Plaquemines Parish ( ; ; ; ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 23,515 at the 2020 census, the county has no incorporated communities. Both the parish seat, Pointe à la Hache and the largest community, Belle Chasse are among the numerous census-designated places scattered throughout the low-lying county. The parish was formed in 1807.
Plaquemines Parish is part of the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area. It was severely damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, and in hurricane events in 2011 and 2021.
History The name "Plaquemines," in Kouri-Vini, was derived from the Atakapa word piakimin, meaning the local fruit persimmon. The French used it to name a military post they built on the banks of the Mississippi River, as the site was surrounded by numerous persimmon trees. Eventually the name was applied to the entire parish and to a nearby bayou.
The oldest European settlement in the parish was La Balize, where the French built and inhabited a crude fort by 1699 near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The name in French meant "seamark", a tall structure of wood built as a guide for ships. By 1721 the French built one high.David Roth, "Louisiana Hurricane History: 18th Century (1722-1800)", Tropical Weather - National Weather Service - Lake Charles, LA; 24 Jun 2003, accessed May 7, 2008 A surviving map from about 1720 shows the island and fort, and the mouth of the river."Carte du Fleuve Saint Louis ou Mississippy dix lieues au dessous de la Novelle Orleans jusqu'a son Embouchoure", Louisiana State Museum Map Database, originally accessed May 6, 2008, only catalog entry available online April 4, 2016
As traffic and trade on the river increased, so did the importance of river pilots who were knowledgeable about the complicated, ever-changing currents and sandbars in the river. They lived at La Balize with their families. The village was destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, but it was abandoned for good after being destroyed by a September 1860 hurricane. The pilots moved upriver and built the settlement they named Pilottown, which reached its peak of population in the 19th century.David Roth, "Louisiana Hurricane History: Late 19th Century (1851-1900)", Tropical Weather - National Weather Service - Lake Charles, LA; Jun 2003, accessed May 6, 2008 The river pilots' expertise continues to be critical, but now they generally live with their families in more populated areas. They stay at Pilottown temporarily for work.
An important historical site is Fort Jackson, built in 1822 as recommended by General Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. In 1861, Fort Jackson served as an important Confederate defense for the city of New Orleans during the Civil War because it was at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The US Army used it as a training base during World War I, 1917–1918.
Plaquemines is one of only two parishes that have kept their same boundaries from the beginning of Louisiana's parishes in 1807 to today, the other being St. Bernard Parish.
In 1863 Abraham Lincoln mentioned Plaquemines Parish in the Emancipation Proclamation as a confederate parish.
20th century to present Because Plaquemines Parish encompasses the last of the Mississippi River before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, it is the site of several oil refineries, which rely on the shipping lanes for moving their product. The Mississippi River Delta of Plaquemines is also a base for assistance to offshore oil rigs. Plaquemines Parish was the first place in the United States where shippers used a container for cargo in foreign trade. The area is also known for having the southernmost point in Louisiana, at just under 29 degrees north.
In the early 1900s, Plaquemines was an exporter of citrus. Farmers used the railroads and the Mississippi to ship the large annual harvest to markets. Commercial fisheries, especially for oysters, have been important in the parish economy.
From 1924 to 1969, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes were effectively the domain of the Democratic political boss Leander Perez, who established a strong hold over the area.Glen Jeansonne, Leander Perez: Boss of the Delta He was notorious for fixing elections and enforcing strict racial segregation. Upon his death, his sons Leander Perez Jr., and Chalin O. Perez were elected as the dominant political figures of the parish as district attorney and parish president, respectively. Interpersonal feuding weakened the family's hold on power. After another decade, by 1980 political opponents had begun to win local elections.
The Civil Rights struggle for African-Americans to become registered voters in Plaquemines Parish began in October 1946, under the guidance of Dr. Rev. Percy Murphy Griffin. With the aid of Attorneys Earl Amedee and Louis Berry from New Orleans, Griffin and twenty-six African-Americans from Plaquemines Parish organized the Plaquemines Parish Civil and Political Organization, Inc., to fight racial barriers established by Perez. In the summer of 1953, the group organized a voter registration drive for African Americans. In 1954, Irene Griffin became the first black woman to register to vote in the parish. The organization filed class-action suits against Leander Perez and in 1953, several African-Americans became registered voters in Plaquemines Parish. In 1966, the organization led the fight to integrate public schools. The movement also worked to get Seymourville and another small community included within the parish boundaries; the city had sought to exclude these majority-black communities to prevent black votes from being counted.Louisiana Diary , March 16, 1964, Written, directed and narrated by Richard O. Moore, aired on PBS The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended legal segregation, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorized federal oversight and enforcement of voter registration and elections in jurisdictions with historic under-representation of minority elements of the population. After 1965, African Americans in Louisiana began full participation in Louisiana politics.
