Church Point, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Church Point is a town in Acadia Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. The population was 4,756 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Crowley
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
in the area had created a "burn" to promote new grass to attract bison
and other grazing and browsing animals.
One of these clearings was created on a slough off of Bayou Mermentau, near where the slough came to a point. This new clearing became known as Plaquemine Brûlé in 1843 when Etienne d'Aigle III, a descendant of immigrants from Quebec, became the first settler in the area, which at that time was in the middle of Opelousas Parish (later St. Landry Parish), which stretched from the Atchafalaya River
to the Sabine River.
Plaquemine is an Atakapa
word for the native Louisiana persimmon
. The French term "Plaquemine Brûlé" is translated into English as "Burnt Persimmon" - a result of the burning off the brush and other woody growth, which apparently contained persimmon trees, during the widening of a slough off of Bayou Mermentau to accommodate barge travel for local farmers up Bayou Mermentau.
As more families were attracted to the area, Jesuit missionaries fulfilled their spiritual needs by establishing a chapel in 1848 on land donated by the d'Aigle brothers Etienne(III) and Joseph "José'". The church was known as "La Chapelle de la pointe de Plaquemine Brûlé" (in English, "The Church at the point of Burnt Persimmon"). The English term was later shortened to "Church Point" to refer to the spire on top of the church which could be seen, and traversed to, for miles in this frontier area, and translated back into French as "La Pointe de l'Eglise".
The town's first school was established in 1856, providing encouragement for the community to grow further. The first Post Office, for the town of "Church Point," was established in the area on September 29, 1873, marking the settlement's first official recognization as a community. Thirteen years later residents of the town voted with those of surrounding communities to form a new parish, known as Acadia Parish
.
"According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land. Plaquemine Brûlé was considered part of the frontier for the next several decades, as there were no railroads and the swampy terrain made overland travel difficult. Early pioneers to the area requested land grants along the bayou only large enough to satisfy their families' immediate needs. Many families raised cattle, which roamed freely on the open range of the prairie.[2]
of 2000, there were 4,756 people, 1,720 households, and 1,202 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,726.5 people per square mile (667.7/km²). There were 1,863 housing units at an average density of 676.3 per square mile (261.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.47% White, 31.54% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.42% from other races
, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 1,720 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples
living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,365, and the median income for a family was $27,037. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $15,833 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $10,176. About 28.9% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 37.0% of those age 65 or over.
Since 1981, the Acadia St. Landry Medical Foundation, which supports the Acadia St. Landry Hospital, has organized an annual Buggy Festival, held in Church Point on the first weekend in June. The town was chosen because residents had used buggies as their main means of transportation until the early 1950s, earning Church Point the nickname "Buggy Capital of the world" in 1927. In its first twenty-five years, the festival earned over $440,000 in profits, which were distributed among the hospital, the parks department of the city of Church Point, and various civic organizations. Two scholarships are also awarded annually. The festival, which includes a Sunday parade, gives visitors the opportunity to explore various horse-drawn vehicle
s. Cajun musicians perform throughout the weekend, while Cajun cuisine is featured. The festival also often includes a French speaking contest and a Cajun French accordion contest. Each year the town holds a Courir de Mardi Gras
.
In 1987 Church Point established a relationship with Church Point, Nova Scotia
, bringing about a revival of interest in its French culture. The town now proudly calls itself the "Cajun Music Capital of the World," based on "having the greatest number of professional Cajun musicians of any place on earth." A different Cajun musician is honored each year on Cajun Day, the second Sunday in November.
Acadia Parish, Louisiana
Acadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. According to the 2010 census, the population of Acadia Parish is 61,773. The parish was founded from parts of St...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,756 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Crowley
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
In the late 18th century, French settlers from Quebec, Canada created clearings by burning the underbrush, leaving what they called "a brûlé". "A brûlé" is a "burn", much as the Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the area had created a "burn" to promote new grass to attract bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
and other grazing and browsing animals.
