Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Spring 2009 - (Page 59) in the shadow of the Louisiana state capitol the village’s history, he wrote optimistically that building, is known as Spanish Town. “this town must in the progressive advance of Others left Galveztown to move inland Louisiana become a place of note … its on higher ground where Acadian situation gives it many natural advantages settlers were located and had soon that will in no great length of time be established a new settlement which called into operation.” Galveztown remained a designated they named Galvez. settlement on Louisiana maps for In the spring of 1805 before the decades. An 1834 area map shows the last residents departed village as if it were still a significant, Galveztown, they received viable community; an Ascension unexpected visitors. Shepherd Parish map of 1847 depicts Brown, in charge of the Galveztown as well as the roadway community for the American from St. Gabriel on the Mississippi to government, welcomed the Galveztown on the Amite; and other arrival of a small schooner, the maps reflected it as well. Nonpariel, that had undertaken an Perhaps the notion of Galveztown arduous voyage along Bayou was sustained in part because of Manchac. According to a story that legends. The famous smuggler and appeared in an 1841 issue of the Francisco Luis Hector, pirate, Jean Lafitte, was said to have magazine The American Pioneer, the Baron de CArondelet hidden treasure at Galveztown. It had also sailing vessel had left Marietta, Ohio, been reported that one of Lafitte’s boats to ply the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, loaded with precious metal, possibly gold, had cutting through Bayou Manchac to New sunk in the Amite River at Galveztown. Little Orleans. Captain Jonathan Devoll intended to evidence exists for Jean Lafitte ever being at set up a sailing service on Lake Pontchartrain and Galveztown. These optimistic tales may have evolved had been assured that the back route through Manchac because Lafitte, after greatly assisting the Americans at the would save time to his destination after only a short stretch Battle of New Orleans in 1814, moved instead to Galveston, of difficult channel. But obstructions along the first eight Texas. miles of the bayou were notorious and, unfortunately, the In 1888, a promotional brochure was published to current from the Mississippi River into Manchac was so promote development in Ascension Parish. The “Ascension forceful that once the boat had entered the bayou they could Parish inducement to settlement by Ascension Branch not turn back. So “day after day was consumed with Sugar Planters Association” presented the Galveztown site constant labor with axes and saws” instead of the quite imaginatively: “The port of Galvez on the Amite near anticipated clear sailing. The boat only made headway, the the mouth of the Manchac is eligible for establishing an article noted, because a passenger who had boarded at extensive lumber trade. This is near the site of the old town Natchez had fortuitously brought along crosscut saws. The of Galvez (sic) where the pioneers of civilization in Nonpariel struggled for 20 days before it reaching the mouth Louisiana founded a small city during the 17th (sic) century of the 18-and-a-half-mile bayou. which was then the center of political and ecclesiastical When the Nonpariel finally arrived at Galveztown on society. Galvez was once the capital of the province where June 23, the captain and crew sold some of their remaining the Governor resided and the chief dignitary of the provisions to the few settlers left there — “meal dominant Roman Catholic Church dispensed for $3 per barrel and the remainder of cheese papal laws. Not a vestige of the ancient town at 50 cents a pound, and few barrels of remains save here and there small bits of flour at $14.” And Captain Devoll took brick and mortar which the trickling rain or on a pilot from Galveztown to help burrowing snouts of swine unearth to bear him navigate the rest of the trip, mute evidence that here was once a brickunaware that the worst was behind paved city, said to have contained a him. thousand inhabitants or more. The spot Soon thereafter, Galveztown is today the sole property of a lineal virtually disappeared. Church descendant of the brave explorers who records end in 1807 and the fort, founded the town. Mr. Miguel of no use to the American Gonzales, who has attained more than government, fell to ruin as did the fourscore years, is the lone inhabitant few remaining intact buildings. It and owner of the site of this ancient seemed something of a cosmic city.” joke that immigrants from a place In 1924, LSU masters student V.M. called the Fortunate Islands had Scramuzza completed a thesis about struggled so much in an Galveztown in which he reported unfortunate place like Galveztown. visiting the site and finding that “no When American geographer and remnants are extant … not even a trace of surveyor William Darby arrived at the the fort is left but in the springtime when the location of Galveztown in 1816, he Esteban miro soil is freshly plowed, rectangular spots of a found little of consequence save a few darker color evince the places where the cabins ruined houses. But, seemingly ignorant of Spring 2009/LOUISIANA CULTURAL VISTAS 59
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