been so far during her trip to the United States.” Thad Andress commented, “This was a highlight in my life to meet this relative from England.” Andress had traveled to Devonshire in the past but had never searched out long-lost family members.
This is what the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum hopes to achieve for many people that are doing research on their families. To learn more about the museum you can visit Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. - 4p.m. (closed 1-2 for lunch) or Saturday 10a.m – noon. The museum website is www.museuminminden.blogspot.com . For special group tours call 318-377-3002. Help us make history in 2010.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Date Set For 2010 Ghost Walk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday November 13th, 2010
The Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk “Living History Lesson”
Website: www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com
Price: $10 adults / $4 children under 12
Location: Old Minden Cemetery off Pine St. on Bayou Avenue in Minden, La.
Contact #: Schelley Brown (318) 423-0192 Cell
Time: Noon – last tour starts at 3 p.m.
Email: iluvoldcars@yahoo.com

The 7th Annual 2010 Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk

Don’t miss the 7th annual Living History Lesson “Ghost Walk”

This year promises to be the biggest and best to date. The tour will begin at Noon on Saturday November 13th, 2010 with the last tour starting at 3:00 p.m. and lasting a little over an hour. (Event Held Rain Or Shine) The annual tour in its seventh year is expected to double the number of visitors that attended in 2009 from a vast area. Schelley Brown, tour organizer, said, “Last year at noon, people began to line up in anticipation of being the first to see these living history tours. The 2009 tour brought people to Minden from North Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Nebraska to see their ancestors portrayed. Last year the tour had one family bringing in over 30 family members from as far away as California.” Brown estimated that the crowds have increased from year to year as well as the amount of money raised for the Cemetery Association, a non profit organization that was formed many years ago to help maintain the perpetual care of one of Minden’s oldest burial places.
This year the tour will have many new Ghosts and all new history lessons from many new actors and actresses in period costume portraying Minden’s past leading citizens. You will definitely get a lot of entertainment and a lot of histories in this year’s tour as you watch some of our new character come to life.
Ghost Walk is as if you are stepping back in time as you listened to the stories being told. It’s an amazing sight to behold as your tour guide escorts you to each historical scene. Many of the tour sites this year will include historical props to go along with the history being told. A few of our actors are actual decedents of the people they are portraying. In a little over an hour, you can see Confederate soldiers along with early business leaders, teachers, doctors and politicians. This is a rare opportunity to learn about our past community leaders, citizens and history of our town. Ghost Walk teaches you how Minden’s women and men endured through great hardships and strived to overcome great obstacles to make our town what it is today.
“We hope to have some extra treats for our visitors this year,” Brown stated. “With many new stops this year, it will be hard to pick your favorite.” Brown also stated that she could not do any of this without all the talented people and guides who volunteer their time and efforts to make this annual tour a huge success. The members of the Minden Cemetery board also want to thank the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Dorcheat Historical Association Museum and the Minden Historic Residential Association for their support of this event. If you missed the tour last year, you don’t want to miss it this year. For more information on the Minden Cemetery located on Bayou Avenue and the annual tour, visit http://www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com/ or you can contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or iluvoldcars@yahoo.com