Destrehan is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) in

St. Charles Parish St. Charles Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Charles) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, its population was 52,549. The parish seat is Hahnville and the most populous community is Luling. The parish w ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 11,340.

Etymology

The community is named after

Jean Noël Destréhan Jean-Noël Destréhan de Tours (1754 – October 4, 1823) was a Creole politician in Louisiana and one-time owner of St. Charles Parish's Destrehan Plantation, one of Louisiana's historic antebellum landmarks. The community of Destrehan ...

(1754–1823), who was twice President of the

Orleans Territory The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana. History In 180 ...

's legislative council during his service there in 1806 and 1811. He was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

when

became a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

in 1812, but he resigned after a month. He served in the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is composed ...

from 1812 to 1817.

Destrehan Plantation Destrehan Plantation (french: Plantation Destrehan) is an antebellum mansion, in the French Colonial style, modified with Greek Revival architectural elements. It is located in southeast Louisiana, near the town of the same name, Destrehan ...

, his former home, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

. The main house has been restored and is one of the attractions on the

Great River Road The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss ...

along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

History

''George Prince'' tragedy

Before the

Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge The Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge (also known as the Luling Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. It is named for the late United States Congressman Hale Boggs. With a total length of , it is ...

was completed connecting the communities of Destrehan and Luling, automobile

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

connected the towns. On October 20, 1976, one of these ferries, the ''George Prince'', was struck by a tanker and capsized as it crossed the

resulting in the MV ''George Prince'' ferry disaster. Seventy-eight passengers and crew died.

Gary Tyler case

Destrehan was briefly notorious in 1974 for the case of

Gary Tyler Gary Tyler (born July 1958), from St. Rose, Louisiana, is an African-American man who is a former prisoner at the Louisiana State Prison in Angola, Louisiana. He was convicted of the October 7, 1974 shooting death of a white 13-year-old boy and ...

, a 17 year old black student who was accused by local officials of the murder of 13 year old white student and the wounding of another, on a day of violent protests by white students at Destrehan High School. Many observers believe his conviction and trial were unfair and flawed. He was convicted and sentenced to prison. He was released from prison in 2016.

Geography

Destrehan is located at (29.962307, -90.369160). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and (12.41%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,340 people, 4,257 households, and 3,334 families residing in the CDP.

Education

St. Charles Parish Public School System The St. Charles Parish Public School System is a public school district headquartered in Luling, Louisiana. It serves all of St. Charles Parish. Schools ''Note: There are no incorporated places in St. Charles Parish. The communities listed in it ...

operates public schools: *

Destrehan High School Destrehan High School is a public high school located in Destrehan, Louisiana, United States and is approximately twenty-five miles west of New Orleans. It is part of the St. Charles Parish Public School System and serves all students on the east ...

(9–12) *Harry M. Hurst Middle School (Formerly 7–8 & presently 6–8) *Ethel Schoeffner Elementary School (Formerly 4–6 & presently 3–5) *New Sarpy Elementary School (Formerly PK–3 & presently PK–2)

In popular culture

was used as a set in the film ''

12 Years a Slave ''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., ...

'' (2013).

Notable people

Paul Boudreau Paul T. Boudreau (born December 30, 1949) is an American football coach who is currently the special teams coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Prior to the bombers he last served as offensive line coach for the Los Angeles Rams of the Nat ...

, assistant coach of the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Paul F. Boudreau Paul T. Boudreau (born December 30, 1949) is an American football coach who is currently the special teams coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Prior to the bombers he last served as offensive line coach for the Los Angeles Rams of the Nat ...

, NFL and CFL assistant coach *

Joel T. Chaisson, II St. Charles Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Charles) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, its population was 52,549. The parish seat is Hahnville and the most populous community is Luling. The parish ...

, District Attorney and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Jesse Duplantis Jesse Duplantis (born July 9, 1948) is an American preacher from the Christian Evangelical Charismatic movement. He is based in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., and the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries. Evangelical career Duplantis is consider ...

televangelist Televangelism ( tele- "distance" and " evangelism," meaning " ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are ministers, whether official or self-p ...

Hoffman Franklin Fuller Destrehan is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 11,340. Etymology The community is named after Jean Noël Destréhan (1754–1823), who was twice President of ...

, professor-emeritus at

Tulane University Law School Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. In addition to the usual common l ...

and

Bossier City Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had ...

mayor *

Shelley Hennig Shelley Catherine Hennig (born January 2, 1987) is an American actress and model. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Teen Choice Award and two Daytime Emmy Award nominations. Prior to pursuing an acting career, Hennig comp ...

, actress and

Miss Teen USA Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the Mis ...

2004 *

Dalton Hilliard Dalton Andrea Hilliard (born January 21, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints from 1986-1993. He played his entire NFL career for the Sai ...

, NFL running back for the

Joe Horn Joseph Horn (born January 16, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver and current assistant coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and also ...

, NFL wide receiver for the

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and Atlanta Falcons *

Justin Jefferson Justin Jamal Jefferson (born June 16, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2020 N ...

, wide receiver for

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

Harry J. Kember Jr. Harry Joseph Kember Jr. (April 28, 1934 – February 9, 2012) was an American politician. Born in Destrehan, Louisiana, Kember graduated from Ascension Catholic High School in 1952 and lived in White Castle, Louisiana. He served in the Louisian ...

, member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 re ...

Tanner Lee Tanner Joseph Lee (born February 14, 1995) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Nebraska and Tulane. Early years Lee was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and was raised in Destrehan, Louisiana. He attended Je ...

, NFL quarterback for the

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, NFL defensive tackle for the

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Kirk Merritt Kirk Merritt (born January 5, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arkansas State. Early life and high school Merritt grew up in Destrehan, ...

, NFL wide receiver for the

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and

Gregory A. Miller Norco is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,984 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The community is home to a major Shell Oil Company, Sh ...

, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives *

Jim E. Mora James Ernest Mora (born May 24, 1935) is a former American football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1986 to 1996 and the Indianapolis Co ...

, head coach of the

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, head coach of the

Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former football safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, w ...

, NFL safety for the

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, NFL punter for the

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, NFL tackle with the

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*Byron O. Thomas, known by stage name

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, rapper and producer *

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, safety for

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...

and

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Louisiana Census-designated places in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana Census-designated places in New Orleans metropolitan area Louisiana populated places on the Mississippi River