The Northshore's Maritime Legacy

 Last year I wrote a article for the Northshore magazine, a publication of the St. Tammany Parish Tourism and Convention Commission. It gave an overall review of the milestones of the area's rich maritime industry, the many boats and marinas, shipyards, and outstanding pioneers in marine technology. 

Here is that article:

Maritime History of the Northshore

Widely recognized for its many modern marinas that provide safe harbor for thousands of recreational boats, the Northshore also enjoys a rich history of little-known maritime milestones. The lake and rivers once teemed with cargo schooners and passenger steamships, and over the years several shipyards produced hundreds of large vessels for World War I and II, as well as the worldwide petroleum industry.

Columbia Landing, Covington

Early Native Americans glided along the waterways in their dugout canoes, and even went out into the lake to their village on an island in the middle of Lake Pontchartrain more than 500 years ago.

Day sailors cruise the lake daily, carrying on a tradition that began centuries ago. Paintings from the 1800’s often include sailing boats gliding across the lake. The Mandeville yacht club was established as early as 1893, and yacht club regattas frequently transverse the lake back then and continue today.

The Northshore even earned a spot in nautical history when James Rumsey, the inventor of the steamboat, lived on Bayou Rouville in Lacombe beginning in 1774. Working in secret, he used the newly-invented steam engine to design a craft that could move forward against the current. His work continued, first on Pearl River Island just east of the Rigolet sand then in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1787 in the Potomac River at Shepherdstown, WV, he amazed onlookers with this steam-powered watercraft. A park and monument on the bank of the Potomac River recognizes his achievements. He later served as George Washington’s chief engineer.

Horace Lawson Hunley is widely acknowledged as the developer of submarine technology and "the father of submarine warfare." In the mid-1800’s he owned a plantation in Covington and designed three submarines. The first one, built at a foundry in New Orleans, was called the “Pioneer.” After being tested in the lake, it was reportedly scuttled in the Tchefuncte River near Madisonville to keep it out of Yankee hands.

The third submarine built from his designs is credited with the first sinking of an enemy vessel in times of war. That took place in Charleston, SC, harbor.

Meanwhile, back in Lake Pontchartrain, as New Orleans trade activity increased, an ever-growing amount of goods and produce came from the Northshore. This was made possible by dozens of cargo schooners criss-crossing the lake. Demand was so high that between 1842 and 1887, more than 58 sailing vessels were built on the Northshore. The same schooners helped many people escape to the Northshore when outbreaks of yellow fever descended upon the Crescent City.

Southbound trade became so prolific on the lake and through the Rigolets that a number of pirates flourished as well. They would confront vessels laden with items bound for New Orleans, steal their booty, and then go hide out in the Honey Island Swamp. Thousands of dollars’ worth of gold coins, dated 1827, were found buried in that swamp in 1907. Today the Honey Island Swamp is a treasure for hunters and fishermen as well as wildlife enthusiasts who delight in the daily cruises that tour the swamp.

When passenger steamboats made the scene in the late 19th century, they offered daily trips to the Northshore for heat-weary New Orleans residents. Thousands of people enjoyed weekend excursion voyages on these vessels, and beginning in the 1920’s the boats could even accommodate vehicles. Thus the New Orleans workday commute was born. Early on Slidell area residents used a ferry to cross over the Rigolets, but a bridge was built in 1930 that helped bring traffic to and from the Crescent City. Many commuters switched over to the world’s longest bridge, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, in 1956.

In the early 1900’s New Orleans musicians would voyage to Mandeville, paying for their passage on board the excursion boats by providing music for fellow passengers. They would then make the circuit of several music halls across the Northshore to play for dances and parties. The Northshore’s rich musical heritage continues today with riverside concerts in Covington, lakefront symphonic performances, and the ever popular jazz sessions at the Dew Drop Dance Hall in Mandeville.

