Background The origins of the contemporary city date back to the late 18th century when England issued land grants of parcels along the Amite River, wresting it from the Native American peoples who had lived there before. At first, the settlement was composed of a few plantations and the people who lived, worked, and were enslaved there. But mineral springs were quickly discovered and a hotel was soon constructed to house visitors who wished to bathe there. A wellness craze that beguiled the country from the 1850s through the 1930s drove heightened popularity of the springs and the town. Hydrotherapy or, “the water cure”, was a 19th century wellness craze that drove heightened popularity of the town. It suggested that the spring waters possessed healing powers and the hotel, or wellness resort, grew quickly up around the springs. Visitors fleeing yellow fever and seeking the comfort and relief of the springs traveled to Denham Springs from as far away as New Orleans. The establishment of a railway depot spurred growth, tourism, and industry. With trains running between the city and Baton Rouge, Denham Springs served as a bedroom community for families who preferred to live outside the city, while still needing one member of the household to commute to it. The city suffered with economic stagnation and decline after the train depot closed, but in time, the city core reinvented itself as an antiquing destination. Today, the City of Denham Springs serves as the economic heart of Livingston Parish, identifying as its banking and commercial center. Antique Village, the downtown commercial center of the city, offers upwards of twenty antique shops, and the city is engaged in planning efforts to increase the area’s charm with bicycle and pedestrianfriendly street improvements.
26
Denham Springs Resilience
