Minden
Minden is on Farm Road 1798 twelve miles southeast of Henderson in southeastern Rusk County. The original town was a mile east of the present site. The Lewis family moved to the area from Georgia in 1849. H. W. Watson, a settler from Minden, Louisiana, named the new town after his former home. A post office was opened in 1850 with William H. Pate as postmaster. Minden was on the old Marshall-to-Nacogdoches stagecoach line, and by 1860 it had a school, a store, and a church. Sometime before 1880 the town moved to its present location. G. I. Watkins opened the Rock Hill Institute in 1880; the school was chartered in 1888. Minden had a steam cotton gin, three churches, and an estimated population of fifty in 1884. By 1890 it had saw and grist mills, a newspaper, and a population of 155. The population nearly doubled during the 1890s, but fell to 223 after 1900 and remained at around that level until the mid-1940s, when it rose briefly to 250. During the 1950s and 1960s the town reported 125 residents; from the late 1960s through 2000 it reported 350.
Megan Biesele | © TSHA
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
Belongs to
Minden is part of or belongs to the following places:
Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Minden is classified as a Town
Location
Latitude: 32.01349900Longitude: -94.70743340
Has Post Office
Yes
Is Incorporated
No
Population Count, 2009
150