50 Historic Photos of St. Bernard Parish

They are somewhat in chronological order by date taken. Hope you enjoy these as much as I did:

De la Ronde Plantation, Chalmette, 1866. The site where General Pakenham allegedly took his last breath during the Battle of New Orleans. Source: Wiki Commons

Villere Plantation, Chalmette, late 1890s. Home to Jacques Villere, first Creole governor of Louisiana. His home was occupied by the British during the Battle of New Orleans.

Jackson Barracks, 1890s. (Close enough to the parish). Source: Library of Congress

MacCarthy Plantation (Bonzano House), late 1890s. This plantation was the headquarters for Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans. It burned down and the Chalmette Port occupies its current location. Source: Library of Congress. — Malus-Beauregard House, late 1890s. Source: Library of Congress.

De la Ronde ruins, date unknown. Source: Louisiana Digital Library — De la Ronde ruins, date unknown. This was taken after 1877, which was the year the majority of it burned. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Improving levees in Poydras, 1908. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Lebeau Plantation, Old Arabi, 1910. Source: oldneworleans.com — Lebeau Plantation, Old Arabi, 1910. The plantation eventually burned down in 2013. Source: oldneworleans.com

Chalmette National Cemetery, 1910. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Chalmette Monument, 1910s. Source: Library of Congress

Domino Sugar Refinery, 1913. Source: Library of Congress

Centennial at Chalmette Monument, 1915. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Flooding in Toca, 1922. Source: Wiki Commons

Flood damage in Poydras, 1922. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Flooding in Violet, 1922. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Flooding in lower part of the parish, 1922. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Pakenham Oaks, 1920s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Levees blown at Caernarvon during the Mississippi River Flood of 1927. Source: The Jesse Earl Hyde Collection, Case Western Reserve University (cwru) Department of Geological Sciences

Kenilworth Plantation, early 1930s. Source: oldneworleans.com

Man working outside old slave quarters, 1930s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library — Man working outside old slave quarters in Violet, 1930s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Old slave quarters in Violet, 1930s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Farmer with horse and goods in Terre-aux-Boeuf, date unknown. Source: Louisiana Digital Library — Farmer with horse and goods in Terre-aux-Boeufs, date unknown. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Remnants of Villere Plantation, 1930s. I remember playing on what’s left of these ruins as a kid. Source: Louisiana Digital Library — Remnants of Villere Plantation, 1930s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Memorial at the pet cemetery in Toca, late 1930s.

Beauregard House, 1934. Source: Library of Congress

Buildings roads in Old Arabi, 1936. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Working on highway project, 1936. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Chateau des Fleurs, Old Arabi, 1938. Source: Library of Congress

Lacoste Plantation, 1938. Source: Library of Congress

Whiskey Bayou, date unknown. One of the many routes used to illegally import alcohol during Prohibition. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Selling and trading fur in Delacroix, 1941. Source: Library of Congress — Selling and trading fur at the Community Store in St. Bernard Village, 1941. According to Dr. William Hyland, the St. Bernard Parish historian, the Community Store “is still standing and was purchased by Albert and Gerri Avenel in 1985 after Hurricane Juan flooded their former Delacroix Island home.” Source: Library of Congress

Maneuvering pirogues in Delacroix, 1941. Source: Library of Congress

Isleño trapper taking a cigar break, Delacroix, 1941. Source: Library of Congress — Raphael “Tio Phael” Robin, Isleño trapper, taking a cigar break, Delacroix, 1941. According to Dr. Hyland, he was a “very colorful and well remembered by his family in the 1980s. He was illiterate, but nevertheless a master of the marshes and waterways in Eastern St. Bernard Parish. He was a kind and benevolent patriarch of his family.” Source: Library of Congress

Muskrat skins for sale, Delacroix, 1941. Source: Library of Congress

Trappers’ house in Delacroix, 1941. Source: Library of Congress

Delacroix Isle, 1941. Source: Library of Congress

Isleños drinking and gambling, Delacroix, 1941. Source: Library of Congress

Trading furs in Delacroix, 1941. Source: Library of Congress

Spanish trapper's wife and sister-in-law holding dried muskrat skins in front of their camp — According to Dr. Hyland, ” Maria Robin Lopez holding animal pelts, smiling on the left and her sister, “Chica” on the right. “Maria Mamerto” as she was known was famous for her delicious stuffed crabs and quick wit! She married “Mamerto” Lopez, a Spanish-Basque refugee from the civil wars in Spain. He was a mirror image of an Ernest Hemingway character.” 1941. Source: Library of Congress

Three Oaks Plantation, 1940s. Destroyed in 1966 by Domino Sugar Refinery. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

