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History · Cheneyville

Cheneyville’s post office opened in 1821, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Trinity Episcopal Church and the Walnut Grove. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1910.

1821first post office

2on the National Register

29%homes built before 1940

3famous people

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Quick answers

How Cheneyville began

When was Cheneyville founded?

1821

The Cheneyville post office opened in 1821, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 498 in 19102020 census: 468205 years

Founding year: the first Cheneyville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Cheneyville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cheneyville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,082 in 1970; 468 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1821: 205 years of Cheneyville.Old housesHalf of Cheneyville’s homes were built before 1958.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cheneyville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cheneyville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

People over time

Cheneyville, census by census

Peaked at 1,082 in 1970; 468 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cheneyville’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Cheneyville, 1821 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1821Post officeThe Cheneyville post office opens
1891Born hereHenry E. Walden is born here
20th century
1911Born hereBill Jordan is born here
1935On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1947Born hereHarlan Breaux is born here
1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,082

The story

How Cheneyville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cheneyville.

Read it all →

Cheneyville is significant in the history of the Restoration Movement associated with Alexander Campbell. In 1843 most of the membership of a Baptist congregation, under the leadership of William Prince Ford, who had been influenced by Campbell's writings, became a Church of Christ. The Cheneyville Christian Church is the oldest congregation associated with the Restoration Movement in Louisiana. In 1857, Campbell visited the congregation and was favorably impressed by its fellowship between the races.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Cheneyville, decade by decade

Today2 recent

2011Cheneyville, Louisiana

2004LAMap-doton-Cheneyville

On the map

Cheneyville on the map, 1935 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cheneyville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1935Lecompte sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cheneyville.

Every building

Cheneyville, building by building, 1909

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Cheneyville fire insurance map, 1909, sheet 1

1909Sheet 1 of 1

Sheets

BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Cheneyville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1980

Trinity Episcopal Church

Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1

Federal1

Trinity Episcopal ChurchGothic Revival

All 2 listings

Walnut GroveBuilding · listed 1980

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Cheneyville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

Bill JordanAmerican Marine · b. 1911

Harlan BreauxAmerican politician · b. 1947

Henry E. WaldenAmerican football coach, athletics administrato… · b. 1891

Questions about Cheneyville’s history

What year was Cheneyville founded?

The Cheneyville post office opened in 1821, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Cheneyville?

Two places: the Trinity Episcopal Church (listed 1980) and the Walnut Grove (1980).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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