Evangeline Parish () is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. the population was 32,350. The

parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...

is Ville Platte.

History

The parish was created out of lands formerly belonging to St. Landry Parish in 1910. The majority of the area was originally settled by French Canadian colonists and former colonial marines (''coureurs de bois'') from such outposts as Fort Toulouse and Fort Kaskaskia and later included 19th-century French-speaking soldiers and immigrant families. The early generations were born in colonial French colonies, which included the enormous Louisiana territory ('Upper and Lower' Louisiana) known as "la Nouvelle France", and later were born under Spanish rule. Many people of Evangeline are primarily of French, English, and Spanish descent from Louisiana's colonial period. Examples of the French family names are Fontenot, Brignac, Ardoin, Bordelon, Vidrine, Courville, Gaspard, LaFleur, Chataignier, Dupre, Berza, Manuel, Ratelle, Fuselier, Landreneau, Andrepont, Guillory, Soileau, LeBas, and Gobert, among others. People of Spanish

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

heritage (

Isleños Isleños () are the Kinship, descendants of Canarian people, Canarian settlers and immigrants to present-day Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Texas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other parts of the Americas. In these places, the name ''i ...

) can be observed to have settled in the Parish as well, bringing names like Aguillard, Casaneuva, De Soto, Ortego, Rozas, and Segura. Many

English Americans English Americans (also known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans were the largest group in the United States with 46.6 million Ameri ...

as colonists came from the Eastern United States to settle in the newly purchased

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of t ...

often married into Acadian families. Some prominent English surnames include Chapman, Kershaw, Young, Reed, Langley, Tate and Buller. A few

Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...

such as François Pitre and his wife settled the area between Evangeline and St. Landry parishes, preferring the rich pre-American and pre–

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

era

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

planter's lifestyle over that of the humble and isolated existence of their

Acadiana Acadiana (; French language, French and Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane'' or ''Acadiane''), also known as Cajun Country (Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''Pays des Cadiens''), is the official name given to the ...

cousins. The parish was named ''Evangeline'' in honor of

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

's narrative poem, '' Evangeline''. It was from this poem that founding father Paulin Fontenot was to propose the namesake of "Evangeline" for this parish, allegedly foreseeing an emerging American tourism centered upon the Acadian saga. (See ''Ville Platte Gazette'', Sept. 2010) In 19th-century American literature, she would gain popularity through Hollywood's interest, and thus began the embryonic 'Acadian-based' tourism which sprang up in St. Martinville. Evangeline Parish is mentioned in the

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...

song " Louisiana 1927", in which he described the Great Mississippi Flood which covered it with six feet of water. Ville Platte, Louisiana, the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of Evangeline Parish, was itself so named by one of Napoleon Bonaparte's former soldiers, Adjutant Major Marcellin Garand (1781–1852), of Savoy, France. (See ''Napoleon's Soldiers In America'', by Simone de la Souchere-Delery, 1999).

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...

U.S. Highway 167 * US 190

U.S. Highway 190 * Louisiana Highway 10 * Louisiana Highway 13 *

Louisiana Highway 29 Louisiana Highway 29 (LA 29) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from LA 13 north of Eunice to LA 114 west of Moreauville. The route connects Eunice, a city in western St. ...

Adjacent parishes

* Rapides Parish (north) * Avoyelles Parish (northeast) * St. Landry Parish (east) * Acadia Parish (south) * Allen Parish (west)

National protected area

* Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State parks

* Chicot State Park * Louisiana State Arboretum

Communities

Map of Evangeline Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels

City

* Ville Platte (parish seat and largest municipality)

Towns

* Basile * Mamou

Villages

* Chataignier * Pine Prairie * Turkey Creek

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

* Reddell

Other unincorporated communities

* Barber Spur * Bayou Chicot * Beale *

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

* Belaire Cove * Centerville * Clarks Landing * Clearwater * Cypress Creek * Dossman * Duralde * Easton * Fenris * Frilot Cove * Johnson Landing * Lake Cove * L'Anse Grise * Lone Pine * Meridian * Nobrac * Point Blue * Redland * Saint Landry * Squealer Point Landing * Tate Cove * Tyrone * Unatex * Vidrine

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 32,350 people, 12,172 households, and 7,739 families residing in the parish. The most commonly reported ancestries were African American (14.4%), English (13.1%), French (7.1%), Cajun (2.9%), Irish (2.5%), and German (2.1%).

