Although there are no incorporated municipal areas in St. Bernard Parish the many communities have a rich historical and cultural background. Arabi In the late 1800s St. Bernard Parish had no post offices and depended on the Bywater station in New Orleans for postal service. With a growing community around the stockyards, the parish was looking for independence from this inconvenience. During the same period The Sheik of Arabi, a Turk that the British had installed as the local leader of Egypt, made an attempt at freeing his domain from the British yoke. He failed, but the far-away battles captured the imaginations of many Americans and inspired the name of a small community in Louisiana. Caernarvon The plantation that bore this name was named after a castle or town in northern Wales. Chalmette This community was built on the site of the plantation of Ignance Martin de Lino de Chalmette which was the site of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. The Chalmette National Park, Monument and Cemetery are now on this site. Chalmette is also the seat of parish government. Delacroix This community is another Isleno settlement on Bayou Terre-Aux Boeufs. Meraux/Docville Joseph Meraux was a prominent citizen of St. Bernard Parish and served as parish Sheriff from 1922 until 1938. He was also called ³Doc² which gives the community its informal second name. Poydras Julian Poydras was a noted philanthropist and LouisianaÏs first poet. He served several times in the state legislature and as the president of the Louisiana Senate. Poydras arrived from France in 1768, made a fortune in sugar cane and his plantation was the last one still operating in the parish when it closed in 1908. Reggio Auguste Reggio owned a plantation here on the Bayou Terre-Aux Boeufs. Sebastopol This community was developed in the 1920s and 1930s and was named after a city on the Crimean Peninsula in Russia. St. Bernard Village This community was named after the patron saint of Bernardo de Galvez. Many families descended from the original Islenos or Canary Islanders still live here. Toca Philipe Toca served the parish as a lawyer, sheriff, coroner, tax collector and judge. Verret Marial Verret was a wealthy sugar plantation owner who lived here in the 19th century. Violet This community was developed from the Livaudais Plantation which was located on the Violet Canal which runs to Lake Borgne. Yscloskey This community was named by the Biloxi Indians who once frequented the area. |
Historical Markers |
De La Ronde House Hopedale Sugar Mill Lacoste Plantation Terre-Aux-Bouef |
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Historical Markers |
De La Ronde House Hopedale Sugar Mill Lacoste Plantation Terre-Aux-Bouef |
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waterway waterway |
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