Hurricanes and flooding
Plaquemines Parish has repeatedly been hit by flooding. The August 1901 Hurricane caused damage, including 4 feet of water in Buras."Louisiana Hurricanes", The Cajuns The Great Hurricane of 1915 devastated much of the parish, with multiple levee breaches on both sides of the Mississippi, a 12-foot storm surge, and hundreds of deaths. Homelessness was widespread, and many people were reduced to starvation until charitable aid arrived."Hurricane of 1915: Plaquemines Parish History" The old Parish Courthouse in Pointe à la Hache was among the many buildings destroyed in the storm, but a new one was completed within the year.
During the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, city and state leaders used dynamite to breach a levee at Caernarvon, below Canal Street, in order to save the city of New Orleans from flooding. This action resulted in the flooding of much of the less populated St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, causing widespread destruction to agriculture and housing.
In 1965, Hurricane Betsy flooded many buildings, including the parish courthouse, and caused nine deaths. Leander Perez sealed off the parish to control the distribution of state assistance.Jeansonne; Leander Perez, p. 354 Again in 1969, Hurricane Camille devastated portions of Plaquemines Parish. Storm surge over 10 feet, winds over 100 miles per hour, and peak pressure at 941 hPa devastated Buras, Louisiana, Venice, Louisiana, and many more towns and cities.
Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana on August 29, 2005, resulting in one of the worst disasters in United States history; it severely damaged all of southeast Louisiana. Martial law was not declared in Plaquemines, contrary to many media reports, as no such term exists in Louisiana state law. Plaquemines was the place where the hurricane made landfall at 6.10 a.m. No place escaped without some damage, while most of Plaquemines, Orleans, and neighboring St. Bernard parishes was severely affected. The towns of Pointe à la Hache, Port Sulphur, Buras, Triumph, Empire, Boothville, Phoenix, and Venice suffered catastrophic damage. Amid heavy rains accompanied by hurricane-force winds in excess of at initial landfall (with a Category 5 storm surge), the levees failed and broke. The storm surge which flowed in was more than high. Although a majority of the populace had complied with mandatory state evacuation orders, some did not, possibly because they were not able to. At least three people died.
It is estimated that without significant human intervention, Plaquemines Parish will lose 55% of its current land to rising sea levels over the next 50 years.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (70%) is water. It is the largest parish by total area in Louisiana. Plaquemines Parish is bordered to the south and southeast by the Gulf of Mexico.
Major highways Louisiana Highway 23 Louisiana Highway 39 Louisiana Highway 300 Louisiana Highway 406 Louisiana Highway 1261 Louisiana Highway 3017 Louisiana Highway 3137
Adjacent parishes and features Orleans Parish (north) St. Bernard Parish (northeast) Jefferson Parish (west)
National protected areas Breton National Wildlife Refuge (part) Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Historic sites
The parish includes three United States National Historic Landmarks: Fort De La Boulaye Site, Fort Jackson, and Fort St. Philip. The parish has five other sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Woodland Plantation, which has been depicted on the label of Southern Comfort liqueur since the 1930s. Woodland Plantation is an antebellum mansion located in West Pointe à la Hache, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It is now operated as a bed and breakfast.
Communities
There are no incorporated areas within Plaquemines Parish. Communities not listed below include Happy Jack, Myrtle Grove, Nairn, Naomi, Oakville, and Scarsdale.
Census-designated places
Belle Chasse Boothville Buras Empire New Orleans Station Pointe à la Hache (parish seat) Port Sulphur Triumph Venice
Unincorporated communities
Bohemia Braithwaite Carlisle Dalcour Davant Duvic Grand Ecaille Ironton Jesuit Bend Orchid Phoenix Pilottown Port Eads West Pointe à la Hache
Outdated designations Boothville-Venice Buras-Triumph
Ghost towns Burrwood La Balize
Climate The parish has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with mild winters, long, hot and humid summers, plentiful rain year-round, and all months averaging significantly above 50″F (10 °C). Six months average above 22 °C (71.6 °F.) The hardiness zone is 10a.
Demographics
+Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)19,36918,09118,41215,61713,76474.36%70.74%68.81%67.78%58.53%Black or African American alone (NH)5,4535,8986,2274,6754,86320.93%23.06%23.27%20.29%20.68%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2834605493402551.09%1.80%2.05%1.48%1.08%Asian alone (NH)1084926967261,0420.41%1.92%2.60%3.15%4.43%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census31940xx0.01%0.08%0.17%Other race alone (NH)1214491961910.46%0.17%0.34%0.42%0.81%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3465021,124xx1.29%2.18%4.78%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7155904331,0672,2362.74%2.31%1.62%4.63%9.51%Total26,04925,57526,75723,04223,515 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census