Introduction:

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At the beginning of the 20th century, there existed a small black community located just 15 miles north of the township of Minden. Louisiana. Originally called Grove- the community later came to be known as Blue Run.

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The stories often told to me from those who lived and grew up in this community, were stories centered on schools, church life, and benevolent societies.

In the early 1900’s, my great grandfather Henry Watson, founded the Watson School to educate the children of this community. Later the Blue Run School was formed. These schools development into the Minden Rosenwald Schools and Webster Training School, where Reverend J. A. Moore was the second supervisor and Mrs. Mae Dee Moore was a teacher, both are pictured in the early Watson School, photographed in the 1920's.

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Some of the oldest churches in the community were Mount Comfort Baptist Church, founded in 1869, Mt. Pisgah, CME, and Blue Run Baptist Church- originally named Mt. Obie, in 1870. My great grandfather Albert W. Webb, great uncles Wesley Watson and Thomas Watson, were deacons at Blue Run Baptist Church.

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Fraternal societies such as The Freemasons, The Odd Fellows, and The Daughters of Tabor played significant roles in the community life of Grove influencing the day to day business and social interactions of the community as well as the interactions with whites, in and outside the community.

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This Website is devoted to preserving the history and genealogies of all the families of the Grove/Blue Run community. Please contact me with suggestions, feed back, or content you would like included on this sight.