By Jessica Gorman

Academy Park is so named because of the Minden Male Academy that once stood on the site. The property was donated by William Abner Drake and the school opened in 1850. It operated until the opening of the Minden Graded School around 1898. Upon closure of the Male Academy, ownership of the property transferred to the city. In 1904, the academy building was sold to Congressman John T. Watkins and moved to the corner of Sullivan and East and West. It served as a private residence and then a boarding house for many years. 

When the academy building was removed from the lot, the intentions were to convert the property into a park. The ladies of the Civic Club had already begun their work of improving Minden through the development of its parks and took up the work of creating a new asset to the community. To beautify the new park, trees and landscaping were added. In 1909, concrete walkways were built. This more direct path across the park was considered a convenience for those traveling from Lewisville Road into town.  

A popular addition to the park was two tennis courts which were enjoyed by children and adults alike. The park was once described as “a mecca for tennis players” and many tournaments were held there. In 1930, those original courts were in need of repair and replaced with a single clay court which was subsequently replaced with a concrete court in 1936.

The following year saw further development of the park. The Civic Club recognized that the children needed a playground. It included sand piles, see saws, a slide, swings, and a wading pool. That playground was immediately put to use as the site of a summer recreation program under the Works Progress Administration. There were both morning and afternoon sessions that allowed parents to send their children to the park to play and participate in supervised activities. This program operated for several years.

In 1942, the federal government proposed building a recreation building in Minden. The city was required to provide the property. A proposal was made to allow the north end of Academy Park to be used for the construction of this building. The property owners around the park made their opposition clear. They felt that the park was too important to the children to lose such a large part of it to a building. I think that most would agree that it would have been a shame if this building would have been built.

For decades, Academy Park has been the site of community events, birthday parties, and weddings. It is a popular spot to enjoy Minden’s Mardi Gras parade. Academy Park is a lasting reminder of not only the Minden Male Academy but of the ladies of the Civic Club and their work to improve and beautify Minden. 

(Jessica Gorman is Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, and an avid genealogist.)