“Night At The Museum” The Brown and Treat Family In Minden

“Night At The Museum”

The Brown and Treat Family In Minden

 

The 55th “Night at the Museum” will take place Monday October 12, 2015.  This event will feature several of our long time Minden residents.  Louise Baird Snook, Lucy Dickinson Adkins and Margaret Baird Evans.  The talk will be centered on the Brown / Treat families and the impact they had in Minden.

William Joseph Brown the great grandfather of the speakers for the evening, moved to Minden in 1902 from Arkansas with two of his children- Hubert and Helen.  Helen would become the grandmother of these three women that will be telling their family story.  W.J. Brown ran the Hicks Co Wholesalers and purchased the house on Oak Street near Academy Park.  Today that house is being restored by the 6^th generation of family members. 

 Frank Burnett Treat moved to Louisiana after serving in WWI and finishing college around 1920.  He was a chemical engineer working for Ohio Oil Company.  He met and married W.J. Brown’s daughter Helen in January of 1923.  They had three children.  Four of their grandchildren still live in or have returned to Minden to live.  The Treat name has been associated with many types of businesses for many years in Minden.  The Brown / Treat Families have certainly left and important mark on Webster parish. 

 Don't miss your chance to hear about some of our area rich history. The museum events will be held in the Media/Learning room at the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, 116 Pearl Street, Minden, La.  Museum doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with first-come, first-serve seating.  Program begins at 6:00 p.m., admission is free with potluck desserts and snacks welcome. 

For more information contact Schelley Brown Francis at 318-377-3002 or visit www.museuminminden.blogspot.com to sign up for the museum email blast. You can also find the museum on Facebook. To learn more about Webster Parish's rich history visit the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum located at 116 Pearl Street in Minden. Museum hours; closed on Monday, Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (closed from 1-2 for lunch), Saturday CLOSED. The museum admission is free. Also open for special tours and rental by appointment.

 

2015 Gala Update

  Big Turnout To Preserve Our History

 

            Monday, September 14, 2015, the Dorcheat Historical Museum hosted its 7th fundraising event since the 2008 opening of the parish museum. According to museum board members this year was another successful year, raising near the $30,000 mark with large turnout of guests.  Many new faces were in this year’s crowd, which was a welcome sight to board members.

              Becky Marvin, Janice Mourad, Cora Lou Robinson, Louise Snook, and Kay Elzen, Janet LaBruyere, Ann Harlan, Charlotte Martin, Dianne McGuire, Jo McCullough, Charlotte Jones and Mary Ann Hamilton are all board members and the female driving force behind the gala.  Not to be forgotten, for all their hard word to make everything run smoothly are fellow board members; Marcel Vandenoord, Richard Campbell, John Agan, Dr. Roy Phillips, Carleton Prothro, Lonnie Simpson and Ben Baldwain.  Guest seemed well pleased with the amount of items to bid on this year and the great variety of wonderful Louisiana cuisine. "We are so fortunate to have the support of so many people from far and wide.”We are pleased with our progress and we know we couldn't do any of it without so many generous friends and supporters of the museum." stated museum director; Schelley Brown Francis.

            Folk artist, Cora Lou Robinson’s painting was once again the big money maker for the museum.  Her newest painting called “Coming Home” was a depiction of the old L&A Depot and of the WWII soldiers coming home from war.  Robinson's paintings have been a highlight at the past auctions bringing in thousands of dollars each year for the museum. Everyone always looks forward to seeing her new creation.  It is a highly anticipated item for several months before the unveiling date. 

            Museum Director Schelley Francis stated; “We could not do this auction without the help of so many of our local businesses.  They just donate and donate every year.  It makes our job easier with the kindness of so many of our local folks.  This year we added a “Wine Pull” drawing for some extra fun and were able to raise even more money.  We had one family donate all the wine for that part of the evening’s activities.” 

               The museum has had hundreds of visitors this past year from all over the country. It is a showplace for our area and has received quite a bit of notice from the Shreveport area on local TV stations, magazines and newspapers. People are now seeing museum commercials on TV, large billboards and ads in area publications.

             The museum is something everyone should be proud of and is a jewel in our parish crown.  If you haven’t dropped by to see what the Dorcheat Museum has to offer you really need to do so.  Hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10-4 closed from 1-2 for lunch and open on Saturday during special downtown events. 

             To sign up for updates visit the website at www.museuminminden.blogspot.com  you can also find us on our Facebook group and page.