Editing Hammond, Louisiana (section)

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2022}}
[[File:Ponchatoula Creek Southeastern footbridge.JPG|thumb|right|[[Ponchatoula Creek]], the stream along which Peter Hammond settled, has figured prominently in Hammond's development. This footbridge crosses a tributary between [[University Center (Southeastern Louisiana)|Southeastern's University Center]] and North Oak Park.]]

===19th century===
The city is named for Peter Hammond (1798–1870), the surname anglicized from Peter av [[Hammerdal]] (Peter of Hammerdal) — a [[Sweden|Swedish]] immigrant known as the first European settler, arriving around 1818. Peter, a sailor, had been briefly imprisoned by the [[Great Britain|British]] at [[Dartmoor Prison]] during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. He escaped during a prison riot, made his way back to sea, and later reached [[New Orleans]].

Hammond used his savings to buy then-inexpensive land northwest of [[Lake Pontchartrain]]. He developed a plantation to cultivate trees, which he made into masts, charcoal, and other products for the maritime industry in New Orleans. He transported the goods by [[ox]]cart to the [[head of navigation]] on the [[Natalbany River]] at [[Springfield, Louisiana|Springfield]]. He held at least 30 [[History of slavery in Louisiana|enslaved African Americans]] before the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Hammond lost his wealth during the war, as [[Union Army|Union soldiers]] [[raid (military)|raided]] his property.<ref>[http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/ref/collection/npu_sahq/id/3205 ''Swedish-American Historical Quarterly'', October 1967] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222082641/http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/ref/collection/npu_sahq/id/3205 |date=2015-12-22 }}. Accessed 08 October 2015.</ref><ref>[http://lahistory.org/site25.php Hammond, Peter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225173835/http://lahistory.org/site25.php |date=2010-02-25 }} in ''Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'', retrieved 02 August 2017.</ref>

In 1854, the [[New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad]] (later the [[Illinois Central Railroad]], now [[Canadian National Railway]]) came through the area, launching the town's emergence as a commercial and transport center. The point where the railroad met the trail to Springfield was at first known as '''Hammond's Crossing'''.

During the Civil War, the city was a shoe-making center for the [[Confederate States Army]]. [[Charles Emery Cate]] developed the shoe industry after buying land in the city in 1860 for his home, a shoe factory, a tannery, and a sawmill. Toward the end of the war, Cate laid out the town's grid, using the rail line as a guide and naming several of the streets after his sons. Also, Cate Street is named for him.

After the Civil War, light industry and commercial activities were attracted to the town.  By the end of the 19th century, Hammond had become a stopping point for northern rail passengers traveling south and for New Orleanians heading north to escape seasonal summer [[History of yellow fever|yellow fever]] outbreaks. The city later became a shipping point for [[Strawberry|strawberries]]. A state historical [[Commemorative plaque|plaque]] downtown marks it as "Strawberry Capital of America".<ref>{{cite web |title=Hammond, Louisiana historical marker |author=StoppingPoints.com |url=http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/Tangipahoa/Hammond/ |access-date=12 March 2016 |archive-date=6 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206140713/http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/Tangipahoa/Hammond/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===20th and 21st centuries===
In the 1920s, David William Thomas edited a weekly newspaper in Hammond prior to moving to [[Minden, Louisiana|Minden]], the seat of [[Webster Parish]]. There, he was elected mayor in 1936.

In 1932, [[Hodding Carter]] founded the ''Hammond Daily Courier'', which he left in 1939 to move to [[Greenville, Mississippi]]. The paper closed. Carter later received a [[Pulitzer Prize]] for his reporting on the [[Civil Rights Movement]].

In 1944, the Tangipahoa Parish Library – Hammond branch was established.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tangilibrary.com/About-Us/Library-History | title=Tangipahoa Parish Library &#124; Amite, Louisiana 70422 > About Us > Library History | access-date=2023-03-18 | archive-date=2023-03-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318144432/https://www.tangilibrary.com/About-Us/Library-History | url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 1959, ''[[Daily Star (Hammond)|The Daily Star]]'' has been Hammond's locally published daily newspaper.

During World War II, the Hammond Airport (now [[Hammond Northshore Regional Airport]]) served as a [[prisoner-of-war camp|detention camp]] for [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] from [[Nazi Germany]].

Additionally, the U.S. Army established and used the {{convert|15216|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[Robert, Louisiana#Bombing range|Hammond Bombing and Gunnery Range]] east of the city. In the early 21st century, Army Corps of Engineers searched for remaining explosives in this area.<ref>Don Ellzey, [http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2009/10/29/top_stories/8835.txt Property owners stuck in Bombing Range: Corps surveyors search for any explosives] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130125032736/http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2009/10/29/top_stories/8835.txt |date=2013-01-25 }} in ''[[Daily Star (Louisiana)|The Daily Star]]'' (Hammond), 2009 October 29, pp. 1A, 8A.</ref>

Today, Hammond is intersected by [[Interstate highway|Interstates]] [[Interstate 12|12]] and [[Interstate 55 in Louisiana|55]]. Its airport has a long runway which serves as a backup landing site for [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport]]. It is also a major training site for the [[Louisiana Army National Guard]], and the home base for the [[Louisiana Air National Guard]]'s [[236th Combat Communications Squadron]].

About {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=on}} south of the city, on both the railroad and I–55, lies Port [[Manchac, Louisiana|Manchac]], which provides egress via [[Lake Pontchartrain]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]].  The combination of highway-rail-air-sea transportation has transformed modern Hammond from a strawberry capital to a transportation capital.  The city hosts numerous warehouses and is a distribution point for [[Walmart]] and other major businesses. [[Southeastern Louisiana University]] in Hammond offers the state's only academic degree in [[supply chain management]].

In 1953, [[John Desmond]] opened the first architectural firm in Hammond.  He was chief architect of the Tangipahoa Parish School Board for some two decades before he relocated to [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]].<ref>[http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/17120296.html 2theadvocate.com "Architect Desmond dies — Baton Rouge, LA"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522042404/http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/17120296.html |date=2011-05-22 }}, ''The Advocate''</ref>

Among the city's cultural resources is the [[Tangipahoa African American Heritage Museum]]. This is one of the destinations on the [[Louisiana African American Heritage Trail]]. Southeastern took over [[Southeastern Louisiana University#History|the Columbia Theatre]] in the designated Hammond Historic District to use as a downtown cultural venue. The former movie theater was constructed in 1928 and renovated by the university in the 1990s for $5.6 million.

On August 29, 2021, Hammond suffered a direct strike by the eastern eyewall of [[Hurricane Ida]]. It dropped more than {{convert|12|in}} of rain, and caused severe flash flooding, and significant wind damage.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}