Education

Public Schools in Evangeline Parish are operated by the Evangeline Parish School Board. * Bayou Chicot Elementary School (Grades PK-8) (Ville Platte) * Chataignier Elementary School (Grades PK-8) (Chataignier) * James Stephens Montessori School (Grades PK-6) (Ville Platte) * Mamou Elementary School (Grades PK-4) (Mamou) * Vidrine Elementary School (Grades PK-8) (Ville Platte) * Ville Platte Elementary School (Grades PK-4) (Ville Platte) * W. W. Stewart Elementary (Grades PK-4) (Basile) * Basile High School (Grades 5–12) (Basile) * Mamou High School (Grades 5–12) (Mamou) * Pine Prairie High School (Grades 9–12) (Pine Prairie) * Ville Platte High School (Grades 5–12) (Ville Platte) * Evangeline Central School (Grades 4–12) (Ville Platte) Evangeline Parish is also served by the Diocese of Lafayette with one school: * Sacred Heart School (Grades K-12) (Ville Platte) Additionally, Evangeline Parish is served by one unaffiliated private school: * Christian Heritage Academy (Grade K) (Ville Platte) Evangeline Parish is served by one institutions of higher education: * South Louisiana Community College service area, C. B. Coreil Campus ( Ville Platte

Notable people

* Amédé Ardoin, Creole singer and Cajun accordion virtuoso * Danny Ardoin, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Dewey Balfa Dewey Balfa (March 20, 1927 – June 17, 1992) was an American Cajun fiddler and singer who contributed significantly to the popularity of Cajun music. Balfa was born near Mamou, Louisiana. He is perhaps best known for his 1964 performance at the ...

, Cajun fiddler * Jeffery Broussard, zydeco musician * Edgar Chatman, former professional baseball player * Harry Choates, Cajun fiddler * Rene L. De Rouen, former

US Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Louisiana's 7th congressional district from 1927-1940 * Winston De Ville - noted genealogist and publisher of hundreds of articles and numerous books * Austin Deculus, NFL offensive lineman * J. Douglas Deshotel, Roman Catholic bishop * Eric LaFleur, lawyer and Senator and sponsor of several important bills and represented historic Senate Resolution #30 * Joseph Verbis Lafleur, Roman Catholic priest and

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

chaplain and officer who died in the sinking of the SS Shinyo Maru during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

who is also in the preliminary stages of

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

. * Ladislas Lazaro, former

from Louisiana's 7th congressional district from 1913-1927. * Barry Manuel, former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

* Tommy McClelland,

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

* Jimmy C. Newman,

and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer-songwriter * Austin Pitre,

musician * Ronald G. Richard, retired

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

major general and former

commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of Camp Lejeune * Steve Riley, accordion player and co-founder of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys * Floyd Soileau, record producer * Leo Soileau,

musician and recording artist *

Keith Sonnier Keith Sonnier (July 31, 1941 – July 18, 2020) was a postminimalist sculptor, Performance art, performance artist, video and light artist. Sonnier was one of the first artists to use light in sculpture in the 1960s. With his use of neon in combin ...

, artist and sculptor * T. Ashton Thompson,

from Louisiana's 7th congressional district from 1953-1965 * Arthur Vidrine, former dean of

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Medical School in New Orleans and physician who operated on former Louisiana governor and then US Senator Huey P. Long after he suffered mortal wounds in an assassination attempt in 1935 * Clyde Vidrine, famous

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

for former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards

Politics

For most of the 20th Century, Evangeline was a Democratic-leaning parish, voting Republican only in landslide elections such as

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. However, like other Acadian parishes with large

populations, Evangeline turned sharply right in the 21st century based on cultural issues and Democrats' discomfort with the oil and gas industry.

Sources

* Title: ''The Cajunization of French Louisiana: Forging a Regional Identity.'' Authors: Trepanier, Cecyle Source: Geographical Journal; Jul 91, Vol. 157 Issue 2, p161, 11p, 2 charts, 10 maps * French, Cajun, Creole, Houma : a primer on francophone Louisiana / Carl A. Brasseaux. * https://web.archive.org/web/20091026030323/http://geocities.com/old_time_time/many.htm * ''A history of Evangeline : its land, its men and its women who made it a beautiful place to live'', Robert Gahn, Sr. ; edited by Revon John Reed, Sr. Baton Rouge, LA : Claitor's, c 1972 * ''La Voix des Prairies'', Evangeline Genealogical and Historical Society. * Bonnes Nouvelles : good news about people, places and things in Evangeline Parish. Ville Platte, La. : Bonnes Nouvelles, 1993- * ''Fort Toulouse : The French Outpost at the Alabamas on the Coosa'', Gregory A. Thomas * Louisiana's French Creole Culinary & Linguistic Traditions: Facts vs. Fiction Before And Since Cajunization, John laFleur II, Brian Costello w/ Dr. Ina Fandrich 2013 * ''Louisiana's Creole French People, Our Food, Language & Culture: 500 Years of Culture'' copyright 2014, John laFleur II

National Guard

The 1086th Transportation Company of the 165th CSS (Combat Service Support) Battalion resides in

Ville Platte, Louisiana Ville Platte is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,303 at the 2020 census, down from 8,145 in 2000. The city's name is of French origin, roughly translating to "flat to ...

. This unit belongs to the 139th RSG (regional support group).

References

External links

Evangeline Parish School Board

Evangeline Parish Tourism Commission

City of Ville Platte

Evangeline Parish Library

Tournoi
Geology * Snead, J., P. V. Heinrich, and R. P. McCulloh, 2002
''Ville Platte 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. {{authority control Louisiana parishes Parishes in Acadiana Acadiana 1910 establishments in Louisiana Populated places established in 1910