Morgan City is a small city in
St. Mary Parish,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, located in the
Acadiana
Acadiana (; French language, French and Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane'' or ''Acadiane''), also known as Cajun Country (Cajun French language, Louisiana French: ''Pays des Cadiens''), is the official name given to the ...
region. The population was 11,472 at the
2020 census. Known for being "right in the middle of everywhere", Morgan City is located southeast of
Lafayette, south of
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, and west of
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
.
Morgan City sits on the banks of the
Atchafalaya River near its intersection with the
Intracoastal Waterway. The town was originally named "Tiger Island" by surveyors appointed by U.S.
Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
John Calhoun, because of a particular type of wild cat seen in the area. It was later changed for a time to "Brashear City", named after Walter Brashear, a prominent
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
physician who had purchased large tracts of land and acquired numerous
sugar mills in the area. It was incorporated in 1860.
Morgan City, and all of St. Mary Parish, is included in the
Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City CSA.
History
Capture of Brashear City
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, the Star Fort of Fort Brashear was the larger of two works erected by the
Union Army occupying the city to defend a Federal military depot and the town. During the
Bayou Teche Campaign, on the night of June 22, 1863, 325
Confederates of Gen.
A. A. Mouton's command, led by Major
Sherod Hunter, landed their skiffs and flats in the rear of the town. Attacking the next day, they surprised and captured the city, taking 1,300 Union prisoners, 11 heavy siege guns, 2,500 stands of rifles, immense quantities of quartermaster, commissary and ordnance stores. They also captured 2,000 African Americans, between 200 and 300 wagons and tents, all while suffering losses of only three killed, 18 wounded.
Morgan City

In 1876, the community's name was changed to Morgan City in tribute to
Charles Morgan, a rail and steamship magnate who first dredged the
Atchafalaya Bay Ship Channel to accommodate ocean-going vessels.
On
September 11, 1961, an F2 tornado struck the city, causing heavy damage to the city and injuring 16 people.
In middle April 1973, the city had 14 inch rainfall over 48 hours along with flooding in the Mississippi River and Atchafalaya River systems, but the Army provided an engineering battalion to shore up emergency works to protect the city.
On October 28, 1985,
Hurricane Juan (not to be confused with the 2003 storm of the same name) made landfall near Morgan City, flooding many parts of the city. The storm then looped offshore and came onshore again in
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
.
On August 26, 1992,
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...
came ashore to the southwest of Morgan City. Andrew was the second most destructive hurricane in U.S. history, crossing
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
and then regaining strength in the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
before it struck Louisiana.
In 2019, Morgan City and the surrounding area were selected as a setting for the paranormal-themed reality TV show ''
Ghosts of Morgan City'', broadcast on the
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...
.
On July 13, 2019
Hurricane Barry made landfall west of Morgan City as a Category 1 Hurricane on the
Saffir Simpson Scale.
Agricultural
A type of
blackberry
BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...
deemed the
youngberry was developed by B.M. Young in 1905 in Morgan City, as a hybrid between a variety of blackberries. The youngberry is a cross between Luther Burbank's Phenomenal Berry and the Austin-Mayes
dewberry, a trailing blackberry. The youngberry was introduced commercially in 1926 and quickly came to rival the
loganberry. The youngberry had excellent qualities, such as taste and high yields and it soon replaced the loganberry of California.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.03%, is water.
The northeastern border of Morgan City is at the lower
St. Martin Parish line via
Louisiana Highway 70.
U.S. Highway 90 (future
Interstate 49
Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...
) and
Louisiana Highway 182
Louisiana Highway 182 (LA 182) is a state highway located in central and southeastern Louisiana. It runs in a northwest to southeast direction from LA 29 in Whiteville to U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) north of Raceland.
Along the ...
both pass through the city, both heading west to
Lafayette.
U.S. 90 also heads east approximately to
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, while passing in between the cities of
Houma, which is located approximately southeast, and
Thibodaux, which is located northeast of Morgan City. U.S. 90 is a freeway between Morgan City and the Houma area with the route planned to become a section of future
Interstate 49
Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...
.
Morgan City is served by the
Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport, a general aviation airfield located near the
U.S. 90 four lane highway in nearby
Patterson, Louisiana.
If the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
were to experience a
major course change in the vicinity of the
Old River Control Structure or
Morganza Spillway, the main channel of the river would likely then enter the Gulf of Mexico near Morgan City instead of
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
.
Climate
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 11,472 people, 4,732 households, and 2,492 families residing in the city. As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 12,703 people, 5,037 households, and 3,394 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,627 housing units at an average density of .
In 2000, the racial makeup of the city was 71.28%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 23.90%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.91%
American Indian, 1.02%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.18% from
other races, and 1.69% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
of any race were 3.37% of the population. By 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 57.88% non-Hispanic white, 21.88% African American, 0.91% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.18% other or multiracial, and 13.51% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000, there were 5,037 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,324, and the median income for a family was $36,196. Males had a median income of $31,712 versus $19,550 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $14,577. About 17.7% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
St. Mary Parish School Board operates public schools:
*
Morgan City High School
* Morgan City Junior High School
Elementary schools:
* J. B. Maitland Elementary School
* M. E. Norman Elementary School
* M. D. Shannon Elementary School
* Wyandotte Elementary School
There is a private Catholic Pre-k through grade 12 school,
Central Catholic High School.
Notable people
*
Bill Burgo (1919–1988), baseball player
*
Carla Blanchard Dartez, former
state representative
*
Mo B. Dick (Born Raymond E Poole, 1965), music producer
*
Eddie Dyer (1899–1964),
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player,
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
*
Sid Gautreaux (1912–1980), baseball player
*
Anthony Guarisco, Jr. (born 1938), state senator from 1976 to 1988; lawyer and real estate businessman, now in Baton Rouge
*
Mark Hall (born 1965), football player
*
René Hall (1912–1988), session guitarist
*
Burt Lancon, figure skater in the 1984 Winter Olympics
*
Geronimo Pratt (1947–2011), Black Panther
*
Sam Seamans (born 1967),
Reformed Episcopal Church
The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican Church. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), Protestant Episcopal Church.
The REC is a founding member of the ...
Bishop, former
Southern Baptist
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...
References
External links
City of Morgan City official website
{{Authority control
Cities in Louisiana
Cities in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
Populated places established in 1860
1860 establishments in Louisiana