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116 Pearl Street Then

116 Pearl Street Then
1920's Photo of Pearl Street

116 Pearl Street Today

116 Pearl Street Today
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Welcome To The Minden, Louisiana's Dorcheat Museum Blog

Thank you for visiting the Dorcheat Historical Association and Museum Blog. The Dorcheat Historical Museum is the only museum inside the city limits of Minden, Louisiana. The museum opened June 10th, 2008. Admission Free with donations welcomed. Our hours are, Tuesday - Friday from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., closed for lunch from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m., open again from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday we are closed but open by appointment for special showings and meetings. We would like to invite you to visit our location at 116 Pearl Street in Minden, Louisiana. We look forward to sharing our history with you. For more information please contact museum director Schelley Brown Francis at 318-377-3002 or 318-423-0192.

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This Minden, Louisiana Webster Parish Muesum is Funded in part by a grant from the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Commission.
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In return for your support, you will receive not only a tax deduction, but also, invitations to all museum activities. Please give every consideration to helping with this endeavor. Be a part of Webster Parish history by becoming a proud supporter of the Webster Parish Dorcheat Historical Association and Museum.

All contributions may be mailed to:

Dorcheat Historical Association Museum
PO Box 1094

Minden, Louisiana 71058.




Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Memories Of Hunter's Night For The Museum


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“Night for the Museum Memories of Hunter’s Playhouse Era” with an All-Star Cast!

The September 9th, 2008 “Night for the Museum” was “A Sentimental Journey” to remember. Dorcheat Museum’s director; Schelley Brown stated, “We have never had a crowd this large before, folks having been calling me for weeks in anticipation about this night. People started to arrive at Christopher’s around 4:00 P.M. for the 6:00 P.M. historic venue event. These events just keep growing. In fact we have now officially outgrown Christopher’s. I am telling people to bring lawn chairs because of the limited number of chairs that we do have plus we did not set up tables and added more chairs just for this occasion. It is great that people have made this monthly event a must do! This era of time was so special to so many folks. Many of those that took part in Monday night’s event traveled back to their old hometown for the weekend and spent time with family and friends. It is wonderful to know that now we have people traveling a great distance to come to Minden once a month just to hear our speakers and take part in the museum activities.”

Monday night’s trip down memory lane included the legendary Harmon Drew on keyboard; The Minden Melodies singing group, a Playhouse skit on what it was like back then (with the boys seated on one side of the room and the girls sitting on the other in anticipation for that question of “will you dance with me”?). Master of Ceremonies; Lamar Pace kept the program moving with each introduction of the next speaker. A list of locals and those that experienced a wonderful time in Minden’s history made their way toward the stage, to tell stories and relive how important this time in their lives was. At one point a popular dance from the era “The Paul Jones” was brought back to life as a few couples were drawn from the crowd to form the two circles required.

Brown stated, “This was a moving and an emotional night for many as were evident by the smiles and tears seen in the crowd. This tribute to Larry and Gladys Hunter and what they did for Minden youth for over 30 years was a true testament that showed how important it was and how many lives were touched by their generosity. I don’t think they had anyway of knowing that over 50 years later crowds would gather in honor of what they did for children and young adults in our area. They made a lasting impression that will live on forever in the memories of so many. I am so glad that we will now have the new museum exhibit to showcase this as well as the DVD that captured so many memories for other to share. Their legacy will live on with this new exhibit.”

If you missed last night, a DVD is available for $10 at the museum. The next “Night for the Museum” is scheduled for October 13th, 2008. A night remembering the disasters of 1933 with historian John Agan will be a great history lesson for all of us.
Admission is free of charge and everyone is welcome. For more information on “A Night for the Museum” please contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or visit
www.museuminminden.blogspot.com . Reservations not required first come first serve seating.
ROCK -N- ROLL IS HERE TO STAY















Don’t miss the next Dorcheat Historical Association and Museum Event on Monday, September 8th, 2008. Christopher’s, located at 615 Main Street in Minden, La. will be the place to have those poodle skirts on and your duck tails slicked back. That’s right, we are going back more than 50 years in time to when rock-n-roll was here to stay and chrome was blinding on your new ‘57 Chevy.
For those who grew up in the 1940s, 50s and early 60s in Minden when you said the words “I’m going to Hunter’s”, everyone knew what you meant. It meant you were going to go swimming, play ball or just hang out with friends at the Playhouse. It was a simple time, it was the best of times, it was the good ole’ days!
Artist Cora Lou Robinson described her teenage years as wonderful in part due to the generosity of the Hunter family. The Hunter family has owned the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Minden since 1901. Back in the 1940s the Hunters became the recreation hub for all of Minden and the surrounding area. Everyone swam in their pool, played in their playground, danced in their playhouse, and watched countless ballgames in their park. No other town has ever seen the likes of the Hunter family in Cora Lou’s eyes. The 1940s, 50s and early 60s were a special time in Minden, Louisiana because of the generosity of Gladys and Larry Hunter. Cora Lou’s love of the special times and memories of the 1950s and Hunter’s Playhouse is depicted in one of her first paintings of a dance at the Playhouse. This painting has recently been recreated in prints and Giclee’ canvas reproductions as a fundraiser for the all new museum located on Pearl Street in Minden.
This trip down memory lane will feature stories from several longtime citizens of the area, songs and dances from this special time in so many privileged people’s lives. This night will be recorded and everyone will be given the opportunity to tell their Hunter’s memory. Museum director; Schelley Brown stated, “Larry and Gladys Hunter devoted their lives to the children of this area and that love for them still shines in so many that it is only fitting that we have this special night of memories. We will not focus so much about what they did because everyone knows they were the reason for it all. This night is more of a tribute to their work by hearing how it changed lives. We will hear stories about what it was like to grow up and be able to enjoy what was offered to Minden’s youngsters.”
For more information on this special evening please contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or iluvoldcars@yahoo.com . Don’t forget to visit our museum blog at http://www.museuminminden.blogspot.com/ . If you would like to be placed on our mailing list please give us a call. You don’t want to miss what is happening with the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum. Let’s make history in 2008!