La Maison des Jalousies, Old Arabi, early 1950s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library — Darcentel-Cavaroc House, Old Arabi, early 1950s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Fazendeville and the Chalmette Monument, late 1950s. Fazendeville, an all Black community started by a freedman, was demolished in 1964 by the National Park Service. Courtesy of the Louisiana Air National Guard, c. 1960 — Fazendeville and the Chalmette Monument, late 1950s. Fazendeville, a community of color started by a freedman in 1866, was demolished in 1966 by the National Park Service. Courtesy of the Louisiana Air National Guard, c. 1960

Domino Sugar Refinery, presumably 1950s. Lebeau Plantation in lower right corner. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Lebeau Plantation, date unknown. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Kaiser Aluminum Plant, Chalmette, 1950s. My grandfather was working there at the time. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Upside houseboat in Shell Beach, 1955. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Beauregard House at Chalmette Battlefield, 1960s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Chalmette Monument, 1960s. Source: Louisiana Digital Library

Battle of New Orleans sesquicentennial at Chalmette Monument, 1965. Fazendeville in the background. Source: NPS

If you think any photos should have been included that are not please send them or post them in the comments. If you have any questions on anything, such as the photographers who took them, the exact locations of buildings no longer there, etc., ask away and I may be able to help.

Update: With the meticulous help of the resourceful Dr. William Hyland, the St. Bernard Parish historian, some of these photos have been expanded on and/or correctly identified.

149 Comments

kathrynlanier says:

July 10, 2019 at 3:49 am

Thank you for collecting and sharing all of these wonderful images. The photos and comments have been very helpful to me on my quest to learn more about St. Bernard Parish.

Liselle Sloan says:

April 26, 2020 at 2:58 am

A wonderful collection of photos,etc.! Can you tell me, Chris, why did so many of the plantations, which were often brick, burn down? I thought brick was basically fireproof. Is it because our brick here is not that solid, because it is often made of clay and horsehair/Spanish Moss? “Sugar brick,” as I have heard guides call it? Or is it because so much of the house is still wooden, that the burned-out interior destabilizes it?

Dianne Spivey says:

January 20, 2021 at 2:09 am

What plantation were the slaves from in Violet? I grew up there. Lived in a shotgun house.

Larry Jouet says:

January 20, 2021 at 2:18 pm

Back in the 1950’s when I was young My we would visit my aunt in Poydras and I remember going through this beautiful canopy of trees. My dad wad born in 1917 and grew up in St Bernard parish. and I seem to remember the run down Plantation home was still visible from the St Bernard Hwy, ( Now this was close to 65 years ago so memory is a little sketchy today. But my dad said it got a nicknamed when he was young “The Murder Mansion” Some about rumors of someone’s wife was murdered there ? well the owner of the property looking ago was According to St. Bernard Parish historian Bill Hyland, the 700-acre Docville Farm, off St. Bernard Highway, stretches from the Mississippi River levee all the way to Lake Borgne. The property is the former estate of legendary St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Louis A. “Doc” Meraux, the father of Joseph Meraux, a banker, prominent landowner and the namesake of the Joseph and Arlene Meraux. Now it is a place of interest and the center of the Docville Farm Foundation which has a learning center and is supposed to be a nice place to visit. Again I cannot guarantee that this information is truly accurate as it is just what was handed down to me when I was young and had family down in St Bernard Parish.

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Kimberly Rayborn says:

February 26, 2021 at 1:11 pm

I really enjoyed this page Chris. I was in the area last week again as I had just found out a few weeks prior that the Lebeau Plantation had burned! Luckily, I took some close up photographs of this house in 2005 and after much search I found the photographs. I plan to put them online eventually in Omeka software / as I have been using this ‘museum software’ for history projects the last year in college. I will send you a few of the best photographs to see if you like as I tried to get the detail of the architecture and I haven’t seen that posted on the photographs online.

KImberly Rayborn says:

February 26, 2021 at 1:18 pm

Thanks for the informative webpage! I was unaware that Lebeau Plantation has burned. I took some great detailed photographs of the house in 2005 and plan to put them online in the next few months in Omeka software which I have been using for digital history projects. I would be happy to send a few of the best ones if you would to view them. Thanks again!

Keisa Rodney says:

March 8, 2021 at 2:29 am

I am trying to find out if Millaudon Plantation or if any plantation was located where W. Smith Elementary School . I’m not sure where to start when lookng for this information.

Chris Dier says:

March 8, 2021 at 2:45 am

I believe the Millaudon Plantation was located on the other side of St. Bernard Highway from W. Smith Elementary along the Mississippi River.

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