Cecilia, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Cecilia is a census-designated place
(CDP) in St. Martin Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. The population was 1,505 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lafayette
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
. This was translated by the French into La Grande Pointe, a name that was used by many people until modern times when it was then called Cecilia, named after the first postal clerk. The community began as a small service center of sorts for the many landowners in outlying areas. As more settlers populated the land along the northern Bayou Teche, the need grew for easier access to religious services, education, and trade. It was because of these basic needs that the community became more than a crossover on the bayou trail between Opelousas and St. Martinville
, the two early trading posts in the region.
Pierre Guidry, the first settler of Cecilia, acquired three tracts of land from Mrs. Joseph Alexander Declouet in 1791. Joseph Angelle settled nearby soon after.
Both men apparently settled on lands that had been given to Declouet by a Spanish land grant dated May 16, 1772, that included some 2600 acres (10.5 km²) of land.
Grover Rees I, in his history of Breaux Bridge, describes Guidry's land as "fronting 50 arpents on Bayou Teche and 50 arpents deep, for which he agreed to deliver in payment 100 bulls." Guidry married three times and fathered 20 children, many of whom remained in the area and established their own farms.
There was a chapel at La Grande Pointe sometime after 1874. Some sources say that it was named for St. Etienne, but that is not a certainty. In January 1889, Father Borias of Breaux Bridge wrote that "the chapel was originally located about midway between the Four Corners and Grand Anse area, but later was moved closer to what is now Cecilia." A church parish was created at Cecilia in 1890 and Rev. Augustin Blanc became first pastor. He would serve there for more than 38 years. St. Rose of Lima Church was established there for the African American
congregation in 1944.
During the Civil War
, the settlement was also known as La Place. This name was dropped when postal authorities began to confuse it with the LaPlace in St. John the Baptist Parish
.
There are several stories about how the place was named Cecilia, the most accepted being that it was named for Cecilia Lastrappes, the first postmistress there.
Cecilia is the birthplace of several Louisiana political figures: state Representative
and House Speaker
Robert Joseph "Bob" Angelle
(1896–1979), former Secretary of State of Louisiana
and Lieutenant Governor
Paul J. Hardy
(born 1942), and former state Representative Jesse J. Guidry, who became the director of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
.
Cecilia is the burial site of Louis Hebert, a Confederate
general
. On April 19, 1964, dedication ceremonies were held in a grove of live oaks on the banks of Bayou Teche about three miles (5 km) from Cecilia on Highway 328 to mark Hebert's grave. The marker reads as follows: "Approximately 100 yards (91.4 m) to the west is the probable resting place of General Louis Hebert, C. S. A. Born in Iberville Parish in 1820, Hebert graduated from West Point
in 1845 third in his class. After an army service of two years, he resigned to manage his family's sugar interests. Before the war he was a member of the State Senate and Chief Engineer of Louisiana. He fought at Wilson's Creek
, Elkhorn, Corinth
, Vicksburg, and Port Fisher. He was an editor and teacher in Iberville and St. Martin parishes and lived until 1901." (General Hebert taught at Huron Plantation near Cecilia and tutored children of Vincent Barras in St. Martinville.)
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,505 people, 531 households, and 396 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 863.3 people per square mile (334.0/km²). There were 578 housing units at an average density of 331.6 per square mile (128.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 57.34% White, 41.53% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.33% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population.
There were 531 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,976, and the median income for a family was $29,653. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $16,959 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $10,931. About 27.5% of families and 31.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.6% of those under age 18 and 25.5% of those age 65 or over.
Cecilia is one of the last remaining strongholds of Cajun Language in Louisiana and 42.60% of the total population uses the language for daily communication, including 20.25% of the children.
. The community of Cecilia is zoned to Cecilia Primary School (Grades PK-3), Teche Elementary School (Grades 4-6), Cecilia Junior High School (Grades 7-8), and Cecilia High School
http://www.stmartin.k12.la.us/chs (Grades 9-12).
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in St. Martin Parish
St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
St. Martin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Martinville. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,583.St...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,505 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Cecilia is located at 30°20′11"N 91°50′52"W (30.336379, -91.847867).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
History
The unincorporated community of Cecilia was originally known by the Spanish as La Punta, describing a deep bend in Bayou TecheBayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
. This was translated by the French into La Grande Pointe, a name that was used by many people until modern times when it was then called Cecilia, named after the first postal clerk. The community began as a small service center of sorts for the many landowners in outlying areas. As more settlers populated the land along the northern Bayou Teche, the need grew for easier access to religious services, education, and trade. It was because of these basic needs that the community became more than a crossover on the bayou trail between Opelousas and St. Martinville
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
, the two early trading posts in the region.
