Editing New Roads, Louisiana (section)

== History ==
''Le Poste de Pointe Coupée'' ("the Pointe Coupée Post" or Cut Point Post) is one of the oldest communities in the [[Mississippi River Valley]] established by [[Western Europe|European]] colonists. The [[trading post]] was founded in the 1720s by settlers from [[France]]. It was located upstream from the point crossed by explorers, immediately above but not circled by [[False River (Louisiana)|False River]]. The name referred to the area along the [[Mississippi River]] northeast of what is now New Roads.

The post was initially settled by native [[French people|French]], as well as [[French language|French-speaking]] [[Louisiana Creole people|Creoles]] born in the [[Louisiana (New France)|colony]]. Additional ethnically French settlers migrated down the Mississippi River from [[Fort de Chartres]], [[Illinois Country|Upper Louisiana]]. The colonists imported numerous [[Africa]]n [[history of slavery|slaves]] from the [[French West Indies]] ([[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]], [[Saint-Domingue]]), and many directly from Africa, as workers for the [[plantations in the American South|plantations]].

Historian [[Gwendolyn Midlo Hall]] discovered extensive [[New France|French]] and [[New Spain|Spanish]] documentation of the early [[slavery in the United States|slave trade]], which provided more information than is usually available as to the ethnicity and names of [[history of slavery in Louisiana|individual slaves]], all in the [[court house]] at New Roads. Using this and other research, she has produced "The Louisiana Slave Database and the Louisiana Free Database: 1719–1820," which is searchable on line.

===Commandants of Pointe Coupee (1729–1762)===
*1729: Chevalier Henri du Loubois
*1731: Jean Baptiste François Tisserand de Moncharvaux
*1734–38: Claude Joseph de Favrot
*1738–1742: Jean Louis Richard de la Houssaye
*1742–1744: Claude Joseph de Favrot
*1744–1753: Jean Joseph Delfau de Pontalba, a relative by marriage of [[Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba]], the [[New Orleans]] native who in the mid-19th century built the [[Pontalba Buildings]] and redesigned [[Jackson Square, New Orleans|Jackson Square]].
*1753: Chevalier Morlière
*1753–1756: Francois Artaud
*1756–1759: Pierre Benoist, Sieur Payen de Noyan de Chavoy
*1759–1762: Jean Louis Richard de la Houssaye

=== Spanish rule ===
After several floods, Governor [[Luis de Unzaga]] in 1772 moved the European settlement from Pointe Coupee to a new post, the so-called Post Unzaga. Recently, historians Frank Cazorla and J. David Polo, from the Louis de Unzaga Historical Society research team, using satellite [[remote sensing]] techniques and comparative plans from the [[General Archive of the Indies]], have managed to locate the position of the Unzaga post, which included, along with it, a parish. Unfortunately after the slave rebellion of 1795 this settlement was left uninhabited.<ref>Cazorla, Frank, The governor Louis de Unzaga (1717-1793) Pioneer in birth of the United States of America and in Liberalism, Foundation Malaga, 2019, pages 58, 133</ref>

After Great Britain defeated France in the [[Seven Years' War]] (also known as the [[French and Indian War]] in North America), France ceded this territory to Spain. About 1776, the Spanish built a ''Chemin Neuf'', French for "New Road," connecting the Mississippi River with [[False River (Louisiana)|False River]], a {{convert|22|mi|km|adj=on}} long [[oxbow lake]] and formerly the main channel of the Mississippi.<ref name=Costello2010>{{Cite book|last=Costello |first=Brian J. |date=2010 |title=A History of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana |publisher=Margaret Media |isbn=9780982455111}}</ref>

In 1791, the Mina (an African people) [[slave rebellion|slave uprising]], the [[Mina (Louisiana)|Mina Conspiracy]], started on the estate of Widow Robillard at New Roads. Three years later, there was another area slave revolt near [[Point Coupee, Louisiana|Point Coupee]], the [[History of slavery in Louisiana#Pointe Coupée conspiracy|Pointe Coupée Conspiracy]].<ref name=Costello2010 />

=== Louisiana Purchase ===
In 1803 the United States made the [[Louisiana Purchase]], and the territory became part of the United States. In-migration of American settlers increased, changing Louisiana culture.

In 1822, Catherine Dispau (a [[free people of color|free woman of color]] called ''"La Fille Gougis"'') made a four or six block subdivision out of her False River plantation. This was located at the terminus of a "new road" linking False River with the older Mississippi River settlement to the north.  This is the area now bounded by West Main, New Roads, West Second and St. Mary Streets. The latter was named for St. Mary's Catholic Church, founded in 1823. The community was referred to variously as the "village of St. Mary" or Chemin Neuf.<ref name=Costello2010 />

The founding of the church helped the community develop. In 1847, New Roads was named as the seat of Pointe Coupée Parish, and a courthouse was built. Between these "strong celestial poles," the Main Street business district developed. After the abandonment of the competing parish port of [[Waterloo, Louisiana|Waterloo]] during 1882–84 due to flooding, New Roads became the major commercial port and city of Pointe Coupée Parish. The railroad reached the city in 1898–99, bringing much industrial development.<ref name=Costello2010 />

The official name of the community changed frequently during the years after Louisiana became part of the United States. The first post office was established in 1858 as "False River," but it was discontinued in 1861. When the town was incorporated by the state legislature in 1875, it was named "New Roads." But, in 1878, when the post office reopened, it was named "St. Mary's." In 1879, the city and post office name was changed to New Roads. The old incorporation fell into disuse. The city was reincorporated in 1892, and received its charter two years later. Several names were proposed, among them "St. Mary" and "Rose Lake."  But "New Roads" was finally chosen, although it was often misspelled "New Rhodes."<ref name=Costello2010 />

Since its founding, New Roads has been the hub of an agricultural community that cultivated [[commodity crop]]s of sugar cane, cotton, and pecans, among others. Today, the economy has grown to support large industries such as healthcare and social assistance, construction, and retail facilities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://datausa.io/profile/geo/new-roads-la/#economy|title=New Roads, LA|work=Data USA|access-date=2018-01-31}}</ref>