John Agan Oct 14, 2019 To Speak At Museum

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Night at the Museum with John Agan
"Our Webster Parish Historian Tells Our History"

Monday, October 14, 2019 the 67th Dorcheat Museum event will take place featuring Webster Parish Historian Mr. John Agan.  Agan is no stranger to those in our area when history is mentioned. His knowledge of the area is amazing and always interesting to hear.
John Agan is an Assistant Professor of History at Bossier Parish Community College. He is a native and lifelong resident of Minden and earned a B.A., M.Ed., and M.A. from Louisiana Tech. He serves on the board of several local organizations, including the Dorcheat Historical Association and Museum. For several years he has written a weekly newspaper column on local history for the Minden Press-Herald. He has published many books on local history and helped with so many more. In 2018, John was selected as Minden’s Man of the Year by the Minden Lions Club.

The museum will have all of his latest books projects on hand for purchase and signing.
The museum events will be held in the Media/Learning center 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.

ELEVEN YEARS OF SHARING HISTORY WITH ANTICIPATION OF GROWTH

ELEVEN YEARS OF SHARING HISTORY WITH ANTICIPATION OF GROWTH

“Moving Forward” is the theme for 2019.  The annual fundraiser gala is fast approaching its September 9^th, 2019 date.  This evening consists of a silent auction with heavy hors devours.  Cost is $25 prepay (by September 6th, 2019) and $30 at the door the day of event.  Helping the museum with a silent auction item is a great way to highlight your business.  These items can consist of gift baskets, gift certificates, art work, handmade items, services such as lawn work, haircuts, facials, tire rotations, cakes, cookies, etc.  Through the years the museum has had a wide array of items to pick from.  If you have questions about what you can donate or need an item to be picked up or dropped off you have until the Sept 3^rd, 2019 deadline.  You can call 318-377-3002 for information. 

This year the Dorcheat Historical Museum is celebrating its Eleventh Anniversary of sharing Webster Parish history at 116 Pearl Street.  In 2007 work began to push forward with a museum that could stand the test of time.  “I would say that after eleven years and countless visitors and guest at the museum we have certainly stood the test of time!” stated museum director Schelley Francis.  Francis went on to say, “Our goal for the next few years is to complete our expansion in the adjoining building.  This building will double our size and give us much needed storage, office, and even more exhibit space.  Some of the exhibits we hope to complete and expand on in the new area will be an exhibit for each community, area and town in Webster parish, Minden St. Jude Auction, Civil Rights Era in Webster parish, Black History in Webster Parish, Women’s clubs, Men’s organizations and clubs, Christmas time, Cemeteries, Ada Jack Carver Snell, Ben Earl Looney, Scouting, Summer Memories, Railroads, Doctors and Hospital, Webster Parish Fair Grounds, Railroads, and so much more.  We have so many stories to tell we never will have enough space.”

Today the museum is enjoyed by visitors far and wide.  From classroom fieldtrips, travel bus tours, red hat ladies, churches, scouting, and retirement center groups we have had thousands of visitors in the last 11 years.  What people see today including the building that we were able to purchase next door is roughly $500,000 spent. That includes the purchase of the buildings, the renovation, the inside construction and exhibit work as well as the new roofs and heat and air units.  Schelley commented, “We pay as we go! We will never jeopardize what has been built by over spending on future project.  We have had many driving forces over the last eleven years behind the museum succeeding.  All of these board members that have served from 2007 – 2019 have been determined to leave a legacy of not only their family history but everyone else’s too.  We have had a great working board all along the way since 2007.”

The 2019 board members include the following people; Louise Snook as President, Marcel Vandenoord as Vice-President, Janet LaBruyere as Treasurer, Ann Harlan as recording secretary, John Agan Webster Parish Historian, Eddie Hammontree Museum archivist, Charlotte Martin, Richard Campbell, Cora Lou Robinson, Ki Williams, Becky Marvin, Janice Mourad, Kay Elzen, Ben Baldwin, Dianne McGuire, Jo McCullough, Charlotte Jones, Mary Ann Hamilton, Lucy Adkins, and Rachel Miller.   

Museum hours are Tuesday – Friday 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M., closed from 1-2 for lunch then open from 2:00 P.M. – 4 P.M., also opened on Saturday for group tours that are arranged by appointment at least one week prior.  Contact Schelley Francis at 318-423-0192 for more info. 
 

