Tangipahoa Parish, located near the center of the Florida Parishes of Louisiana, is a physical composite of most the habitats typical of the lower areas east of the Mississippi River. Prior to 1801, the region was sparsely populated as much of the area was densely forested with pine, oak, gun ash, birch, holly, magnolia, poplar, and cypress.The name, Tangipahoa, means “ear of corn” or “those who gather corn” which referred to the sub-tribe of the Acolapissa. These Native Americans inhabited the area when French brothers, Pierre and Jean le Moyne, known as Sieurs Bienville and Iberville, arrived to colonize Louisiana. What would become the southern boundary of Tangipahoa Parish was part of the route used by Native Americans to travel from Mobile and Pensacola, through Pass Manchac to Illinois and the Great Lakes regions. Members of the Acolapissa Tribe led Iberville through Manchac, a shortcut to avoid the long winding Mississippi River en route to Biloxi where Bienville awaited. The brothers bestowed the names “Maurepas” and “Pontchartrain” on nearby lakes to honor the French finance ministers who supported the New World French colony, which Sieur Bienville named New Orleans.
The French controlled their Louisiana Territory in the New World for some time, but later the Spanish government took over the area, while the British controlled the area known as the Florida Parishes. Pass Manchac marked the border between Spanish and British Territory. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 gave the United States the Louisiana Territory; however, the Florida Parishes was not part of the Purchase. After a revolt by local citizens in 1810, their flag, a five-pointed star on a blue field, flew over our area marking the new Independent Republic of West Florida. The revolt by the independent local settlers was put down after seventy-two days, and the area remained an international boundary between Spanish Territory and the United States until 1813 when Louisiana was made a state, which included the area.
The coming of the railroad in the mid 1800's laid the way for development of the area, with business interests developing along the railroad line. It became inconvenient for persons to travel so far to transact their business in the nearby parishes' seats of government, prompting concerned citizens to develop their own parish and governmental center to be carved from the territory of the four surrounding parishes. The boundaries were fixed beginning at the state line west of Osyka four miles, south along the Natalbany Creek and Tickfaw River, along the Lake and along the Tchefuncte River to the state line, and west to the place of origin. The boundaries were fixed by legislative law in March 1896 and Tangipahoa Parish was founded. The Parish (called ‘county’ in other parts of the United States) is 51 miles long and 18 miles wide and includes 500,000 acres or 790 square miles. Since Tangipahoa Parish’s founding, the population has steadily increased. In 1870, the population was 7,928; in 1960, the census showed 59,434; and in 2000, the population had grown to 100,588 persons with 36,588 households. Source: Out of Four-One: Tangipahoa Parish History 1869-1969, Irene R. Morris, Tangipahoa Parish Council.
