a VERMILION 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, June 24, 1997

Perry built first bridge

by Jim Bradshaw

Robert Perry was born in Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent. As a boy, he and his family moved to Kentucky. In 1806, three years after the Louisiana Purchase, the 19-year-old left his family (some say ran away) in Campbell County, Kentucky, to move to Louisiana.

At the time, New Orleans was growing rapidly and the colonization of Texas was moving almost as quickly. Whether consciously or luckily, young Perry would place himself astride some of the primary commercial arteries between the two, and make his fortune from it.

He reportedly fought in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, but was in the Attakapas region by 1817, when he built a bridge at the present site of Perry. It became a primary crossing place for herds of cattle being driven to market at New Orleans. By 1827, Perry owned stores on each side of the Vermilion River and maintained a tannery there. He would also eventually own a cotton plantation, corn plantation, sugar plantation, and, by 1830, two keelboats and a schooner.

In 1818, Perry purchased a tanning yard on the Grand Prairie near Opelousas. He also owned a tavern and store at Bayou Chicot. Thus, Perry had established himself on two main routes to Texas: The Opelousas Road and The Old Spanish Trail. He also had boats capable of bringing supplies from New Orleans to Texas.

In 1820, Perry married Elzemily Booth of Georgia. They had nine children who reached maturity. Robert Perry died in 1852.

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).