Slidell Girl Scout Earns Gold Award For Olde Towne History Tour

Sue Helen Ford’s project turns downtown landmarks into a self-guided local history walk

A Slidell Girl Scout has earned the Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouting, for a project that invites residents and visitors to explore the city’s past one stop at a time.

Sue Helen Ford created the Slidell History Stroll, a self-guided walking tour through Olde Towne Slidell that uses QR codes placed at historic and notable locations. When scanned with a smartphone, the codes take users to short histories about the sites and the people and events connected to them.

City of Slidell materials describe the project as a collaboration involving Ford, the city and the Slidell Museum. The project debuted in August 2025 during White Linen Night, when participants were invited to take part in a scavenger hunt tied to the new history walk.

Phase one of the project included stops at places such as the Slidell Museum, City Hall, the Slidell Auditorium, Griffith Park, Heritage Park, Old Town Soda Shop, KY’s and several Olde Towne businesses. City materials said additional locations and historic markers were expected to be added after the initial launch.

According to city history pages tied to the project, Ford was inspired after her family took part in a walking history tour in Savannah, Georgia. Those pages also credit her Girl Scout community, family and friends for helping bring the idea to life.

The historical narratives featured on the walk were researched and written by Greg Scott, the former curator of the Slidell Museum, according to the city’s project pages.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East later recognized Ford for earning the Gold Award and described the project as a way for residents and visitors to learn about the history of Olde Towne Slidell through a self-guided tour.

Why This Matters In Slidell

The project gives Slidell a new way to highlight local history in the heart of Olde Towne, where residents gather for festivals, shopping, dining and community events. It also creates a lasting educational tool that can be used by families, students and visitors without requiring a formal guided tour.

For Slidell, that means one student-led service project now doubles as a public history resource and another reason for people to spend time in the city’s historic core.