Jean Lafitte

History

Jean Lafitte was initially settled by Native Americans and later explored and settled by the French, who established it as a harbor for large vessels coming in and out of New Orleans. Today, the communities along Bayou Barataria include Jean Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria. Under the leadership of Timothy Kerner Sr., the town built a number of civic and infrastructure improvements, including: a visitor center, museum, 1,300-seat auditorium, library, civic center, baseball park, senior center, medical clinic, art gallery, and nature trail. One of the mayor's major accomplishments was the creation of the Lafitte Area Independent Levee District that eventually secured over $300 million in funds to build tidal protection levees and flood walls. Since mid-2013, Manila Plaza, located in front of Jean Lafitte Town Hall, has held several historical markers and commemorative plaques acknowledging important individuals in the area's Filipino American history. The Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society participated in the dedication ceremony. While there were several settlements of Filipinos (sometimes called Manilamen or Tagalas) along the Louisiana coast in the late 19th century, Manila Village was the largest. The residents there implemented a system of platforms on which they dried shrimp, as forerunners of Louisiana's 21st-century dried shrimp industry. This community-on-stilts thrived for nearly a century, until it was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (4.47%) is water.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,272
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,866
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,855
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,746
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,723
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,547
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  1,529
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,376

Most recent

• M 3 — 2005-12-20
  9 km ESE of French Settlement, Louisiana