Abbeville, Louisiana

The small city of Abbeville is the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, in the US state of Louisiana, 150 miles (241 km) southwest of New Orleans. In 1890, 637 people lived here; in 1900, 1.536; in 1910, 2,907; and in 1940, Abbeville was the home of 6,672 occupants.

History

The land that was to become Abbeville was purchased by founded Father A. D. Megret, Capuchin missionary, on July 25, 1843 for $900. There were two people living on the land at that time, Joseph LeBlanc and his wife Isabelle Broussard, whose former home Father Megret converted into a chapel. The chapel burned in 1854 and St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church now stands at the same location. Father Megret modeled his original plan for the village after a French Provincial village. In a map he made in 1846, the town was 38 to 40 acres in size. It was bounded on the north by St. Victor Boulevard, on the south by Lafayette Boulevard, on the east by "the sisters of Charity," and on the west by Bayou Vermilion. At this point in time the town was called ?Abbville?. It is not clear exactly when or why the transition to "Abbeville" took place. At the center of downtown is Magdalen Square, which is a beautiful town square accented by huge oak trees, a fountain, and gazebo. Today, a statue stands in Magdalen Square in memorial to Father Megret.

Related Topics:
A. D. Megret - Capuchin - Bayou - Magdalen Square

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Modern Abbeville is a trade center for agricultural products, especially rice, and seafood. It also provides services for the important oil and natural gas fields of the Gulf of Mexico.

Related Topics:
Rice - Seafood - Oil - Natural gas - Gulf of Mexico

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