| Communities | Economy | History / Markers | Local Government |
| Location / Geography | Media< | Parks and Recreation | Schools and Libraries |
| Parish Map | Top of page | ||
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Unincorporated areas of interest in the parish include Chipola, Coleman Town, Darlington, Dennis Mills, Easley Ville, Grangeville, Jack, Liverpool, Millsdale and Pine Grove. |
Tickfaw River |
William Kendrick Square Williams Bridge |
History | |
| 1699 |
The Florida Parishes had been the home of isolated groups of Native Americans for thousands of years. These Indians were hunters and gatherers and their presence near the lakes and bayous is still marked by large mounds of shells called middens. These mounds were used for elevated living areas and burial grounds. Indians still in the area after the Europeans arrived were either Tunica or Choctaw and many place names are of Choctaw origin. Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur de Iberville, who was exploring the Mississippi for French colonization in 1699, returned from the Red River to the French base in Mississippi via the Iberville River, the Amite River and lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, all of which he named. The route took him through the lower reaches of the Florida Parishes. |
| 1763 |
However, the area was disputed territory, for the Spanish had claimed the entire gulf coast many years before. When the Treaty of Paris of 1763 created West Florida and turned it over to the English, the number of settlers counted 500, mostly Frenchmen and their slaves. |
| 1779 |
Spain, which had recaptured the territory from England in 1779, still possessed Florida after the Louisiana Purchase. The rapidly growing communities of Americans resented the corrupt Spanish administration and, in 1805, the Kemper Rebellion resulted. The rebels were chased into the Mississippi Territory where they were protected by American forces. During this time the famous Aaron Burr incident was another attempt to free West Florida. Finally in September of 1810 the rebels captured the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge and three weeks later the free State of West Florida became a territory of the United States by presidential proclamation. During the Spanish occupation the St. Helena District included all of present-day Livingston Parish and part of Tangipahoa Parish. When Louisiana became a state in 1812 it was called of St. Helena County, which extended from the 31st parallel south to Bayou Manchac and the Amite River and from the Amite River on the west to the Ponchatoula River on the east. On February 10,1832 St. Helena was divided in half and the Louisiana Legislature created Livingston Parish. In 1869, a line was drawn north from the Natalbany River and everything east of it was used to create Tangipahoa Parish. |
| 1803 |
During the disputed years of the last quarter of the 18th century the area called the St. Helena District was settled by Acadians fleeing English tyranny in Canada, loyalists fleeing the American Revolution on the east coast and even Germans moving north from French-established colonies on the west bank of the Mississippi River. With the purchase of Louisiana by the United States in 1803 a flood of English-speaking settlers arrived. It is not definitely known for whom the parish was named, but it may be named after one of the saints of the Catholic Church, since many of the early parishes of Louisiana have that origin. Before the division of St. Helena to create these new parishes the settlement of Montpelier was selected as the seat of justice because of its central location. After the division of 1832 to form Livingston Parish the courthouse site was moved to Greensburg. |
| 1805 |
When the Territory of Orleans is divided into counties the present-day St. Helena Parish is part of Spanish West Florida |
| 1832 |
Before the division of St. Helena to create these new parishes the settlement of Montpelier was selected as the seat of justice because of its central location. After the division of 1832 to form Livingston Parish the courthouse site was moved to Greensburg.
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The St. Helena Parish School System includes two elementary schools (1330 students) and one secondary school (415 students). There is are private schools in adjacent parishes to provide an alternative for students not attending public schools. All public and private schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the Louisiana Independent School Association. Currently the percentage of graduating seniors attending college is 36.72% for the public schools. Annual cost in public funds to provide schooling is $2,632 per student, with a pupil-to teacher ratio of 18.02:1. |
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The Florida Parishes Vocational Technical School is located in Greensburg. This facility has 6 teachers who instruct an average of 130 students in auto mechanics, office occupations, nursing, welding, and various computer courses. Vocational training is also available at Baton Rouge Regional Vocational Technical Institute, a state-funded facility in Baton Rouge, and in the vocational program of the parish schools. The Hammond Area Vo-Tech School is also located nearby and available to parish residents. Vocational training also includes small engine repair, machine shop, drafting and instrumentation. To assure that new and expanding businesses have a continuing pool of workers with the level of education and expertise necessary for their operations, the area’s colleges and universities, vocational/technical schools and high schools graduate trained and entry-level persons year round. Schools at all levels are augmenting their general education missions with programs explicitly connected with employment possibilities for their students. This is seen in secondary schools in career education curricula and programs such as adopt-a-school through which business contributes resources, curriculum guidance and, in some cases, instruction, counseling and the promise of jobs for graduates. Community colleges are increasing their industry-specific training and colleges and universities are developing partnerships with industry that involve human as well as technological development. |
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Education |
Within an hour and a half drive of St. Helena Parish are eleven major colleges or universities. Five of these offer doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, engineering, medical and legal fields. These universities are nationally and internationally recognized as sponsoring extensive research activities. Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) 25 miles Louisiana State University (LSU) 35 miles Tulane University 90 miles Southern University 45 miles Southern Univ. @ New Orleans (SUNO) 90 miles University of New Orleans (UNO) 90 miles LSU Medical Center 90 miles Tulane University Medical Center 90 miles Loyola University 90 miles Xavier University 90 miles Dillard University 90 miles |
| earby Hammond is the proud home of Southeastern Louisiana University. About 10,000 students each semester pursue degrees on this beautiful, tree shaded campus marked by the distinctive, dedicated facility. The university, offering associate, bachelorÀs and masterÀs degrees in a wide variety of fields, is divided into the College of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and the School of Nursing. Degrees are offered in 90 academic disciplines. Southeastern offers many courses at night to accommodate the growing number of non-traditional students who are interested in pursuing a degree. Additionally, the university is a cultural mecca for the entire region. Throughout the year, Southeastern offers concerts, drama, musicals, art exhibits and distinguished lectures for its facility, staff, students and the public. Other items of note about the university: € SoutheasternÀs College of Business is among the most elite in the nation and has been granted unconditional accreditation by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. Only 12% of all college-based schools of business in the nation have received this Accreditation. € SoutheasternÀs Industrial Technology Department is one of the 35 in the nation to be accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology. The department recently placed first in national competition and second in international competition at the 17th International Symposium on Industrial Robots. € 97% of the students in SoutheasternÀs College of Education passed the 1989 National TeacherÀs Exam. € SoutheasternÀs Honors Program was one of only a dozen or so in the country and the only one in Louisiana to receive national recognition for excellence in nationwide study by the National Endowment for the Humanities. € Students from SoutheasternÀs nursing school has received a $1 million federal grant to head a three-university graduate nursing consortium. € SoutheasternÀs menÀs tennis team not only has the best Division I winning record over the last three years, but the nationÀs highest overall academic averages‹a 3.5 GPA. € SoutheasternÀs October ³Fanfare,² a month-long celebration of the arts and humanities has attracted over 13,000 people. It promises to be a major cultural event in Louisiana in the coming years. € SLU University Center, a 7,500 seat, 15,000 square-foot arena serves Southeastern and the community in attracting small conventions and providing excellent facilities for athletic and social events. The Center has parking spaces for approximately 2,500 cars. |
