Germantown Colony Museum

Germantown was the earliest religious communal settlement in Louisiana. Founded in 1836 by Germans who followed the teachings of Maximilian Ludwig, the "Count of Leon" — a religious leader who died in 1834 — the colony was led by his widow, Elisa Leon, the "Countess of Leon." About thirty-five people lived seven miles north of Minden, holding all property in common, working together, and observing required religious principles. The colony prospered. They built hewn-log structures with dovetailing at the corners, including the Countess's home and a kitchen-dining hall with a dry wall stone cellar. Once there were numerous houses, barns, stores, shops, and a "bachelor's hall." The commune lasted until 1871. Its pacifism and general privation brought hardship during the Civil War, which contributed to its ending. Most of the original buildings are gone. The listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 included just two contributing buildings: the Countess's home and the kitchen-dining hall. Many windows have been replaced, and none of the porches are original. Yet these surviving structures, and sympathetic rustic others added since, still convey in their crude and primitive character something of the life style of the Germantown settlers. The Secretary of State operates the site as a museum. Open Thursday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm, several miles off U.S. 79 and about nine miles north of Interstate 20.