Editing St. James Parish, Louisiana (section)

==History==
St. James is one of the state's nineteen original parishes, created by act of the [[Territory of Orleans|territorial]] legislature, March 31, 1807. The original seat of government was the community of St. James, on the west bank of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]], but this was moved in 1869 to what is now [[Convent, Louisiana|Convent]], on the east bank.

St. James Parish is part of the [[Acadian Coast]]. While it is possible that some [[Acadians]] did arrive prior to 1755 or between 1755 and 1764, the first documented group of Acadians [4 families: 20 individuals] arrived in [[New Orleans]] in February 1764. The arrival was documented in a letter dated April 6, 1764, from [[Jean-Jacques Blaise d'Abbadie|Governor D'Abbadie]] to his superior in France. They were settled along the Mississippi River in present-day St. James.

St. James is known for its tradition, '''Bonfires on the Levee,''' which takes place every [[Christmas Eve]]. Residents build large [[bonfire]]s along the River [[levee]], lighting them all at nightfall. The townsfolk tell the children that the purpose of this tradition is so Papa Noel can easily see his way down the Mississippi as he is delivering gifts.

St. James is the only cultivation site in the world for [[Perique]] [[tobacco]], introduced by an Acadian exile, [[Pierre Chenet]], whose nickname was "Perique." It has been produced by his descendants for nearly two centuries (now covering only a {{convert|300|acre|km2|adj=on}} tract) and is in great demand by large tobacco companies.[[File:PaulinaLouisianaPostOffice1938.jpg|thumb|Post office in Paulina, 1938|left]]