Germantown Colony and Museum
Louisiana, US
The Germantown Colony and Museum is a museum and historical preservation project in Webster Parish, Louisiana about 7 miles (11 km) north of Minden in northwestern Louisiana, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Germantown in 1979. Germantown was the earliest religious c
ommunal settlement in Louisiana. It was founded in 1836 by Germans, adherents to ideas of religious leader Maximilian Ludwig (1788-1834), the "Count of Leon", and it lasted as a commune until 1871. Its founding was led by Elisa Leon (d.1881), the "Countess of Leon", widow of Maximilian Ludwig. In the colony, all property was owned in common and observance of religious principles was required. Though the colony was not very large, only about thirty-five people, it worked together and prospered. Its pacificism and general privation contributed to hardship during the American Civil War which contributed to its ending. Germantown once had numerous houses, barns, stores, and shops, as well as a kitchen-dining hall and a "bachelor's hall". The historic buildings are mostly gone; the listing included just two contributing buildings: Countess Leon's home and the kitchen-dining hall, both built...
Listen to the audio guide for Germantown Colony and Museum Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen offNearby
- Minden Cemetery cemetery · 11 km away