Both men apparently settled on lands that had been given to Declouet by a Spanish land grant dated May 16, 1772, that included some 2600 acres (10.5 km²) of land.
Grover Rees I, in his history of Breaux Bridge, describes Guidry's land as "fronting 50 arpents on Bayou Teche and 50 arpents deep, for which he agreed to deliver in payment 100 bulls." Guidry married three times and fathered 20 children, many of whom remained in the area and established their own farms.
There was a chapel at La Grande Pointe sometime after 1874. Some sources say that it was named for St. Etienne, but that is not a certainty. In January 1889, Father Borias of Breaux Bridge wrote that "the chapel was originally located about midway between the Four Corners and Grand Anse area, but later was moved closer to what is now Cecilia." A church parish was created at Cecilia in 1890 and Rev. Augustin Blanc became first pastor. He would serve there for more than 38 years. St. Rose of Lima Church was established there for the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
congregation in 1944.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the settlement was also known as La Place. This name was dropped when postal authorities began to confuse it with the LaPlace in St. John the Baptist Parish
St. John the Baptist parish
St. John the Baptist parish may refer to one of a number of religious organisations:In the district of Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland:* The Church of Ireland Parish of Clontarf* The senior Parish of Clontarf...
.
There are several stories about how the place was named Cecilia, the most accepted being that it was named for Cecilia Lastrappes, the first postmistress there.
Cecilia is the birthplace of several Louisiana political figures: state Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
and House Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Robert Joseph "Bob" Angelle
Bob Angelle
Robert Joseph Angelle, known as Bob Angelle , was a businessman and politician from Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish, who was the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1957-1960, the last term of Governor Earl Kemp Long. Angelle was part of the powerful Long faction of Louisiana...
(1896–1979), former Secretary of State of Louisiana
Secretary of State of Louisiana
The Secretary of State of Louisiana is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The position was created by Article 4, Section 7 of the Louisiana Constitution.The current Secretary of State is Tom Schedler....
and Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
The Office of Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current Lieutenant Governor is Jay Dardenne, a Republican...
Paul J. Hardy
Paul Hardy
Paul Jude Hardy is a Baton Rouge attorney who was the first Republican to have been elected lieutenant governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction...
(born 1942), and former state Representative Jesse J. Guidry, who became the director of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is a state agency of Louisiana that maintains state parks and wildlife and fishery areas. The agency has its headquarters in Baton Rouge.-External links:*...
.
Cecilia is the burial site of Louis Hebert, a Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. On April 19, 1964, dedication ceremonies were held in a grove of live oaks on the banks of Bayou Teche about three miles (5 km) from Cecilia on Highway 328 to mark Hebert's grave. The marker reads as follows: "Approximately 100 yards (91.4 m) to the west is the probable resting place of General Louis Hebert, C. S. A. Born in Iberville Parish in 1820, Hebert graduated from West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1845 third in his class. After an army service of two years, he resigned to manage his family's sugar interests. Before the war he was a member of the State Senate and Chief Engineer of Louisiana. He fought at Wilson's Creek
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
, Elkhorn, Corinth
Siege of Corinth
The Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
, Vicksburg, and Port Fisher. He was an editor and teacher in Iberville and St. Martin parishes and lived until 1901." (General Hebert taught at Huron Plantation near Cecilia and tutored children of Vincent Barras in St. Martinville.)
Demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,505 people, 531 households, and 396 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 863.3 people per square mile (334.0/km²). There were 578 housing units at an average density of 331.6 per square mile (128.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 57.34% White, 41.53% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.33% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population.
There were 531 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,976, and the median income for a family was $29,653. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $16,959 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $10,931. About 27.5% of families and 31.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.6% of those under age 18 and 25.5% of those age 65 or over.
Cecilia is one of the last remaining strongholds of Cajun Language in Louisiana and 42.60% of the total population uses the language for daily communication, including 20.25% of the children.
Education
Public schools in St. Martin Parish are operated by the St. Martin Parish School BoardSt. Martin Parish School Board
The St. Martin Parish School Board is an entity responsible for the operation of public schools in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is headquartered in the city of St. Martinville.-Schools:...
. The community of Cecilia is zoned to Cecilia Primary School (Grades PK-3), Teche Elementary School (Grades 4-6), Cecilia Junior High School (Grades 7-8), and Cecilia High School
Cecilia High School (Louisiana)
Cecilia High School ' is a 4A public secondary school located in Cecilia, an unincorporated community in Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States....
http://www.stmartin.k12.la.us/chs (Grades 9-12).