Area shipyards began with a U.S. Navy shipyard built in the early 1800’s on the Tchefuncte River. Since then, the Northshore has hosted several large shipyards producing a variety of tugboats, barges and cargo ships. Multiple thousands of Northshore men and women have contributed to the expansion of the U.S. merchant maritime fleet as well as warships when needed. During the 20th century, shipyards flourished on Bayou BonFouca in Slidell, Lacombe, and Madisonville. Some are still in operation today.

Among the larger operations were Canulette Shipyards, Southern Shipbuilding, Louisiana Shipyard, all of Slidell, and Jahncke Shipyards and Equitable Equipment Co. both of Madisonville. The Maritime Museum Louisiana was built in the mid-1990’s on the Jahncke worksite. Equitable was the world's largest builder of LASH and SEABEE barges, and the company also built various types of offshore support boats, ocean-going tugs, and other vessels for the petroleum industry. 

Balehi Marine in Lacombe, founded in 1975, was a small operation, but it produced custom-designed boats in steel, aluminum and fiberglass. Towboats and tugboats were its specialty. It was located alongside today’s highly popular Tammany Trace recreational bike trail.

The Northshore maritime legacy continues today with the Wooden Boat Festival in Madisonville. Each October it attracts thousands of boating enthusiasts of all ages, features over one hundred classic boats, and brings in hundreds of spectator boats as well. It is a fund-raising event for the nearby Maritime Museum Louisiana which showcases the state’s many unique contributions to the maritime industry. There visitors find many informative displays focusing on the history of area lighthouses, steamboats, and fishing vessels, as well as a replica of the Pioneer submarine.

Links of interest:

Maritime Museum Update

The Madisonville Lighthouses

Captain Weaver - A Covington Legend

Madisonville Shipyard Historical Event

The Koenig Family of Pearl River

Around 1908 the Koenig family of Pearl River gathered on their front porch for this group photo. 

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Links of Interest:

With Sawmills Came Prosperity

Pearl River Train Station

The First Cotton Bale

  The first cotton bale produced in St. Tammany Parish came from the Pearl River area back in 1926. 

Goodbee Becomes Major Shipping Center

 In 1927 and 1928 St. Tammany strawberry growers throughout the Madisonville area began turning out sizeable crops, and getting those to market was a challenge. But improvements made to the Turnpike Highway up to Goodbee helped, and there the strawberry crop was loaded onto trains bound for Hammond. 

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The train depot in Goodbee saw a significant increase in traffic as a result. It was a win-win for both Madisonville and Goodbee. 

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There was even a "dummy line" railroad spur from Madisonville to Goodbee that helped moved goods back and forth, mainly timber down to the lumber mills in Madisonville.

1935 Topographical Map

Links of Interest:

Turnpike Road Is Built

Country Boy One-Stop

Life on Turnpike Road - Late 1800's

 

Mandeville Mayor 1892

 The mayor of Mandeville first elected in 1892 was Gustave Depre. Here's a photograph of the public servant (he didn't get a salary). 

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Old Mandeville Store

 In 1972 Edgar Sharp, known as the "Old Pelican," submitted this photo of his father's store in Mandeville to the St. Tammany News Banner Newspaper. Click on the image to make it larger.

Text from the photo caption:

A glimpse of Mandeville's history is given us this week by Edgar Sharp in the form of a picture of his father's store taken in 1921. The store was located on Lafitte Steet between Livingston and Monroe, and adjoined the house recently torn down there (their old home).

At that time, Edgar writes, the school was next door (where the Old Gym ball field is now) and the enrollment had reached 250 students. One school bus brought students from Lacombe, two from Lewisburg, and a private car brought the Rauche children and others from Abita. The reason for the two buses from Lewisburg was the the Poitevent and Farve Lumber Company sawmill was in full swing then.

No lunches were served at the school then, and Edgar's mother made 50 ham sandwiches and cheese sandwiches every day. Plain ham was 10 cents dressed ham 15 cents. Coconut pralines were two for a nickel.

