an ACADIA PARISH article

Cultures of Acadiana
a look at the French, Cajun, Creole, and Native American cultures of south Louisiana
(a project of Carencro High School - 721 West Butcher Switch Road, Lafayette, LA  70507)

Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser, August 26, 1997

Some memorable dates in Acadia history

1738

December: Joseph LeKintrec and Joseph Blanpain form a partnership to trade with the Attakapas and Opelousas tribes in St. Landry Parish, including what would become Acadia Parish.

1777

The population of the widespread Opelousas district is counted at 756.

1784

April 16: Antoine Blanc buys 2,000 acres on Bayou Plaquemine Brûlée from Nementou, chief of the Attakapas.

1796

The Prudhomme home is built at Bayou Mallet.

1798

William Wikoff received a Spanish land grant on the bayou now bearing his name.

1799

Attakapas Indians sell a village on the west side of the Mermentau River to André Martin for $100.

1801

John Lyon buys land on Bayou Queue de Tortue from some Attakapas Indians.

1820

A Methodist church is established at the Plaquemine Brûlée settlement near what is today Church Point.

1832

Dec. 6: A post office is established at Cole's Settlement, about five miles north east of Crowley.

1838

May 11: A post office is set up at Plaquemine Brûlée.

1848

Jesuits from Grand Coteau establish a chapel at what would become Church Point.

1856

A Catholic chapel for free mulattos is established at Bois Mallet.

1857

A post office is set up at Coulée Blanc, a few miles southwest of what is today Crowley.

1858

Aug. 5: A post office is established at Poupeville, as Rayne was first known.

1873

The first Lutheran congregation in southwest Louisiana is established at Evangeline.

April 15: The Prudhomme City post office opens for business.

June 11: Joseph Fabacher, founder of the Jackson Brewery in New Orleans, is named postmaster at the Acadia Parish community named for him.

Sept. 29: The Church Point post office is established.

 

1880

Jan. 13: Father Peter Leonard Thevis and a delegation of his German country men visit the site of what would become a new settlement at Robert's Cove.

 

1881

May 21: The name of Poupeville Is changed to Rayne.

July: The first Louisiana Western Railroad train crosses the Acadia Parish prairie on rails now linking Houston and New Orleans.

 

1884

Feb. 6: A post office is established at Cartville, later renamed Iota.

1886

March 13: The Rayne Signal begins publication. It would later be moved to Crowley.

March 22: Fire destroys the St. Landry Parish courthouse, and sets off a debate that would end with the creation of Acadia Parish.

May 19: St. Landry Rep. J. C. Lyons introduces a bill to create the new parish of Nicholls. The name would be changed to Acadia before the bill cleared the legislature.

July 12: W. W. Duson and others form the Southwestern Louisiana Land Co. to buy and develop land adjacent to the railroad in Acadia Parish.

Sept. 11: A bridge is completed over Bayou Plaquemine Brûlée. It was called the Duson Bridge and later became known as Long Bridge. The bridge opened the way westward and was the first step toward founding the new town of Crowley.

Oct. 6: The people of St. Landry Parish vote on the creation of the new Acadia Parish.

Oct. 11: Acadia Parish becomes official after promulgation of a vote to divide it from St. Landry Parish.

1887

Jan. 4: Jac Frankel opens the first store at what would become Crowley.

Feb. 12-13: The first settlers buy lots at auction at what would become Crowley.

Feb. 26: The Crowleyville post office is established at Jac Frankel's store.

April 21: A post office is established at Evangeline.

May 14: Crowleyville is shortened to Crowley.

August: The first rice mill opens in Acadia Parish, at Rayne. It was known as the Rayne Rice Mill and Manufacturing Co. and later became the Acadia Rice Milling Co.

1888

Jan. 6: Crowley is incorporated as a village.

Feb. 23: The Crowley Village council meets for the first time.

March 10: The Crowley Signal publishes its first edition.

June 15: A post office is established at what would become Egan.

Sept. 29: The Crowley Signal reported: "The east bound passenger train was five hours late reaching Crowley Sunday, on account of the attempt to rob the mail on Saturday night. The mail car was full of bullet holes and showed signs of a pretty hot skirmish. No less than fifty shots were exchanged between the gang of ten outlaws and the three marshals guarding the mail car."

1890

Nov. 12: The name of the Plaquemine Brûlée post office is changed to Branch.

1891

Sept. 11: Charles W. Faulk is named first postmaster at Ebenezer

 

1893

The Pickett Mill, the first rice mill in Crowley, opens its doors.

1894

April: Crowley's first railroad station burns.

1895

February: Fire destroys a large part of the Rayne business district.

Aug.16: A post office is established at the settlement of Santo. It would later be changed to Gassler, then to Frey.

Feb. 14: Twenty-four inches of snow falls at Rayne, still a state record for snowfall at one town.

1898

April 30: A post office is opens at Lorna later named Morse.

July: A Volunteer fire company is formed at Crowley.

1899

May 10: A post office is opened at Star, later renamed Maxie.

Nov. 11: Mermentau is incorporated as a village.

1900

Dec. 2: The first car appears on the streets of Crowley. It was a "Foster Wagon" owned by C. C. Duson. It cost $850.

1906

The railroad puts a line through Morewater, which becomes shortened to Mowata.

1914

Crowley High School's football team goes undefeated to win the state championship. Among its victims during the season was SLI, the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute (now USL ) which Crowley High beat 51-0.

1921

Babe Ruth and the New York Yanks came to Crowley to play an exhibition game against the Indianapolis Indians, who held their 1921 spring training camp in Crowley

1927

Sept. 21: The First Rice festival opens in Crowley with S. L. (Sol) Wright as King Rice and his daughter, Edith, as queen.

1940

August: Torrential rains leave 8 feet of water in some parts of Crowley. Flood waters also covered parts of Branch, Robert's Cove, Rayne, Estherwood Midland, Mermentau, Morse, Gueydan, and Lake Arthur.

1974

Oct. 29: Just after 1 a.m a massive tornado slices through Crowley, destroying everything in its five-block-wide path.

This article is copyrighted © by the Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser and is used with permission.  This web site was originated through a grant awarded to Carencro High School (Joel Hilbun/Bobbi Marino, Grant Administrators) by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from the Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund - 8(g).