Historic Opelousas

One of Louisiana's Oldest Cities

by Carola Lillie Hartley

Poste des Opelousas was founded in the early 1700s by the French as a trading post with the Indians. It was also a stopping point for travelers going between Natchitoches and New Orleans. The town was named for the Opelousas tribe who located their capital in the area many years before the French and Spanish arrived. The rule of the territory switched back and forth during the 1700s between the French and Spanish with Opelousas continuing as the governing center. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Opelousas was named in 1805 as the seat of Imperial St. Landry Parish.

When St. Landry Parish was created, it was the largest parish in the state, and known as the Imperial Parish of Louisiana. It was bound by the Atchafalaya River on the East, the Sabine River on the West, Rapides and Vernon Parishes on the North, and Lafayette and St. Martin Parishes on the South. From this original parish, six other parishes, Calcasieu, Acadia, Evangeline, Jeff Davis, Beauregard and Allen, have been formed.

St. Landry Parish records indicate the first courthouse in Opelousas was constructed in 1806, on a square in the center of town. Since that time, four other structures have been built on the same spot: one in 1822, one in 1847, one in 1888 and the present courthouse, constructed in 1939. Today, Opelousas continues to serve as the center of parish government, making this city one of the most important and historic areas in Louisiana.

The government of Opelousas has remained strong for over two centuries. According to local legend and some old books, the first leader of the community was Jacque Courtableau, who served as commandant of the Poste des Opelousas from 1745 until the Spanish took control of Louisiana in the 1760s. In 1763, Louis Gerard Pellerin was appointed Commandant of the Opelousas Post. In 1821, Opelousas was officially incorporated, governed by a Board of Police with an elected Board President. In 1898, the form of government was changed to follow the Lawrason Act, which created an elected Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

St. Landry Catholic Church played a big part in the history of Opelousas. Old church records go back to the mid 1700s. The present church building, constructed in 1908, is located on the same site that Michel Prudhomme presented to the church parish in 1797. The church's archives are like a "treasure trove" for genealogy researchers, offering them the opportunity to trace their family roots. These records, available to the public, are located in the church office, Valentine Hall, named for Father Valentine, the first resident priest of the Opelousas Post prior to 1760.

Although formal educational opportunities for colonial children in the area were almost nonexistent, private tutors were active in Opelousas as early as 1783. Private education continued locally until the early 1800s when the Catholic Church began to establish schools in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana.

In 1840, Franklin College was established in Opelousas, and in 1855, Father Gilbert Raymond of St. Landry Catholic Church established St. Mary's Academy for boys. The following year, the Academy of the Immaculate Conception was opened for girls. Following the Civil War, other schools that opened in the town included St. Joseph's Convent for the Colored in 1866 (later called Holy Ghost School), the Opelousas Female Institute in 1871, and the Black Academy at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in 1897. Public education did not formally exist in Opelousas until the St. Landry High School was opened on January 2, 1894. Pioneer Louisiana educator T. H. Harris became principal of this school from 1896 to 1900. In 1939, T. H. Harris Vocational Technical School was opened in Opelousas, the second school of its kind established in Louisiana. Today Opelousas has many public, private and parochial schools that maintain high standards.

Back during the Civil War, when Baton Rouge was occupied by Federal Troops in 1863, Opelousas became the capital of Louisiana. The former Lieutenant Governor at that time was Homere Mouton, whose home in Opelousas became the Governor's Mansion, a title it still bears.

Today, Civil War buffs visit the Mansion located on Liberty Street and the Old Ray Homestead, located on the corner of Liberty and West Bellevue Streets. That latter home was used by the Confederacy in 1862 as the 9th Brigade Medical Department. Dr. George Hill, then owner of the home, was the chief surgeon and the brigade consisted of 2,000 men.

The railroad contributed greatly to the growth and modernization of the City of Opelousas. The first attempt to bring the railroad to the town was before the Civil War. In 1854, the Opelousas Courier reported that the New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad laid track around Opelousas. However, this railroad was not completed. Following the war, other companies laid track. The first railroad to connect the community to the rest of the United States was Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad, later part of the Southern Pacific System. In 1882, the section between Opelousas and Lafayette was completed. By the turn of the century, several rail companies served the community, including the Opelousas Gulf and Northeastern Railway Company, called the O'Gee. The O'Gee railroad was founded by local residents, led by Thomas H. Lewis, in 1904. The corporate office was located in downtown Opelousas.

The people of Opelousas are a mixture of many different cultures and nationalities. Many are descendants of the French Acadian people exiled from Canada over 200 years ago. Opelousas has preserved many of the quaint, old traditions; the fais-do-do, boucherie, the coup de main, charivari, and many other fascinating French customs.

A visitor to Opelousas can stroll the old brick sidewalks, dating back to the mid 1800s, and view Antebellum, Victorian and Turn of The Century buildings. Visitors can enjoy a walk around the Court House Square in the center of Old Opelousas, a square deep rooted in the quaintness and the charm of the old South.

Opelousas is home to the Yambilee Festival, the National Sweet Potato Frolic, held during the last weekend of each October. Created in 1946, the Yambilee Festival is one of the oldest events of its kind in Louisiana. Other activities and destination spots include the Bayou Ramble Antique Show and Sale, held each February; the International Cajun Joke Telling Contest® held each April, concerts and street dances, held at different times during the year in the historic downtown; Half-fast Krewe of Frank's Mardi Gras Parade, held each Mardi Gras Day in downtown Opelousas; and the Zydeco Festival, a "noon to dark" affair, held annually in nearby Plaisance the Saturday before Labor Day.

No trip through Louisiana is complete without a stop in Opelousas.