Red Cross is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

that was located in

Pointe Coupee Parish Pointe Coupee Parish ( or ; ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,758. The parish seat is New Roads. Pointe Coupee Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Metropolitan Stati ...

's 1st Ward, approximately 12 miles west of Morganza,

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 site of the town itself is located at coordinates 30°32'12.87"N, 91°44'24.59"W, at the intersection of the southern terminus of Louisiana Highway 417 and

Louisiana Highway 10 Louisiana Highway 10 (LA 10) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in an east–west direction from U.S. Highway 171 (US 171) south of Leesville to the Mississippi state line east of Bogalusa. The route connec ...

. The town is now abandoned.

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

maps from 1948 show the town to be located on the east bank of the

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River () is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River of the South, Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and is the fifth largest river in N ...

, directly across from

Melville, Louisiana Melville is a town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,041 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Opelousas− Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area. It was founded in 1889 and is known as the Atchafalaya River C ...

, slightly north of the railroad bridge. The Post Office application from April 4, 1908 gives the impression that the name of the town was intended to be East Melville, taking the name of Melville, similar to how

East Krotz Springs, Louisiana East Krotz Springs is a ghost town that was located in Pointe Coupee Parish's 1st Ward, approximately 12 miles west of Livonia, Louisiana, United States. The site of the town itself is located at coordinates 30°32'12.87"N, 91°44'24.59"W, and is ...

was named. The name was changed at some point to Redcross and the population was somewhere between 100 and 200. Since 1939, this area has been located within the

Morganza Spillway The Morganza Spillway or Morganza Control Structure is a flood-control structure in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located along the western bank of the Lower Mississippi River at river mile 280, near Morganza in Pointe Coupee Parish. The sp ...

levee system and was entirely underwater again when the floodgates at the Morganza control structure to the northeast were opened in 1973 and 2011 to allow for relief of the high water level on the Mississippi River. Red Cross is subject to being flooded again if the control structure gates are ever opened. There is no visible trace of the town left today.

References

Ghost towns in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana {{Louisiana-geo-stub

See also

References