Manchac, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Manchac is a small unincorporated community
in Tangipahoa Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. It is part of the Hammond
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Manchac is located on Lake Maurepas
on the Pass Manchac waterway, which connects to Lake Pontchartrain
. It is home to the ruins of one of the five lighthouse
s set up for Lake Pontchartrain. The existing lighthouse (the fourth on the site) was completed in 1857. It was automated in 1941, and the dwelling was razed in 1952; the Coast Guard
decommissioned the light and abandoned the property in 1987.
Manchac is known for fishing
, duck hunting
, seafood
restaurant
s like Middendorf's
, and swamp
tours. It is also home to the Port Manchac Distribution Center, with storage facilities and rail, truck, and water links to the east, west, and north. Interstate 55
has exit and entrance ramps for Manchac.
Fort Bute or Manchac Post, named for the British Prime Minister, was established in 1763 at the junction of Iberville River (Bayou Manchac
) with the Mississippi River
, and remained an important British military and trading post in West Florida
until captured by Spanish forces under Bernardo Galvez
of Louisiana on September 7, 1779, during what became known as Battle of Fort Bute of the American Revolutionary War
. Manchac was raided in February 1778 by American forces under the command of James Willing -- see related articles Continental Marines
and USS Morris (1778)
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Tangipahoa Parish
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...
, 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...
. It is part of the Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Manchac is located on Lake Maurepas
Lake Maurepas
Lake Maurepas is located in southeastern Louisiana approximately halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge directly west of Lake Pontchartrain.-Namesake:...
on the Pass Manchac waterway, which connects to Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
. It is home to the ruins of one of the five lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
s set up for Lake Pontchartrain. The existing lighthouse (the fourth on the site) was completed in 1857. It was automated in 1941, and the dwelling was razed in 1952; the Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
decommissioned the light and abandoned the property in 1987.
Manchac is known for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, duck hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s like Middendorf's
Middendorf's
-History:Middendorf's was opened in 1934 during the Great Depression by a German couple named Josie and Louis Middendorf. The restaurant was passed down through two generations of the family. In September 2006, a year after Hurricane Katrina, the Lamonte family, the then second generation owners,...
, and swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
tours. It is also home to the Port Manchac Distribution Center, with storage facilities and rail, truck, and water links to the east, west, and north. Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...
has exit and entrance ramps for Manchac.
Fort Bute or Manchac Post, named for the British Prime Minister, was established in 1763 at the junction of Iberville River (Bayou Manchac
Bayou Manchac
Bayou Manchac is an bayou in southeast Louisiana. This bayou was once a very important waterway linking the Mississippi River to the Amite River.-Exploration:...
) with the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, and remained an important British military and trading post in West Florida
West Florida
West Florida was a region on the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico, which underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. West Florida was first established in 1763 by the British government; as its name suggests it largely consisted of the western portion of the region...
until captured by Spanish forces under Bernardo Galvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez was a Spanish military leader and the general of Spanish forces in New Spain who served as governor of Louisiana and Cuba and as viceroy of New Spain.Gálvez aided the Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led...
of Louisiana on September 7, 1779, during what became known as Battle of Fort Bute of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Manchac was raided in February 1778 by American forces under the command of James Willing -- see related articles Continental Marines
Continental Marines
The Continental Marines were the Marine force of the American Colonies during the American Revolutionary War. The corps was formed by the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775 and was disbanded in 1783. Their mission was multi-purpose, but their most important duty was to serve as on-board...
and USS Morris (1778)
USS Morris (1778)
The first USS Morris was a sailing ship in the Continental Navy in commission from 1778 to 1779.A party of Americans led by James Willing who had come downriver from Ohio captured the ship Rebecca on the Mississippi River during the American Revolutionary War...
.