Grand Point, Louisiana

History

Grand Point’s origins are closely tied to the agricultural and cultural development of Louisiana’s River Parishes. The area was historically part of the Acadian Coast, settled by French-speaking Acadians after 1765 following their expulsion from Nova Scotia. These settlers established farms along the Mississippi River and contributed to the region’s strong Roman Catholic heritage, which shaped local institutions and traditions. St. James Parish itself was created in 1807 as one of the original nineteen parishes of the Territory of Orleans, and its population largely consisted of Acadian descendants and French Creoles.

Grand Point developed as a small rural community centered on farming and local commerce. In the late 18th century, the area became notable for perique tobacco, a rare variety originally cultivated by Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples using a unique pressure-curing process. French settler Pierre Chenet learned this technique in the 1790s and helped popularize perique, which remains produced in the region to this day. Grand Point, along with nearby Garyville and Paulina, became one of the primary sites for perique farming, a distinction that continues as part of its cultural identity.

From the History section of Grand Point, Louisiana on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.