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Archiver > LAVERMIL > 2000-08 > 0966257597


From: Margaret Moore <>
Subject: Re: A hurricane devastates Abbeville and the parish in 1856
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 07:53:17 -0500
In-Reply-To: <ba.96f7f96.26c48a13@aol.com>


I have a book titled "Last Island" written by James M. Sothern. Very
interesting......it tells the history of Last Island as well as a very
detailed description of the hurricane that wiped the island out. Last
Island started out as fishing village....then turned into a summer resort.
Here is a few paragraphs out of the book from pages 31-32

The Summer of 1856 saw the annual return of the regular visitors to
Last Island, but now some new faces were to be seen, as more and more
vacationers from the New Orleans area made their way to this fashionable
and increasingly popular resort.
Most of the houses and cottages, as well as Muggah's Billiard House
and Pecot's Boarding House, were situated near the western end of the
island strung out casually along the beach facing the Gulf. To the rear of
the village, running roughly parallel to the beach, was Village Bayou,
which served as a quiet harbor for boats of all kinds. The bayou opened
into Calillou Bay and had a landing directly behind the two large buildings.
Those known to have possessed summer houses on the island during its
heyday were: Alexander L. Field, Thos. Maskell, David R. Muggah, John
Muggah, C. Bethel, Elias Beers, John Smith, Washington Smith, Antoine
Comeau, Joshua Baker, and Messrs. Nash, Pinckney, Biret, Cornet and
Miller, all of St. Mary Parish. From Terrebonne Parish only three names
are mentioned as having homes on the island; Mrs. Hutchinson, Mrs B.
Beausergent, and Mr. Miller, who was a notary public. Iberville Parish was
represented by: Joseph Achille Hebert, Michel (Michael) Hebert, Paul Octave
Hebert, (the governor of Louisiana from 1853-1856), Thomas Mille, Faustin
Dupuy, Louis Desobry and Michael Schlatre, who later wrote an excellent
account of the storm of 1856.
From the above list, the total number of houses on the island would
appear to be around 25. Other accounts mention around 100 houses within
the village, so that the above accounting is, in all probability a
conservative one.




It has been awhile since I read the book, but it seems if I can remember
right, it gives a listing of all of those that died in that hurricane that
were on this island. If I can find it, I will send it to the list too.

Have a great day!
Margaret Moore


At 06:43 PM 08/10/2000 -0400, you wrote:
> Below is an excerpt from an article that I wrote for the Meridional
severa
>l years ago.
>
> Now, let's look at some of the major storms that paid uninvited visits
to
>our town. One of the most devastating storms to hit Abbeville was the Last
>Island Hurricane in 1856. It seems to have set a precedent for the great
>fires that destroyed so many buildings and businesses in later years in
>Abbeville: it hit in the middle of the night.
> As it headed for Abbeville, this storm first destroyed the island named
>Last Island just off the coast of Louisiana, and killed about half of the
400
>people on the island. This island was a resort where wealthy planters
brought
>their families and servants for vacations. The hurricane hit Abbeville about
>2 a.m. on August 10, 1856, only two years after Abbeville had been made the
>permanent seat of justice of Vermilion Parish.
> Many buildings in New Iberia were heavily damaged by that same storm.
>Sugar mills on Weeks Island, near Breaux Bridge, and the sugar mills of
>ex-governor Mouton and of Valsin Martin in Lafayette Parish were destroyed.
>Even the "Pin Hook" bridge was washed away by the rampaging Vermilion
River.
> Father Foltier, pastor of St. Mary Magdalen church at the time, gave an
>account of the storm's force and fury. In Abbeville a total of 22 buildings,
>including the courthouse and the wooden Catholic church, were destroyed.
This
>church had been constructed in 1855, during Father Foltier's pastorate. He
>was forced to leave the rectory which had been lifted and destroyed by the
>tremendous winds of the hurricane. As he left the building, the winds
carried
>him away some 20 paces. To avoid being crushed against the trees and fences,
>Father Foltier was forced to crawl on his hands and knees. He found a haven
>of sorts in the branches of a tree that had already been blown down. Foltier
>said that the raindrops struck him with such velocity that his hands and
face
>were bruised, and he said that it felt as though he were being hit by
>buckshot. Father Foltier added that it was heartbreaking to hear the cries
of
>agony and the pleas for help from those who had had to abandon their homes
in
>the pitch blackness of the night. The worst thing about the catastrophe was
>the loss of five lives and the innumerable injuries to many others.
> The crops were literally "chopped up," and many animals, especially oxen
>and sheep, were killed. Consequently, according to Father Foltier,
Vermilion
>Parish was completely ruined.
>
>Ken Dupuy
>

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