Destrehan is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

St. Charles Parish St. Charles Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Charles) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, its population was 52,549. The parish seat is Hahnville and the most populous community is Luling. The parish was ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 11,340.

Etymology

The community is named after

Jean Noël Destréhan Jean-Noël Destréhan de Tours (1754 – October 4, 1823) was a Creole politician in Louisiana and one-time owner of St. Charles Parish's Destrehan Plantation, one of Louisiana's historic antebellum landmarks. The community of Destrehan ...

(1754–1823), who was twice President of the

Orleans Territory The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana. History In 1804, ...

's legislative council during his service there in 1806 and 1811. He was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

when

became a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

in 1812, but he resigned after a month. He served in the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

from 1812 to 1817.

Destrehan Plantation Destrehan Plantation (french: Plantation Destrehan) is an antebellum mansion, in the French Colonial style, modified with Greek Revival architectural elements. It is located in southeast Louisiana, near the town of the same name, Destrehan. ...

, his former home, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The main house has been restored and is one of the attractions on the

Great River Road The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss ...

along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

History

''George Prince'' tragedy

Before the

Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge The Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge (also known as the Luling Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. It is named for the late United States Congressman Hale Boggs. With a total length of , it is ...

was completed connecting the communities of Destrehan and Luling, automobile

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

connected the towns. On October 20, 1976, one of these ferries, the ''George Prince'', was struck by a tanker and capsized as it crossed the

resulting in the MV ''George Prince'' ferry disaster. Seventy-eight passengers and crew died.

Gary Tyler case

Destrehan was briefly notorious in 1974 for the case of

Gary Tyler Gary Tyler (born July 1958), from St. Rose, Louisiana, is an African-American man who is a former prisoner at the Louisiana State Prison in Angola, Louisiana. He was convicted of the October 7, 1974 shooting death of a white 13-year-old boy and ...

, a 17 year old black student who was accused by local officials of the murder of 13 year old white student and the wounding of another, on a day of violent protests by white students at Destrehan High School. Many observers believe his conviction and trial were unfair and flawed. He was convicted and sentenced to prison. He was released from prison in 2016.

Geography

Destrehan is located at (29.962307, -90.369160). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and (12.41%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 11,340 people, 4,257 households, and 3,334 families residing in the CDP.

Education

St. Charles Parish Public School System operates public schools: *

Destrehan High School Destrehan High School is a public high school located in Destrehan, Louisiana, United States and is approximately twenty-five miles west of New Orleans. It is part of the St. Charles Parish Public School System and serves all students on the eas ...

(9–12) *Harry M. Hurst Middle School (Formerly 7–8 & presently 6–8) *Ethel Schoeffner Elementary School (Formerly 4–6 & presently 3–5) *New Sarpy Elementary School (Formerly PK–3 & presently PK–2)

In popular culture

was used as a set in the film '' 12 Years a Slave'' (2013).

Notable people

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, NFL and CFL assistant coach * Joel T. Chaisson, II,

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and

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* Jesse Duplantis,

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mayor * Shelley Hennig, actress and

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, NFL running back for the

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, NFL wide receiver for the

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and

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* Harry J. Kember Jr., member of the

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, NFL quarterback for the

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References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Louisiana Census-designated places in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana Census-designated places in New Orleans metropolitan area Louisiana populated places on the Mississippi River