Dear Ancestor

Your tombstone stands among the rest,
neglected and alone.
The name and date are chisled out
on polished marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care.

It is too late to morn.
You did not know that I exist.
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you in flesh,

in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats
a pulse entirely not our own.
Dear ancestor, the place you filled

one hundred years ago.
Speads out among the ones you left
who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved.

I wonder if you knew.
That someday I would find this spot,
and come to visit you.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Support The Minden Cemetery Association

Many of you may not realize how expensive the upkeep of a cemetery is. We ask that you support our efforts to keep this historic cemetery and final resting place of so many of Minden’s finest citizen’s in good shape for future generations. We spend quite a lot of money just in mowing our 30 plus acres. This job is quite labor intensive and requires several people to keep the lawn and weeds in check. There are so many other projects that we would love to tackle but we do not have the funds to begin the work. For one we would like to build a grave locator kiosk. With GPS ability now the graves would have GPS coordinates to go along with the names and sections. We would also like to install gates and an iron fence along the old side of the cemetery along Bayou Avenue to stop vandalism. This is a very expensive project that again is on hold due to lack of funding. A marker repair project is also on hold. If you have family members buried at the Minden Cemetery we would hope that you will support our efforts. Mail your check to:
Minden Cemetery Association
1000 Broadway

Minden, Louisiana 71055


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Funding provided in part by the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Commission

Saturday, November 8, 2008

November 8th, 2008 A Beautiful Day For History

The 2008 Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk
Click on picture to see album More pics coming soon!

Beautiful Day for History
The 5th annual Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk was a big success. “By 11:30 the line began to from for the first tour. This year as in years past we had plenty of out of town guest come to learn a little Webster parish history. We even had one person from Alaska take the tour and several from the Dallas area. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. In fact I think this was the best weather we have ever had since we started this 5 years ago.” stated Schelley Brown tour organizer.
The weather was perfect for a day of history as visitors strolled on their hour long tour. This year the tour included over 10 stops with famous authors, early lumber barons, the unknown soldiers that were injured in the Battle of Mansfield, business leaders and their wives from before the Civil War.
To see a civil war encampment that included a wagon, cannon, horses and mules along with a tent made the day seem like the hands of time had rolled backward over 150 years. All the stories were very informative and done with research by family members and historians to make this day as factual as possible. Many of the actors and actresses were actual decedents of the people they portrayed which made the day a special treat. Some of the stops had actual artifacts from the people that were portrayed that included actual pictures of where they lived and family portraits. Background sounds of bagpipes beckoned you from across the grounds as a lone piper played his lonesome songs.
The Minden Cemetery Association reported that around 200 people participated in this year’s tour. The annual tour took in over $1,600 that will help with upkeep of the property. The Minden Cemetery operates on donated funding for the upkeep of one of oldest Cemeteries in Webster Parish. “We are always in the need of funding. People don’t have any idea how expensive it is to keep up a cemetery as large as this one”, stated Ms. Brown an association board member. A DVD of the day will be available for $10. If you would like to learn more about the cemetery or donate to it’s funding and how you can help please contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or visit the web site at http://www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com/