Alden Bridge

"Alden is a name closely linked with the early history of Bossier Parish," Galatas said. "In 1806, Isaac Alden—reported to be a relative of John and Priscilla Alden who arrived in America on the Mayflower in 1620—moved his family from Oneida, New York, to the far northwest reaches of Louisiana."

Isaac's son Philo built a bridge over Cypress Bayou.

"Not only did Alden's bridge give residents of the area a better way to cross the creek, it also gave them access to the overland highway to carry grain and other products from a grist mill Philo and his sons operated," Galatas said. "The bridge made it possible for the community to develop into an important center of commerce."

Little remains of Alden Bridge, La., except a few scattered buildings, a cemetery and a church, Galatas said.

"It has been reinterpreted in The Woodlands as a vital new village of the 21st Century," he said.

The Village of Alden Bridge, which celebrated its grand opening April 8, 1995, has a bridge as its focal point, similar to its namesake.

"The architecture of the bridge and the park structures, including a bathhouse, not only takes advantage of the peaceful waterside setting but also has a turn–of-the-century feel," Galatas said. "Galvanized steel roofs with stone and brick facades on the bathhouse and picnic pavilion are reminiscent of buildings constructed in the early 1900s."

The Village of Alden Bridge is one of the largest in The Woodlands.

"We designed and developed the Village of Alden Bridge to include many amenities that make residents' lives more comfortable," Galatas said. "And we've achieved a nostalgic feel to remind us of our namesake, the old Alden Bridge where people worked together to build a community in which they could live, work, play and learn."