Denham Springs

Louisiana, USA

If you find yourself driving on Interstate 12 or US Highway 190 in the Baton Rouge area you might come across Denham Springs. If you are on the Interstate you might be excused for thinking that it’s just another place where to get gas, a bite to eat or a motel to spend the night.

There are many such places in the US. You are driving on the Interstate, from one state to another, you make a “pit stop”, you get off the highway and you are confronted with an agglomeration of fast food joints, gas stations, chain hotels, maybe some familiar stores which you very likely see in your own home town.

Most of the places clustered around highway exits have little or no personality, and we often don’t give a second thought to people that live there and the history of the places.

Quite often a little investigating can be very rewarding. Such is the case of Denham Springs, if you leave behind the hustle and bustle of the all the businesses and the quite busy Range Road and head to northern end of the city where you will find the Historic District and Antique Village.

Here you will find a few blocks of old time America, this is what towns looked like in the 50’s and 60’s, there is even an old movie theater typical of the area. It is a nice place to shop for antiques, have a cup of coffee or take in the scenery.

Unfortunately in 2016 Denham Springs was severely affected by such heavy rainfall that many homes and businesses were flooded up to their roofs. Official estimates state that 75% of homes were a total loss.

The images in this gallery were taken between 2005 and 2014, well before the flood, so I have no idea if anything in the images still exists.

A Brief History of Denham Springs >>