The second largest city in Louisiana, Baton Rouge was established as a military post by the French in The present name of the city, however, dates back to , when French explorers noted a red cypress tree stripped of its bark that marked the boundary between Houma and Bayou Goula tribal hunting grounds. They called the tree "le baton rouge," or red stick.
The native name for the site had been Istrouma. From evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite, and Amite rivers, and in three native mounds remaining in the city, archaeologists have been able to date habitation of the Baton Rouge area to B. The beautiful plantation was built in , but the land was owned by the Houmas until it was sold to Maurice Conway and Alexander Latil in the mid s.
The army fought the Battle of Baton Rouge for three hours on Sept. Galvez went on to ensure the British did not rule the Gulf Coast. In fact, the Battle of Baton Rouge was the only battle of the American Revolution fought outside of the 13 colonies.
Today, you can visit the site of a Spanish battery near the Louisiana State Capitol. The Confederates held Port Hudson for seven weeks in until learning about the fall of Vicksburg. They then surrendered, giving the Union free reign over the Mississippi River. The Battle of Port Hudson was also one of the deadliest battles in the Civil War with about 5, Union soldiers and 7, Confederate soldiers dead. Visit the Port Hudson to view a museum and the Port Hudson National Cemetery, and even hike miles of trails that wander through the battle grounds.
The Louisiana State Capitol is the tallest state capitol in the U. The Indian Mounds are older than the Egyptian pyramids. Archaeologists do not know the exact purpose for the mounds, but do know they were not burial mounds.
You can find students studying, picnicking and napping on the mounds year-round. The mounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Baton Rouge was not part of the Louisiana Purchase. For a brief while, the parishes and parts of Mississippi and Alabama were their own nation — the Republic of West Florida.
The Florida parishes were soon annexed into Louisiana, and later in , Louisiana was admitted into the Union. What do you think? Tell us in the comments below. The Old State Capitol is haunted. Employees and officers at the Old State Capitol have chilling stories of a ghost that haunts the castle. From dark shadows, slamming doors and even physical bumps into thin air, the stories raised the eyebrows of the TV show Ghost Hunters. The team visited Baton Rouge in , and found similar pieces of haunting evidence.
Many believe the Old State Capitol is haunted by Senator Pierre Couvillion, who collapsed and died in the building after a bitter and heated argument about the role of gambling in Louisiana in The Baton Rouge area owes its historical importance to its strategic site upon the Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta.
This allowed development of a business quarter safe from seasonal flooding. In addition, the city built a levee system stretching from the bluff southward to protect the riverfront and low-lying agricultural areas. The city is a culturally rich center, with settlement by immigrants from numerous European nations and African peoples. Human habitation in the Baton Rouge area has been dated to — BC based on evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite , and Amite rivers.
Earthwork mounds were built by hunter-gatherer societies in the Middle Archaic period , from roughly the 4th millennium BC. Eastern Muskogean began to diversify internally in the first half of the 1st millennium AD. The early Muskogean nations were the bearers of the Mississippian culture , which formed around AD and extended in a vast network across the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, with numerous chiefdoms in the Southeast as well.
By the time the Spanish made their first forays inland from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in the early 16th century, many political centers of the Mississippians were already in decline, or abandoned. At the time, the region appeared to be occupied by a collection of moderately-sized native chiefdoms interspersed with autonomous villages and tribal groups. French explorer Sieur d'Iberville led an exploration party up the Mississippi River in The explorers saw a red pole marking the boundary between the Houma and Bayogoula tribal hunting grounds.
The location of the red pole was presumably at Scott's Bluff, on what is now the campus of Southern University. It was reportedly a foot-high 9. The settlement of Baton Rouge by Europeans began in when a military post was established by French colonists. In , when French-speaking settlers of Acadia in Canada's Maritime provinces were driven into exile by British forces, many took up residence in rural Louisiana.
Popularly known as Cajuns , the descendants of the Acadians maintained a separate culture. During the first half of the 19th century, the city grew steadily as the result of steamboat trade and transportation. Baton Rouge was incorporated in In , the Pentagon Barracks complex of buildings was completed.
In , ownership of the barracks was transferred to the State of Louisiana, and in it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In , the state legislature designated Baton Rouge Louisiana's new capital to replace "sinful" New Orleans. The architect James Dakin was hired to design the Capitol building in Baton Rouge, with construction beginning in late Rather than mimic the federal Capitol in Washington , as many other states had done, he designed a capitol in Neo-Gothic , complete with turrets and crenellations, and stained glass, which overlooks the Mississippi.
It has been described as the "most distinguished example of Gothic Revival" architecture in the state and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. By the outbreak of the Civil War , the population of Baton Rouge was nearly 5, The war nearly halted economic progress, except for businesses associated with supplying the Union Army occupation of the city beginning in the spring of The Confederates at first consolidated their forces elsewhere, during which time the state government was moved to Opelousas and later Shreveport.
In the summer of , about 2, Confederate troops under generals John C. After the war, New Orleans served as the seat of the Reconstruction Era state government.
When the Bourbon Democrats regained power in , they returned the state government to Baton Rouge, where it has since remained. In his guidebook, Karl Baedeker described Baton Rouge as "the Capital of Louisiana, a quaint old place with 10, inhabitants, on a bluff above the Mississippi. In the s and s, Baton Rouge experienced a boom in the petrochemical industry, causing the city to expand away from the original center.
A building boom that began in the s continued into the s, during which Baton Rouge was one of the fastest-growing cities in the South in terms of technology, and Metropolitan Baton Rouge was one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the U. Baton Rouge's population temporarily surged after Hurricane Katrina , as it accepted as many as , displaced residents.
Baton Rouge is located on the banks of the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of The parish of East Baton Rouge was created in although in reality it had existed since The ordinance signed by Governor Claiborne provided that there "be established The town of Baton Rouge was incorporated in January, , almost a century after the founding by the French.
It had been a century packed with history and traditions, a century whose influences are apparent in Baton Rouge to this day when more that another century has passed.
Under the act of incorporation as adopted by the Legislature it was provided that "all free white male persons above the age of 21 years who are freeholders, householders or landowners within the following limits, to wit: from the mouth of the bayou at the upper part of the town of Baton Rouge called Garcia's bayou and extending on the main branch of said bayou to the distance of 40 arpents from the Mississippi, and below commencing at the Mississippi on the town line of land claimed by Madame Marion, and pursuing the direction of said line to the distance of 40 arpents from the Mississippi are hereby authorized to meet and elect five selectmen annually.
The election was duly held with the council meeting for the first time in April , historians relate. William Williams was chosen to head the council and serve as mayor. Thomas C. Stannard was named clerk, D. Pintado, treasurer and collector, and Pierre Jautin, police officer.
In the manner of the councils, both before and after, the body's first ordinance related to taxes and licenses; its second to certain street improvements; its third provided for construction of a town hall and market house and the fourth ordered the punishment of all "drunken and disorderly persons," indicating that even in those early days the city fathers were having their troubles.
At a subsequent meeting the council adopted a Sunday closing law which many historians believe was the first enacted in the Mississippi valley.
Under terms of this ordinance "all bar rooms, saloons, grogshops, billiard rooms and bowling alleys" were ordered to shut up shop on Sunday. Thus years ago the number of straitlaced had apparently already outnumbered the original French settlers, who were given to enjoy pleasure. These names still appear at frequent intervals in real estate transactions consummated today and are more or less familiar to all Baton Rougeans.
The seat of government was moved to Baton Rouge in in accordance with the Constitution of The old state capitol was begun in and completed the following year.
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