Shown in the picture are Mercedese Sharp, age 3, now Mrs. Joseph Dust of Mobile, Edgar Sharp, Sr., Eva Louise Sharp, 6, now Mrs. Sam Willey of Mobile, and the Young Pelican, Edgar Sharp, Jr. In the lot at the right can be seen Ludovic Marange, Sr., unloading a load of fat pine. Price, $1.00.

Over Mr. Sharp's head can be seen a sign advertising 111 cigarettes. The cigarettes of the day were Coupon, Picayune, Virginia Extras. and 111--no others. Another sign shows a man with a wad in his cheek, and the sign notes that it is not a toothache, it is Climax chewing tobacco. Also note the signs advertising Muscadine Punch, a popular soft drink of the day.

Congratulations are in order for Edgar, by the way. He celebrated his birthday on August 7. I won't tell you his age, but he was 11 when this picture was taken.

Another Edgar Sharp Sr. adventure told by Edgar Sharp Jr. ...

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Phelps Family Portrait

 A Phelps Family Photograph showing a multi-generational gathering in the Bush-Folsom road area in 1908. Click on the image to make it larger. 

CHS Football Team 1960

 In 1960, some 65 years ago, local photographer Art Lemane took this group photo of the Covington High School Lions Football Team. Click on the image to make it larger. 

Homecoming Court at CHS - 1964

 The 1964 Covington High School Homecoming Court

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Ronald Reagan Statue

A statue of President Ronald Reagan is located at the Covington Tammany Trace Trailhead, downtown at the intersection of Lockwood and New Hampshire Streets. It is said to be the largest statue of Ronald Reagan in the world. 

It was donated by the Patrtick F. Taylor Foundation, following the wishes of the late Patrick F. Taylor, a friend of Reagan's of many years. The dedication ceremony was on June 27, 2008. 

The statue is on a large pedestal that features plaques telling visitors about the 40th president of the United States. 

The statue is a commanding figure above the Covington Trailhead festivities. 

The nine foot eight inch statue was sculpted by Patrick Miller, a well-known area sculptor from Bedico who has done many art works across the state. It weighs 1300 pounds. 

President Reagan died in 2004, and five months later Taylor died. Taylor had founded the Taylor Energy Company LLC, and following his death in 2004, his wife Phyllis M. Taylor served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company and Chairman and President of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. 

She followed through on his wishes, and with the cooperation and encouragement of the Covington City Council, the statue was incorporated within the new Covington trailhead. 

The dedication of the statue in 2008 was accompanied by a ceremony attended by around 200 local residents. Local schools and Boy Scout Troop members took part, with Lane Carson and Thomas S. Langston as guest speakers. 

The main speaker was Michael G. Strain, a local veterinarian who was elected as Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry for the state of Louisiana. 

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra's Brass Quartet provide the music for the occasion. 

Ronald Reagan Highway

2003

In November of 2002, Covington City Council member Marty Dean proposed a resolution asking the state to name a stretch of U.S. Hwy. 190 between Hwy. 25 and the Tangipahoa Parish line as the "Ronald Reagan Highway." The council's motion was passed unanimously. Dean solicited the support of State Representative Mike Strain, who in 2003 brought the matter up in the Louisiana House of Representatives. 

At that time, only the section of U.S. 190 between Hwy. 25 and the Tangipahoa Line would be renamed. In April of 2003 the motion was approved by the state legislature, but a few months later, in June, the measure was amended by Baton Rouge legislators who wanted to rename U.S. 190 all the way from the Mississippi State Line in eastern St. Tammany Parish to the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge in honor of Reagan.

The law became effective on August 15, 2003.    

Patrick Taylor was on hand for the occasion of unveiling the highway's new name. He is shown above taking part in the ceremonies naming the highway. 

Links of Interest:

Covington Candlelight Caroling at the Trailhead 

Four Unplugged Concert at Trailhead 

Give NOLA Day at the Covington Trailhead