Interesting Facts:
A LONG HISTORY... Plaquemine and Iberville Parish share in pre-historic history as well as our national, state, and local history. Years ago the National Geographic claimed Plaquemine to be a trade route over a thousand years ago. The Chitomacha Indian mound at Bayou Sorrel was activated before the time of Christ.
THE INDIAN CONNECTION... Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur de Iberville came to Bayou Goula (between Plaquemine and White Castle) in 1699 on five different voyages. In December 1699, Father Du Ru with the Jesuits built the first church in the Louisiana Purchase near Bayou Goula amongst the Bayogoulas and the Mugulasha (two tribes domiciled in the same village). The Indians helped Iberville to map out the Indian trade routes from here to Mobile, Boloxi, Natchez, Baton Rouge. “The Indians… lived along a great river they called the Malbanchya, which it is determined must certainly be the Mississippi River.” This is according to Iberville’s journals.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Plaquemine is an Indian word, translated by the French, which means persimmon.
HISTORIC ROOTS... Plaquemine has been a Louisiana-designed Main Street City since 1992. There are 21 city blocks included in the National Register of Historic Places, along with the City's Historic District as well as the Garden District and Turnerville District.
LINK TO THE MASTER LOCK BUILDER... The Gary J. Hebert Memorial Lockhouse, which is part of the state park system and is located in downtown Plaquemine, was designed by Colonel George W. Goethals, who also designed the Panama Canal.
OUR MANY WATERWAYS... Plaquemine is bordered by the Mississippi River, historic Bayou Plaquemine and connects to the Atchafalaya Basin. It is also home to numerous waterways with plentiful fishing.
MANY RIVER ROUTES... The Mississippi River has a width of about 2,300 feet in this area and ranges from 5 feet to 50 feet in depth. The parish’s waterways are part of the Gulf Intracoastal system that is part of a 3,000 mile Intracoastal Waterway, a navigable toll-free shipping route extending along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts in the southern & eastern US. The Plaquemine-Morgan City waterway provides direct connection west of New Orleans with the extensive Mississippi River Valley system of inland waterways. Among the principal items moved on the route are petroleum and its products, industrial chemicals, pipe and other supplies for the oil fields and sulfur. Navigable rivers in Iberville Parish include: Outflow, Little Atchafalaya, Upper Grand Lake, Lower Atchafalaya, Atchafalaya Bay, Lower Grand River, Intracoastal Waterway, Upper Grand River, and the Atchafalaya Basin.
EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN OUR BEAUTY... The City of Plaquemine is proudly known for its efforts to beautify its beautiful waterways and community. One of the most breath-taking sites in the city is the Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park, which includes an extensive pier along the bayou, scenic views, park seating and easy access to the city’s most historic buildings in the heart of its Historic Downtown District. (See visitor information). The City is also proud to be a part of the following programs:
- The Atchafalaya Basin Program – under the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
- The Atchafalaya Trace, under the Louisiana Dept of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, which develops national and state cultural/heritage trails.
- Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, which is charged with developing a management plan for protecting and restoring more than 4 million acres between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers.
TRAVELING THE MISSISSIPPI... Plaquemine has a ferry which travels to East Iberville and back every half hour from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily. It is operated by the La. Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). For more information, call the Ferry Hotline at 1-888-613-3779.
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