Minden in Webster Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

Germantown Colony

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2025

1. Germantown Colony Marker

Inscription.
About 7 miles northeast on Rt. 186 are remnants of colony founded 1835 by followers of Count Leon, who came from Germany to America for a religious belief. There they operated a communal village until 1871.

Erected 1954 by Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.

Location. 32° 37.245′ N, 93° 16.831′ W. Marker is in Minden, Louisiana, in Webster Parish. It is at the intersection of Broadway Street (Main Street) (U.S. 79) and Homer Road (U.S. 79), in the median on Broadway Street (Main Street). The marker is in the median between Broadway (US 79 northbound) and Main Street (US 79 southbound). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Minden LA 71055, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Louisiana.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western

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Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Minden Historic Residential District / Ms. Mona Miriam Robinson Monk (approx. ¼ mile away); Academy Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Davis - Green House (approx. ¼ mile away); Memorial Shrine (approx. 0.4 miles away); Citizens Bank & Trust Company (approx. half a mile away); W.R. Shadow Home (approx. 4½ miles away); Germantown Colony And Museum (approx. 6.1 miles away); Homeplace of Baylus Benjamin (B.B.) McKinney (approx. 12.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minden.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Germantown Colony

Also see . . .
1. Germantown Colony and Museum (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Germantown was the earliest religious communal settlement in Louisiana. It was founded in 1836 by Germans, adherents
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2025

2. Germantown Colony Marker
Looking southwest; Broadway (US 79 northbound) is on the left and Main Street (US 79 southbound) is on the right.
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.

(Submitted on July 2, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Germantown Colony Museum.

Excerpt: Located a short drive north of Minden, the Germantown Colony Museum tells the story of a small group of settlers led by the Count and Countess von Leon who made their way into the isolated wilderness of north Louisiana to establish a pure Christian community, their own "kingdom of heaven." The poor Count died of yellow fever along the Red River, but his wife continued on and managed to establish a remarkable settlement that endured for the next 40 years.

(Submitted on July 2, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 30, 2025

3. Germantown Colony Marker

Looking northeast; Homer Road crosses in the background. The Germantown Colony site is about 7 miles northeast of this intersection via Germantown Road.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 177 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 2, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.