Louisiana101.com - Parish Information

Parish Index | Home | Site Directory
St. James was one of the original 19 parishes, and was created March 31, 1807, by an act of the Orleans Territory Legislature. The orginal seat of government was the community of St. James, on the bank of the Mississippi River. In 1869 it was moved up to the east bank, near the Covent of the Sacred Heart. The site, now called Convent, is the present parish seat. The only place in the world where perique tobacco is grown is in this parish, on a 300-acre tract. It is in great demand by large tobacco interests. An Acadian exile, Pierre Chenet, nicknamed "Perique," was the first successfully to produce and market this aromatic type of tobacco, which still bears his name. It has been produced by the same family for nearly two centuries.

The parish seat of St. James is Convent. Parish size equals: 246.1 square miles.

B>Agriculture: crawfish farming, sugarcane, beef cattle, perique tobacco, fruit orchards, soybeans, vegetable farming, corn, oats and hay farming.

Industry: Oil and natural gas; oil refining, sugar refining, chemicals, fertilizer, Kaiser Aluminum.

Tourist Attractions: Oak Alley, a magnificent Greek Revival plantation home built in 1836, Jefferson College, established in 1831, now Manresa Retreat Home, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at St. Micheal's Catholic Church; Colomb House, a plantation home in minature, built in 1835 by Christophe Colomb, Jr.; several other antebellum homes, including Tezcuco, a rasied cottage completed in 1855 (open to the public)

To add more information, email louisiana101.com.