What Does the Town of Minden Have to Offer?
The Town of Minden offers a melting pot of different things. Take drive through our many country roads and main highways. In that drive you will encounter the many farms that dot the hills and valleys. Many of these still are run by the generations of the original families who set their homes on the land during our town’s younger years. Stop by a roadside stand. In it , you will see the vegetables, fruits and baked goods offered up for the taking by the locals. Drive by one of the many Amish farms and see the hard work that goes into maintaining the fields, the children at one of their one room schoolhouses outside playing ball. Look up one of our historic and beautiful cemeteries. Cemeteries nicely maintained with trees and narrow roads leading you through a maze of contentment. Old family cemeteries still are maintained and visible from the roads for viewing.
Go for a jaunt up historic Route 80 or Route 163 and see the little white churches with the steeples pointing ever upward. These churches have been here for many years and some are going strong. Look for former one room schoolhouses that still sit along the way. Stop off at the various little hamlets which are tucked into just about every crossroads along your drive.
Stop for a spell in our largest village, Fort Plain. Visit the local shops and the Ft Plain Museum which tells of the town’s importance in the Revolutionary War. Several war forts and fortified homesteads once dotted the trails and hills during the war for independence. Look for huge architectural homes that once housed the founders of many businesses in Minden. Take a notice of the Erie Canal corridor that runs thru the town opposite the mighty Mohawk River. The center of Minden was once the gateway to the west since we have Highways 10 and 163. We had the railroad and the canal, along with the river. These together made Minden a hub of factories and employment, making and shipping goods to all over the country.
Ride your bicycle along the Bike Trail which hugs the Mohawk River and takes you through sights you just will not see in a car. The NYS Thruway cuts through our town, if you venture on that during a trip east or west, take a look at the trees dotted along the guardrails in the fall, when they sport their colorful jackets. Watch for lush fertile cornfields, herds of cows enjoying their time in the sun. Houses, cars, bikers all can be seen from this major roadway. Go up on the hill to visit the award winning Fort Plain Central School , the home of The Hilltoppers!
So, what does the Town of Minden have to offer? All of the above and most important, we have people. It is the people who make the town what it is. Friendly folks who will help their fellow neighbors in times of need. Friendly folks who will say “Hi”, and toss you a charming wave as you pass by. Friendly folks who are one big family and are the ones who keep our town flourishing.
We are Mindenites and proud of it. Thank you.
Robert C Carter
Town of Minden Historian
518 993 1023