Versailles, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Versailles is a community in Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It is along the East Bank of the Mississippi River
, about 3.5 miles below the lower limit of New Orleans
. The community, for governmental and postal address purposes, is considered part of Chalmette
and by some designations, part of neighboring Meraux
. The name "Versailles", as a place designation, continues in local use.
owner Pierre Denis De La Ronde in the second half of the 1810s. De La Ronde, and other local investors, made plans to lay out Versailles along the River and cut a barge
canal
through some dozen miles of swamp
to the shore of Lake Pontchartrain
, where he would build another town, called "Paris". (These communities were to be named for the famous Paris
and Versailles
in France
.) De La Ronde proclaimed that this Versailles would soon overtake New Orleans in size and importance. Such development never happened. Versailles remained just a small town for the rest of the 19th century, the proposed Paris on the Lakefront never developed, and no navigable canal linked the River and the Lake until the Industrial Canal
was built in New Orleans in the 20th century.
Versailles is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to the De La Ronde plantation itself, considered the most stylish plantation in that part of Louisiana in its day. There is no evidence, however, that De La Ronde himself referred to the plantation by that name. The ruins of the plantation remain visible along Highway 46 in St Bernard Parish, as does the Live Oak alley that once graced the path from the Mississippi River landing to the plantation house.
De La Ronde's road fared better; his path through the swamps developed into a major artery, and Paris Road remains the furthest down-river route connecting the River with the Lake in the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area
.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, about 3.5 miles below the lower limit of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. The community, for governmental and postal address purposes, is considered part of Chalmette
Chalmette, Louisiana
Chalmette is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 32,069 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and by some designations, part of neighboring Meraux
Meraux, Louisiana
Meraux is a census-designated place in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. The population was 10,192 at the 2000 census...
. The name "Versailles", as a place designation, continues in local use.
History
Versailles was founded by plantationPlantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
owner Pierre Denis De La Ronde in the second half of the 1810s. De La Ronde, and other local investors, made plans to lay out Versailles along the River and cut a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
through some dozen miles of swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
to the shore of Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
, where he would build another town, called "Paris". (These communities were to be named for the famous Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.) De La Ronde proclaimed that this Versailles would soon overtake New Orleans in size and importance. Such development never happened. Versailles remained just a small town for the rest of the 19th century, the proposed Paris on the Lakefront never developed, and no navigable canal linked the River and the Lake until the Industrial Canal
Industrial Canal
The Industrial Canal is a 5.5 mile waterway in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The waterway's proper name, as used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and on NOAA nautical charts, is Inner Harbor Navigation Canal...
was built in New Orleans in the 20th century.
Versailles is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to the De La Ronde plantation itself, considered the most stylish plantation in that part of Louisiana in its day. There is no evidence, however, that De La Ronde himself referred to the plantation by that name. The ruins of the plantation remain visible along Highway 46 in St Bernard Parish, as does the Live Oak alley that once graced the path from the Mississippi River landing to the plantation house.
De La Ronde's road fared better; his path through the swamps developed into a major artery, and Paris Road remains the furthest down-river route connecting the River with the Lake in the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
.