Come stop by the Catfish Capitol of the Universe aka Des Allemands on your next road trip across the bayou state and tell everyone you know about Louisiana Dread! #roadtrip #louisiana #louisianaroadtrip #history #quickhistory #bayoulafourche #bayou #civilwarhistory #civilwar
Host: Kyle Crosby
Camera/Editor: Michael Malley
We have reached the town of Des Allemands, which literally means The Germans and it is known as the Catfish Capital of the Universe, so suck it Jupiter! It was developed on the Coteau de France, which was a large tract of land that included the area north and east of Lac Des Allemands to the Mississippi River. It was part of the original claim of Antoine Folse who was the acknowledged founder of the town of Vacherie, and included 640 acres of cultivated land.
In 1721, John Law and the Company of the Indies settled Germans along the Mississippi River in present day St. Charles & St. John the Baptist. Four German towns were established along the river called Augsburg, Hoffen, Karlstein, and Marienthal, but due to hostile interactions with local native tribes, these Germans wanted to move to a location that was much closer to the colonial capital of New Orleans. They would settle north of Lake Washa which is modern day Lake Salvador.
In 1796, a man named Paul Toups received a land grant from the Baron de Carondelet for the purpose of developing a cattle ranch. This land extended from Des Allemands and Isle Du Price Noir or Black Prince Island at Bayou Gauche, east to the rear of present-day Luling.
Des Allemands was mainly the home of a New Orleans Opelousas and Great Western train depot, and included a few scattered settlers of German descent. Because of this train depot, it would be the target of Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War.
The Battle of Bayou Des Allemands would occur on September 4, 1862, when about 60 Union men under command of Captain Clark was ambushed by 1500 Confederates under Colonel McWaters at Boutte Station. After this skirmish, the rebel forces made their way to the Des Allemands station for an attack and demanded the surrender of Union Captain Hall stationed in Des Allemands.
Captain Hall would surrender with about 132 men in Des Allemands, but among those who surrendered were seven Germans who enlisted from New Orleans. Once these men were recognized, they were immediately Court Martialled. The seven German men were condemned to death and were shot on the presumption that they were deserters of the Confederacy, which was entirely untrue.
In 1901 a chapel was built as St. Gertrude’s on the present site of the cemetery in Des Allemands. Before that, mass was held in parishioner’s homes and a priest from Holy Rosary Church in Taft would make the trip. The newer church opened in 1955.
Public schools in the area began as early as 1879, one built in 1895 on land owned by Charles L. Hopkins. Two teachers taught first through seventh grade.
In 1923, a wooden schoolhouse was built. It was a large room separated into two classrooms by a sliding chalkboard wall partition along its center. An additional room was built later.
That building endured until Allemands Elementary was built in 1931. The newer school was destroyed in an electrical fire in 1974. The ruins were finally taken down in early 1990s. Students then temporarily attended classes at the Des Allemands Assembly of God Church and the Mennonite Church. The 1923 school, however, took on a life of its own. It was moved to Comardelle Village, where it served local children until 1941, then to Bayou Gauche until 1959 and back to Des Allemands, there to become the American Legion Post 316 Hall on Highway 632. Across the street is the present Allemands Elementary, which opened in 1977.
It remains a quiet, small town despite Louisiana Highway 90 cutting through it. Stop by on your next Louisiana road trip, more specifically to Spahr’s and get their gumbo.
#louisiana #history #roadtrip #bayou
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