By Paige Nash
A Minden Residential Walking Tour has been added to the “Visit Webster Parish” app. This is a free app made available by the Webster Parish Convention & Visitors Commission since the launch in 2019. It is a great way for visitors and Minden residents to become better acquainted with the beautiful historic architecture located downtown.
The Minden Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Webster Parish as a whole offers 130 listings on the register, with 126 of them located in Minden. The listings include businesses, community spaces and residences.
The unique homes featured offer a range of styles to be admired, including Greek, Gothic and Spanish Colonial Revival. Some date back as early as circa 1850, when the city was officially incorporated.
“Our community is thriving with architecture, history and unique stories from families who’ve contributed to Minden in a number of ways,” said Serena Gray, Executive Director of Webster Parish Convention & Visitors Commission.
The walking tour spotlights 14 stops, including one of the oldest properties in North Louisiana, the Bates-Fogle-Irving- Love Residence. This home has ties to the founder of Minden, Charles Hans Veeder.
To begin a tour, you can choose any of the stops as a starting location, which will bring up a geographical map that will give you directions. As you approach each stop you can view details and individual history about the homes or churches on the app.
The tour also includes a few homes near the downtown community in addition to the listings on the National Register. “There are homes near the designated Historic Residential District that are considered non-contributing properties, however due to their beauty, history, and charm we’ve featured them on our tour.”
This is a great alternative to the private or group tours that used to take place during the holiday season and certain events throughout the year but has since become a rarer occurrence due to Covid-19.
This tour is completely free and a great way for visitors and even long-time locals to learn more about the history of these beautiful properties. You can begin your tour anytime by downloading the “Visit Webster Parish” app and clicking on the tours feature.
The WPCVC is eager to expand and is accepting submissions from homeowners who would like to be featured on the tour. If interested, you can send details attaching an image, address and history of the home to serena@visitwebster.net.
