The Dorcheat Historical Association Museum President, Mr. Thad Andress and wife Oneta Andress represented our new parish museum at the Louisiana State Capital building in Baton Rouge, during the annual Louisiana Association of Museums Conference which was held this year in the rotunda of the Louisiana State Capital Building. State dignitaries were on hand with a visit by Louisiana Senator Robert Adley, State Representative Jean Doerge and Malcolm G. Myer of the Louisiana Attorney General’s office.A Museum conference luncheon and seminars dealing with fundraising and grants were attended by Mr. and Mrs. Andress during the conference in the Old State Capital building. Many Louisiana museums had displays set up including the new Dorcheat Historical Museum. The display for the new Webster Parish museum was visited by Rachel Norman, assistant director of the Grants Program for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities as well as hundreds of school children and guest for the event.
Many visitors were quite impressed with the local museum’s display and what Minden and Webster parish will have to offer with the Tuesday, June 10th opening of the museum located at 116 Pearl Street. Museum hours will be Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. closed from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. for lunch and opened again from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday hours will be 10 a.m. – 12 noon and for special showings and meetings, appointments can be set up in advance by calling 318-377- 3002 or 318-423-0192.
The museum in the past three months has hosted wonderful nights of history for everyone to enjoy, free of charge. Mark you calendars now and keep the second Monday of every month open for “Night for the Museum Historic Events”. These type events are now held at Christopher’s on Main Street but will eventually be held in the museum, when the area to be known as the “Children’s Learning Center” is completed. Museum coordinators are again expecting a large turnout for the June 9th with “Greatest Generation Member” Mr. George Turner. You may want to bring your lawn chairs again just in case of a shortage of seating! The last three months performances by Mr. Frank Griffith, Marcus Wren and Webster Nation were both held to packed houses. These types of events are something the museum wants to offer on a regular basis as entertainment and a living history lesson. July’s event will feature Dr. Steve Kirkikis and an informative night dealing with the immigrant families that had such a huge and important influence on Webster Parish.
The Dorcheat Historical Association and Museum, Inc. has been a dream for over 30 years and will finally come to fruition in June. This year the museum has spent over $150,000 in building renovation and exhibit design. The design element of the museum is largely due to local artist Mr. Larry Milford. Director, Schelley Brown was hired in 2007 to raise awareness and promote the museum as well as collect exhibit information and artifacts. The museum has been funded largely by private donations and memberships as well as a grant from Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This museum is not just a few people’s museum it is all of ours and we want everyone in the parish involved and taking part in making it the success that we know it will be! We will always need funding and support from our community. Preserving our history is something I am passionate about. If we don’t’ teach our children where we have been with our parish history we are doing a terrible injustice to future generations!” stated Ms. Brown. For more information on the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum you can call museum director, Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or visit http://www.museuminminden.blogspot.com/