One of these clearings was created on a slough off of Bayou Mermentau, near where the slough came to a point. This new clearing became known as Plaquemine Brûlé in 1843 when Etienne d'Aigle III, a descendant of immigrants from Quebec, became the first settler in the area, which at that time was in the middle of Opelousas Parish (later St. Landry Parish), which stretched from the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....
to the Sabine River.
Plaquemine is an Atakapa
Atakapa
The Atakapan people are a Southeastern culture of Native American tribes who spoke Atakapa and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico. They called themselves the Ishak, pronounced "ee-SHAK", which translates as "The People". Although the people were decimated by infectious disease after...
word for the native Louisiana persimmon
Persimmon
A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
. The French term "Plaquemine Brûlé" is translated into English as "Burnt Persimmon" - a result of the burning off the brush and other woody growth, which apparently contained persimmon trees, during the widening of a slough off of Bayou Mermentau to accommodate barge travel for local farmers up Bayou Mermentau.
As more families were attracted to the area, Jesuit missionaries fulfilled their spiritual needs by establishing a chapel in 1848 on land donated by the d'Aigle brothers Etienne(III) and Joseph "José'". The church was known as "La Chapelle de la pointe de Plaquemine Brûlé" (in English, "The Church at the point of Burnt Persimmon"). The English term was later shortened to "Church Point" to refer to the spire on top of the church which could be seen, and traversed to, for miles in this frontier area, and translated back into French as "La Pointe de l'Eglise".
The town's first school was established in 1856, providing encouragement for the community to grow further. The first Post Office, for the town of "Church Point," was established in the area on September 29, 1873, marking the settlement's first official recognization as a community. Thirteen years later residents of the town voted with those of surrounding communities to form a new parish, known as Acadia Parish
Acadia Parish, Louisiana
Acadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. According to the 2010 census, the population of Acadia Parish is 61,773. The parish was founded from parts of St...
.
Geography
Church Point is located at 30°24′17"N 92°13′1"W (30.404592, -92.216893)."According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land. Plaquemine Brûlé was considered part of the frontier for the next several decades, as there were no railroads and the swampy terrain made overland travel difficult. Early pioneers to the area requested land grants along the bayou only large enough to satisfy their families' immediate needs. Many families raised cattle, which roamed freely on the open range of the prairie.[2]
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,756 people, 1,720 households, and 1,202 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,726.5 people per square mile (667.7/km²). There were 1,863 housing units at an average density of 676.3 per square mile (261.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.47% White, 31.54% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.42% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 1,720 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,365, and the median income for a family was $27,037. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $15,833 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $10,176. About 28.9% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 37.0% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
As Interstate 10 and Interstate 49 are less than fifteen miles from town, many of the people who live in Church Point work in larger surrounding communities. Many of those who work in the area are farmers, growing rice, soybeans, corm, milo, sugarcane or crawfish. The largest private employer in the area is Church Point Wholesale Grocery.Arts and culture
Horse-drawn vehicle
A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load...
s. Cajun musicians perform throughout the weekend, while Cajun cuisine is featured. The festival also often includes a French speaking contest and a Cajun French accordion contest. Each year the town holds a Courir de Mardi Gras
Courir de Mardi Gras
The Courir de Mardi Gras is a traditional Mardi Gras event held in many Cajun communities of south Louisiana on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Courir de Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday Run". The rural Mardi Gras celebration is based on early begging rituals, similar to those still...
.
In 1987 Church Point established a relationship with Church Point, Nova Scotia
Church Point, Nova Scotia
Pointe-de-l'Église , is a village located on Saint Mary's Bay in the District of Clare, Digby County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is home to Université Sainte-Anne and is known primarily for the tallest wooden church in North America, Église Sainte-Marie, which is located just north of the...
, bringing about a revival of interest in its French culture. The town now proudly calls itself the "Cajun Music Capital of the World," based on "having the greatest number of professional Cajun musicians of any place on earth." A different Cajun musician is honored each year on Cajun Day, the second Sunday in November.