A Short History of the Faubourg Saint John Neighborhood
(Excerpt from the September 11, 2001 issue of Gambit Weekly)
We all love the beautiful drive along the bayou, on both sides of Moss Street. But none of the houses we admire were built
by the original French settlers. In fact, there are only two houses left that were definitely built before the Louisiana Purchase
in 1803: the Old Spanish Custom House at 1300 Moss St., Ten years before the founding of New Orleans, the first plantations were
established on Bayou St. John when eight colonists were persuaded to come from Mobile to grow wheat as a principal crop. Titles
to land in the area can be traced back to concessions granted in late 1708. These early grants were narrow bits of waterfront
property -- about 2 to 3 arpents by 40 arpents -- on the east bank (downtown side) of the bayou. On today's map, their concessions
were approximately between Grand Route St. John to a point just beyond Esplanade Avenue. As any real-estate agent will tell
you, the most important factor is location, and the land here was rich and relatively high. But more important, this side
of the bayou was closer to the portage path (Bayou Road) and the Mississippi River.
One of the earliest concessions went to Antoine Rivard de LaVigne who, by 1721, owned all the others plus the ancient Acolapissa
Village on the west bank of the bayou across from his plantation. Bienville gave him another three arpents, and LaVigne became
the earliest large-property owner on Bayou St. John.
Work on the city of New Orleans began in 1718, and the next year saw the beginning of the village of Bayou St. John --
three houses and a warehouse -- between Esplanade and Dumaine on both sides of the bayou on today's Moss Street.