May 13, 2019 The Mother Road of the South Hwy 80 with Wesley Harris

“Night at the Museum with Wesley Harris “The Mother Road Of The South” Highway 80

Monday May 13, 2019 will be 66^th museum speaking event since 2007.  Lincoln parish historian Wesley Harris will be making his second presentation for 2019.  The importance of Highway 80 to the economic, cultural, and historical legacy of North Louisiana will be the subject of the evening. 

U.S. Highway 80: America’s “True Mother Road” U.S. Highway 80 is the only American thoroughfare to stretch continuously from coast to coast. While much of it has been abandoned or decommissioned, before the Interstate System was created, Highway 80, also known as the Dixie Overland Highway, was the primary east-west highway in the southern half of the nation.

It originally ran from Savannah, Georgia to San Diego, California. Some have called it America’s “True Mother Road,” referring to the moniker given to U.S. Route 66, advancing the idea that U.S. 80 probably carried more people west seeking new fortunes than the shorter route running from Chicago to Los Angeles.

U.S. Highway 80 has been the scene of significant historical events. President John F. Kennedy was traveling on U.S. 80 in Dallas when he was shot and killed. One of the best known civil rights protests in American history—the series of marches from Selma to Montgomery and “Bloody Sunday”—occurred on U.S. 80. Within Louisiana, U.S. 80 stretches completely across the state from Mississippi to Texas, passing numerous military facilities, three 4-year state universities, and most of the parish seats of the parishes it crosses. Highway 80 served as the “main street” for Tallulah, Delhi, Monroe, West Monroe, Ruston, Arcadia, Minden, Bossier City, and Shreveport. Before construction of Interstate 20, most of those city’s movie theaters, motor hotels, service stations, courthouses, and major businesses were located on U.S. 80.

The museum events are held in the Media/Learning center 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 (DONATIONS ACCEPTED) 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.

 

April 8th, 2019 Night At The Museum With John Agan

Don't Miss It

Night At The Museum With John Agan

"Our Webster Parish Historian Tells Our History"

Monday, April 8th, 2019 the 65^th Dorcheat Museum event will take place featuring Webster Parish Historian Mr. John Agan.  Agan is know stranger to those in our area when history is mentioned.  His knowledge of the area is amazing and always interesting to hear.   

John Agan is an Assistant Professor of History at Bossier Parish Community College. He is a native and lifelong resident of Minden and earned a B.A., M.Ed., and M.A. from Louisiana Tech. He serves on the board of several local organizations, including the Dorcheat Historical Association and Museum. For several years he has written a weekly newspaper column on local history for the Minden Press-Herald. He has published ten books on local history. In 2018, John was selected as Minden’s Man of the Year by the Minden Lions Club.

 

The museum will have two of his latest books projects on hand for purchase and signing. 

The museum events will be held in the Media/Learning center 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.

March 11, 2019 Wesley Harris Book Signing And Talk

Night At The Museum With Wesley Harris

“Early Outlaws and Mischief Makers In North Louisiana”

 

Monday, March 11, 2019 the 64^th Dorcheat Museum event will take place featuring Mr. Wesley Harris.  This event will highlight early outlaws and mischief makers of the post-Civil War era. Don't miss your chance to hear some of our local history as well as purchase a signed copy of Mr. Harris’s latest book “Neither Fear Nor Favor”. In addition to a law enforcement career spanning over 40 years, Harris has written professionally for over three decades, authoring several books and many articles on police procedure and American history. His work has appeared in national magazines like Mature Living, Wild West, and America’s Civil War. He has served in nearly every position in law enforcement—patrol officer, detective, trainer, section commander, and police chief. Currently, he is the manager of Lake Claiborne State Park and serves on the criminal justice faculty of the University of Phoenix. Harris is a native of Ruston and earned his B.S. and M.A. from Louisiana Tech. As a noted author and lecturer on police procedures, he has written several books and many articles and taught in police academies in thirteen states. Today, most of his writing focuses on historical subjects, especially those dealing with Reconstruction era crime. He lectures frequently on north Louisiana history and serves as president of the Lincoln Parish Museum. 

The museum events will be held in the Media/Learning center 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.