DENHAM SPRINGS — If the walls of the Old City Hall could talk, they would tell stories about the history of Denham Springs.

"All this is the history of our great city. You can never forget our history, because without our history, we don't have anything, right?" asked Denham Springs Mayor Gerard Landry.

He took us on a tour of this time machine of memories, a 1940s-era restored Art Deco building.

"This is Range Avenue in the heart of town," he said as he pointed to a painting depicting the early days of the town. "If you notice, it's all dirt roads."

On the opposite wall was a painting of one of the early hotels that helped give the city its name.

"This is one of the old hotels that was down there by the springs, which was what Denham Springs was named after," Landry said.

He showed a wall of memories, pictures of the early days when the springs attracted visitors from all over the country.
who would come to benefit from the reportedly therapeutic mineral waters.

"This is back in the 1900s, one of the hotels that were built by the springs of Denham. They had healing properties. People would come and stay in the hotels and go down to the springs to bathe in the healing waters," Landry said.

He showed us a picture of a woman actually drinking water from the springs. He then took us to what he said was the most popular attraction in the museum, the Old City Jail, which looks much like it did in the 1940s.

"We don't currently use it, but I have threatened to throw some people in here, but it hasn't worked out."

The museum is located at 115 Mattie Street, a few blocks away from the Denham Springs Antique Village.

You can explore that history and tour Old City Hall and even hold your group's meeting there. For more information, head to the city's website.