Madisonville, Louisiana

Madisonville, Louisiana
Town
Town of Madisonville
Madisonville Town Hall
Location of Madisonville in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.
Madisonville Location in Louisiana Madisonville Location in the United States Show map of LouisianaShow map of the United StatesShow all
Coordinates: 30°24′26″N 90°09′42″W / 30.40722°N 90.16167°W / 30.40722; -90.16167Coordinates: 30°24′26″N 90°09′42″W / 30.40722°N 90.16167°W / 30.40722; -90.16167
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	St. Tammany
Founded	1800
Government
• Mayor	Jean Pelloat
Area [1]
• Total	2.54 sq mi (6.57 km2)
• Land	2.51 sq mi (6.51 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	748
• Estimate  (2020)[2]	857
• Density	337.31/sq mi (130.23/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	985
FIPS code	22-47560
Website	http://www.townofmadisonville.org

Madisonville is a town in St. Tammany Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 748 at the 2010 U.S. census,^[3] and 857 at the 2020 U.S. population estimates program.^[4] It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner metropolitan statistical area. The ZIP code is 70447.

History[]

Madisonville was founded by in 1800, before the United States acquired this area, as the town of "Coquille" or "Cokie" because of the abundance of shells in the area, at the site of the Native American village of "Chiconcte". The town was renamed in honor of US President James Madison around 1811.^[5]

Madisonville was a notable port, providing bricks and other products of the towns along the Tchefuncte River to New Orleans, in the decades before the Civil War. After the Capture of New Orleans by the Union Army, this area remained under nominal Confederate control; and the cutoff of trade with New Orleans across enemy lines was devastating to the local economy, which did not recover for decades after the peace.

The opening of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and associated highways gradually brought Madisonville into the sphere of Greater New Orleans, in the second half of the 20th century.

Much of the town flooded with the Lake Pontchartrain storm surge of Hurricane Katrina, on August 29, 2005. The police/fire station and the town hall were damaged by the flood waters. The town flooded again in 2012 during Hurricane Isaac. Town buildings were again repaired but the police station was moved to an historic building at the intersection of Covington, St. John and Cedar Streets. The fire station later moved to a new building on Hwy. 22 just west of the town center.

Jahncke shipyard[]

Frederick (Fritz) Jahncke emigrated to New Orleans from Hamburg, Germany in 1870. After working as a mason, he started a business that built the first sidewalks in New Orleans. Jahncke expanded; using a rented steam-driven hydraulic suction dredge, his firm was the first to extract sand and shell from the Tchefuncte and other rivers to make concrete used in expanding New Orleans.

Jahncke purchased a half-interest in the Baham Shipyard, entering into shipbuilding. In 1905 he purchased the remaining interest, acquiring land for yards, as well as warehouses, docks, storage facilities and equipment. He died in 1911 and the company passed to Ernest Lee, Paul F. and Walter F. Jahncke. In 1917, the company started building five wooden ships for the US Navy for World War I. Two ships were completed – the SS Bayou Teche, which was launched in March 1918, and the SS Balabac on September 29, 1918. The war ended November 11, 1918, and three of the ships were not completed. The SS Abbeville was completed on January 19, 1919, and the SS Pontchartrain on April 6, 1919. The last ship was hauled across the river and burned. Part of the hull is still visible at low tide.^[6]

Geography[]

Madisonville's waterfront, viewed from the drawbridge on LA 22, features outdoor dining along the Tchefuncte River estuary.

The town of Madisonville is located on the banks of the Tchefuncte River, near where the river enters Lake Pontchartrain. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.51 square miles (6.51 km²), of which 2.49 square miles (6.46 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.06 km²), or 0.86%, is water.^[7]

Demographics[]

At the 2020 population estimates program, Madisonville had a population of 857.^[4] At the 2000 United States census,^[9] there were 677 people, 302 households, and 186 families residing in the town. The population density was 277.0 people per square mile (107.1/km²). There were 346 housing units at an average density of 141.6 per square mile (54.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 85.67% White, 10.04% Black, 0.74% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 1.77% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.51% of the population.

There were 302 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,625, and the median income for a family was $57,083. Males had a median income of $41,042 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,114. About 4.5% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture[]

Ponchartrain Basin Maritime Museum[]

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum

Madisonville hosts the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, which sponsors the Wooden Boat Festival each fall.^[10]

Lighthouse[]

Madisonville's Tchefuncte River Lighthouse (1837) on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain^[11]

The Tchefuncte River Lighthouse is owned by the Town of Madisonville and is operated by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Southeastern Museum Conference, a gift from the Southeastern Louisiana University Development Fund that included live-streaming security cameras and on-site information about lake levels and wind and wave action by the Department of Computer Science, as well as contributions from private groups and individuals.^[12] The Tchefuncte River Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places July 14, 1986. It is only accessible by boat. The lighthouse keepers' cottage was removed to the grounds of the maritime museum where it remains.

Education[]

Schools operated by the St. Tammany Parish Public School System in Madisonville^[13] include:

• Madisonville Elementary School (pre-kindergarten-2)
• Lancaster Elementary School (grades 3 to 6)
• Madisonville Junior High School (grades 7 and 8)

Notable people[]

• Cag Cagnolatti, musician^[14]
• Leah Chase, chef^[15]
• John Neely Kennedy, United States Senator from Louisiana
• Irv Stein, baseball player^[16]

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madisonville, Louisiana.

External links[]

• Town of Madisonville official website
• Historic Madisonville Cemetery on Find a Grave